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50 Bizarre Traditions That People Were Shocked To Find Out That Other Families Don’t Do
Everyone grows up assuