“The Look My Wife Gave Me”: 35 People Share Their Weird Habits That They Didn’t Think Were Weird Until Their Spouses Said So
As kids, we were naturally curious — and extremely impressionable. We absorbed the world like little sponges by observing and mimicking everything our parents did. Unconsciously, most of us also picked up some quirky behaviors along the way that turned out to be... a bit weird.
Believe it or not, we may even glide through life completely unaware of these silly rituals, but hey, it's just a thing we do. Only as we grow older and start to create meaningful relationships with people around us, sharing our childhood memories — which we believed were perfectly and totally normal — inevitably leads to confused looks and a few raised eyebrows.
So without further ado, let's dig into this viral thread from humor writer and editor Kristen Mulrooney that took us on a hilarious rollercoaster where this phenomenon was laid out on the table. Turns out, thousands of friends and spouses privy to their loved ones' presumed ordinary behaviors gathered the courage to tell them that, in fact, they’re anything but. We at Bored Panda have gathered some of the most entertaining responses to share with you all, so continue scrolling! Be sure to upvote your favorite tales, and share your own experiences with us in the comments.
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Apparently, Kristen’s tweet was inspired by two recent conversations she had with her husband: "When I was in elementary school, one of the best parts of the day was when the whole class walked across the school together for a big group bathroom trip," she said in an interview with BuzzFeed. "And he was like, '...that's not as normal as it sounds like you think it is.'"
"Then later that day, something came up about school dances, and my husband said, 'I'm not sure if this is normal for public schools, but we always had a random priest show up to chaperone our middle school dances.' I was like, 'I am very sure that is NOT normal.'"
The responses to Kristen's tweet were filled with similar tales where people gladly exposed their spouses’ quirky behaviors, from peculiar eating habits to outright odd phrases like "don’t forget to chirp the car" — which is a totally normal thing clearly everyone says.
I used to love watching the fighter jets blast by over my house, I was sad when they closed the local AFB.
Same here, but for helicopters!! Didn't really like the fighter jets that much when they where flying over. But hearing their engines roar from about 12 km away was impressive. It's a very specific sound. I've always thought they were testing the engines when we'd hear that sound, but I'm not sure.
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Most kids are civilians. The use of child soldiers is generally frowned upon, and illegal in most countries. I would also be uneasy if i found out my wife was forced to kill at a young age. I was in the military, my girlfriend was a civilian. My kids, if i had any then would have been civilians. I'm no longer in the military, and so I'm a civilian, and happy to be one.
i dont think that's what this person meant as "civilian children," but i can see where you got to that conclusion. they meant one of their parents was in the military, and in the US, its very common for military families to live on bases where the parents works. they weren't a child soldier, they were the child of a soldier
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Air force and Navy brat here! Only the special ones can tell the difference in sound between F-14 Tomcat vs F-16 Fighting Falcon. Iykyk. Right!!
Marine radar intercept officer father flew F4s, flying coke machines they called them.I miss hearing them scream through the air.
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no, there's even a word for this category - military brats. and their number keeps growing every year, since the pauper civilians can't afford many children.
my son can distinguish different kinds of motorcycle by its engine sound. Husband owns a vehicle repair shop.
I'm the same way with guns. I'm non-military, British. Was watching a show, Tim Roth's "Lie To Me". The episode involved GI's being shot by Insurgents. Audio is given to to the team, of the firefight. I hear the gunshots, and turn to my wife, "Those are MP-5's, not AK-47's. They were short by American mercenaries, not Insurgents." Turned out I was right, my American wife has never quite looked at me in the same way :)
I tend to recognised And describe scents And smells Just sniffing it. I freak my coworkers when I mention someone changed their perfume And it smells different now, or I said the main ingredient in coworkers cologne, he Google it, I was right
We were in Aden in 1966/67, my dad would tell me the names of different types of tank as they drove down the road outside our house. He swears I used to identify them by sound
My first husband was ex-Air Force and could determine what was flying by. I got pretty good at it surprisingly. Kinda fun & impressive to people who have no clue lol
Same. Can still pick out fighter jets as an adult. My kids think I have magic powers.
there are a lot of military families and bases near where i live....so many kids and parents can tell you exactly what type of helicopter is nearby without seeing it....
My ATC mom (from small town airports) can tell you what tiny Canadian aircraft it is from either the sound or the serial number or just plain what it looks like
I can do this, my partner gets a kick out of it. He was more unnerved that I could sleep chinooks flying over our house after a hurricane.
I can identify the brand of diesel engine by it's sound (Powerstroke vs Cummins is very distinct) because my husband has a diesel truck and just know what it sounds like, it's simply what i've been around
In the late 60s and early 70s my dad could tell the difference between a Ford and Chevy by the sound. I found this to be AMAZING.
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Some civilian kids can identify cars/trucks, but not most. Did you also notice the time of day conditioning? I didn't until I moved near a port and railway hub. The times they run differed than the standard military day and it was noticeable to me. Got to the point that I'd jerk awake if I didn't hear the 2 a.m. call from port/hub. Took years, after moving away, to reset to default.
Hehehe I can and I didn't grow up on an airbase or anything ... Mine's more specific though as in WWII plane engines ... I also had a similar ability for 60s - 90s motorbike engines. More specifically their start up ignitions ... I'm often told this is both highly amusing but not normal 😂
Nah, totally normal. Most of my motorcycling friends can do that. We know who's pulled up outside the house just by the sound of the engine.
Load More Replies...Kristen’s viral thread only goes to show how universally relatable this topic is. It looks like virtually everyone has some weird habits from their childhood that just stuck with them for the rest of their lives. On top of that, it proves they inevitably bubble to the surface with adulthood, and often in hilarious ways.
Unsurprisingly, bizarre behavior patterns especially become visible when we find that special person with whom we can create a long-lasting relationship. Of course, relationships are a beautiful thing that makes you feel loved and adored by someone close to your heart. But they also teach you about the world, life, and, most importantly, yourself.
Anyone who’s been with their partner long enough has seen them at their best and their worst and knows the ins and outs of their behaviors. In some cases, however, these little habits seem cute at first but may morph into giant, annoying, frustrating patterns with time. They are hard to break, after all, no matter how pointless or silly they actually are.
When this seems to be the case, experts suggest taking a step back and thinking about what’s truly important. "The weird things your partner does are a part of who he or she is, and some of the reason why you fell in love," Tina B. Tessina, Ph.D., psychotherapist and author of How to Be Happy Partners: Working It Out Together, told Women’s Health.
Tessina pointed out that in any healthy relationship, couples learn to accommodate each other's quirks. Sometimes that means secretly finding them endearing, even if they're still slightly irritating, she said.
Not gonna lie, my favorite is a night time shower with just a candle for light. It helps my eyes get used to the dark and is relaxing before bed
But how come so many people move through life completely oblivious to these unbreakable and utterly weird childhood habits? Turns out, many of us realize obvious things only later in life because we’re wired to move common patterns into the background to look out for more novel things.
"This happens because things that are not obvious, that are not common, that stand out, could pose a threat to our well-being, or could be something really rewarding," Joshua Klapow, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist, performance coach, and creator of Mental Drive, told Bored Panda in a previous interview. He stated that we humans "pay more attention to those actions and interactions that grab our attention. The obvious goes in the background, so we reserve brain bandwidth to notice the novel, standout occurrences in our life."
But as we all know, fewer things feel different and unknown to us through the course of our lives. As adults, we can finally look at the seemingly common in a more detailed way. "And when we do, we often discover that that obvious has so much more to it that we missed earlier on," the psychologist added.
"Another reason we miss the obvious is that we sometimes are not ready psychologically to handle [it]," Klapow said. "A relationship that is toxic, a love interest that is too intense, a realization that we don’t have a skill or strength we believe we have." These things may be crystal clear to the outside observer, but "our own psychological defenses go up and protect us from seeing the obvious. Because to do so might overwhelm us emotionally and psychologically."
"This pattern can go on for years, until which time we either have the psychological maturity or our life circumstances change such that we can look at the obvious which once posed a psychological threat in a more mature, less defensive way."
There were whole generations that thought it was normal. I remember the day that the cane/switch/crop/yardstick disappeared from the classrooms. I think it was in November because I remember we were already talking about Christmas but it was still a little ways off. We walked into the classroom in the morning and it was literally the first thing we noticed when we walked in! That little hook on the wall had nothing hanging on it. Was it broken? Was it hidden for a surprise lashing? Someone had to find out! And what with me being the arsehole hero that I am, I decided I would be the one to do it. I can't remember exactly what I said but, as it was about God, I was guaranteed a wallop. Instead, I was sent outside the classroom and told to stand in the corridor! That night my parents confirmed that, although it was already illegal, the teachers themselves were not liable for prosecution... until now!!!!
Once we realize we lived our whole lives believing our weird childhood habits are perfectly ordinary, it’s easy to feel a bit uncomfortable and self-conscious. Perhaps that’s why, according to Klapow, we feel embarrassed — "the obvious is often simple and clear to everyone else."
The creator of Mental Drive explained we feel this way for several reasons. First, we simply overlooked what others saw: "We may have made mistakes, hurt others, missed out on opportunities because we didn't see the obvious. Lastly, we have to acknowledge to others and ourselves that despite how we think of ourselves or how we are seen by others, we have missed something."
In the UK pigs in blankets are sausages wrapped in bacon. A favourite around Christmas time.
But if seeing your silly beliefs laid out on the table makes you blush, remember that laughing off the embarrassment will surely help. Moreover, it can help you strengthen the bond you have with your spouse, and even help you grow as a person.
Whenever you feel flustered about your quirks, turn the internal dialog around and tell yourself: "I now see things differently, more clearly, and that is going to help me from this day moving forward," Klapow suggested. "Then, the initial embarrassment and frustration can transition into gratitude and excitement for arriving at the discovery of the obvious," he concluded.
Well it was fairly normal (at least here in the UK) that children weren't at the table for dinner with the grown-ups. BUT they would have eaten earlier with Mum in the kitchen or in another room with the nanny if you were really posh. Not defending your grandparents but maybe they sort of remembered the 'no children at dinner' thing but didn't really think it through.
My partner does lemon juice and sugar…there was lots of confusion around this until I realised it was, in fact, a cultural thing.
I loathe these kind of discussions. Everybody is entitled their own taste and you should always be allowed to say you don't like something. But arguments about the "correct" recipe for a meal are just tiresome.
Note: this post originally had 45 images. It’s been shortened to the top 35 images based on user votes.
Erm I and everyone I know puts butter on all bread especially sandwiches !!! UK
Not a big thing but Maple syrup. We tapped and made our own growing up. My wife will only use the store bought fake stuff. Doesn't even know what a maple tree looks like.
In years to come my daughter will be writing on one of these posts…. ‘My Dad used to tell me that animals that were on or next to the road (roadkill) were in fact sleeping after a hard night out and about, no they weren’t dead, they were SLEEPING.’ She is now old enough to know they are dead but she’ll point out the flattest pheasant or badger and ask me if it is sleeping, naturally I still assert that they are indeed fast asleep 😀
Apparently it's not normal to make everything at home. My dad is a chef and we (still) make everything ourselfs. I'm going to name some examples: pesto, broth, tomato sauce, jams and gelees, apple sauce, bread, sometimes butter, and pizza. When I was at the grocery store with my first boyfriend we wanted to make pasta and he wanted pesto so I naturally grabbed pine, basil and parmesan. He looked confused and asked why I wouldn't just grab a glas of pre made pesto. We had pre made this evening and it was okayish but I still prefer the foods and snacks my dad makes.
Definitely not weird. Time consuming but not weird. How greats your dad
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I had no idea this was totally a wrong thing to do: Growing up my mother would pin me down (me layng on my back) and sit on my stomach then put her mouth completely over my nose and blow air. It's like choking on spit. Apparently she thought it was hilarious. Fast-forward to my first serious relationship and he had to tell me 1) never try to do that to him again 2) it's basically abuse
When I was growing up, my mom made me shut my door if there was any noise happening in my room. Watching TV, playing games, talking on the phone, she didn't want to have to hear it, so I had to shut my door. When I started dating in high school, I would walk into my boyfriend's bedroom with them and shut the door behind me. Their parents would come in super angry, "Who shut this door?!?!" Sorry, I don't even think about it, it's a requirement in my house, it's literally muscle memory.
Not putting ketchup in the refrigerator. Ketchup is a shelf stable product and does not need to be refrigerated at all (as long as it is closed tightly), so we never put it in the fridge growing up. My (ex)wife was horrified by this.
My friend likes it cold, her husband grew up with it on the shelf. She buys 2 so they don't have to argue about it, lol
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A teenager who's parents are from the middle east just went far from her home to university. I look forward to hearing her telling me about all the things she thought were normal, but aren't. Like eating chicken and rice everyday for dinner with very little liquid (drinking too much water is bad) ... and wearing pajamas when you return home (regardless of the time of day). I'm glad I convinced the family to have her apply for admission, since it wasn't on their radar.
I always wear pajamas at home no matter what time of day it is (unless I'm expecting company). Why would you not want to be comfortable?
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Pinning your dirty socks together before you put them in the hamper, so when they come out of the dryer they are already paired. thought this was standard laundry procedure everywhere. My college roommates told me they had never seen this before. After a survey of our dorm floor, it was decided that this was not Standard Laundry Procedure.
We all have those washable laundry bags for socks and underwear. Everyone can decide if they want them folded and put away or left in the bag. My husband is the only one who puts them away.
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I didn't think boys got Christmas presents. Every year about 2 weeks before Christmas, my father would pull me aside and remind me that because I was the oldest (by 14 monthes) and the only boy( 3 younger sisters) that I shouldn't get my hopes up and expect anything. He would tell me that since there are 3 of them and only 1 of me, he couldn't justify spending money on me since it was just easier to disappoint 1 child rather then 3. Didn't realize that wasn't how Christmas worked until about 3rd grade after holiday break when our teacher asked us all to write an essay about what we got for Christmas. When I asked the teacher what the boys in class should do since we don't get gifts she looked horrified. After my teacher explained to me that it didn't work what way, I had 1000 questions. I told my dad about what the teacher told me and asked if she was telling me the truth. That's when he finally told me that he saw me as the accident that ruined his life and hated me.
My mother called farts "twizzers" and nipples "tillies". Man, did I confuse my classmates in grade school!
A pox on you and everyone like you. Including my husband. I finally started refusing to make him scrambled eggs. I make them for the girls and me. And he makes his own separate. Usually in the microwave.
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It took years and loved ones pointing it out for me to realize that I could ask for food to be sent back at restaurants, or at others' houses if I didn't want to eat it. To this day, I still have the urge to eat everything put in front of me by someone else otherwise I'll be "wasting it."
Macaroni and milk...elbow noodles covered in milk with at least a stick of butter. I thought everyone ate that but my ex husband never heard of it.
Milk noodles are a thing here in Germany, although my memory of them does not look like macaroni. I think we use the spiral noodles.
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There are three distinct colloquial terms from my part of the country that I literally had to show my then boyfriend (now husband) the terms in print in stores to get him to believe me. JoJos, thunder-eggs, and filberts are real things. 20 years and he still teases me about calling “geodes” thunder-eggs.
Please tell me someone else out there uses the phrase "come back on an eerie-wig" to describe being unsure as to how and when you'll get yourself home. First time I said this to my husband he teased me for about 3 hours and Google got nuthin.
I've not heard this. Reminds me of the saying my grandparents had though, when someone arrived home when we were at the dinner table "who's that walking round my garden tonight? It's only poor old Jim" I have no idea who Jim was or the greater context though.
Load More Replies... Erm I and everyone I know puts butter on all bread especially sandwiches !!! UK
Not a big thing but Maple syrup. We tapped and made our own growing up. My wife will only use the store bought fake stuff. Doesn't even know what a maple tree looks like.
In years to come my daughter will be writing on one of these posts…. ‘My Dad used to tell me that animals that were on or next to the road (roadkill) were in fact sleeping after a hard night out and about, no they weren’t dead, they were SLEEPING.’ She is now old enough to know they are dead but she’ll point out the flattest pheasant or badger and ask me if it is sleeping, naturally I still assert that they are indeed fast asleep 😀
Apparently it's not normal to make everything at home. My dad is a chef and we (still) make everything ourselfs. I'm going to name some examples: pesto, broth, tomato sauce, jams and gelees, apple sauce, bread, sometimes butter, and pizza. When I was at the grocery store with my first boyfriend we wanted to make pasta and he wanted pesto so I naturally grabbed pine, basil and parmesan. He looked confused and asked why I wouldn't just grab a glas of pre made pesto. We had pre made this evening and it was okayish but I still prefer the foods and snacks my dad makes.
Definitely not weird. Time consuming but not weird. How greats your dad
Load More Replies... I had no idea this was totally a wrong thing to do: Growing up my mother would pin me down (me layng on my back) and sit on my stomach then put her mouth completely over my nose and blow air. It's like choking on spit. Apparently she thought it was hilarious. Fast-forward to my first serious relationship and he had to tell me 1) never try to do that to him again 2) it's basically abuse
When I was growing up, my mom made me shut my door if there was any noise happening in my room. Watching TV, playing games, talking on the phone, she didn't want to have to hear it, so I had to shut my door. When I started dating in high school, I would walk into my boyfriend's bedroom with them and shut the door behind me. Their parents would come in super angry, "Who shut this door?!?!" Sorry, I don't even think about it, it's a requirement in my house, it's literally muscle memory.
Not putting ketchup in the refrigerator. Ketchup is a shelf stable product and does not need to be refrigerated at all (as long as it is closed tightly), so we never put it in the fridge growing up. My (ex)wife was horrified by this.
My friend likes it cold, her husband grew up with it on the shelf. She buys 2 so they don't have to argue about it, lol
Load More Replies... A teenager who's parents are from the middle east just went far from her home to university. I look forward to hearing her telling me about all the things she thought were normal, but aren't. Like eating chicken and rice everyday for dinner with very little liquid (drinking too much water is bad) ... and wearing pajamas when you return home (regardless of the time of day). I'm glad I convinced the family to have her apply for admission, since it wasn't on their radar.
I always wear pajamas at home no matter what time of day it is (unless I'm expecting company). Why would you not want to be comfortable?
Load More Replies... Pinning your dirty socks together before you put them in the hamper, so when they come out of the dryer they are already paired. thought this was standard laundry procedure everywhere. My college roommates told me they had never seen this before. After a survey of our dorm floor, it was decided that this was not Standard Laundry Procedure.
We all have those washable laundry bags for socks and underwear. Everyone can decide if they want them folded and put away or left in the bag. My husband is the only one who puts them away.
Load More Replies... I didn't think boys got Christmas presents. Every year about 2 weeks before Christmas, my father would pull me aside and remind me that because I was the oldest (by 14 monthes) and the only boy( 3 younger sisters) that I shouldn't get my hopes up and expect anything. He would tell me that since there are 3 of them and only 1 of me, he couldn't justify spending money on me since it was just easier to disappoint 1 child rather then 3. Didn't realize that wasn't how Christmas worked until about 3rd grade after holiday break when our teacher asked us all to write an essay about what we got for Christmas. When I asked the teacher what the boys in class should do since we don't get gifts she looked horrified. After my teacher explained to me that it didn't work what way, I had 1000 questions. I told my dad about what the teacher told me and asked if she was telling me the truth. That's when he finally told me that he saw me as the accident that ruined his life and hated me.
My mother called farts "twizzers" and nipples "tillies". Man, did I confuse my classmates in grade school!
A pox on you and everyone like you. Including my husband. I finally started refusing to make him scrambled eggs. I make them for the girls and me. And he makes his own separate. Usually in the microwave.
Load More Replies... It took years and loved ones pointing it out for me to realize that I could ask for food to be sent back at restaurants, or at others' houses if I didn't want to eat it. To this day, I still have the urge to eat everything put in front of me by someone else otherwise I'll be "wasting it."
Macaroni and milk...elbow noodles covered in milk with at least a stick of butter. I thought everyone ate that but my ex husband never heard of it.
Milk noodles are a thing here in Germany, although my memory of them does not look like macaroni. I think we use the spiral noodles.
Load More Replies... There are three distinct colloquial terms from my part of the country that I literally had to show my then boyfriend (now husband) the terms in print in stores to get him to believe me. JoJos, thunder-eggs, and filberts are real things. 20 years and he still teases me about calling “geodes” thunder-eggs.
Please tell me someone else out there uses the phrase "come back on an eerie-wig" to describe being unsure as to how and when you'll get yourself home. First time I said this to my husband he teased me for about 3 hours and Google got nuthin.
I've not heard this. Reminds me of the saying my grandparents had though, when someone arrived home when we were at the dinner table "who's that walking round my garden tonight? It's only poor old Jim" I have no idea who Jim was or the greater context though.
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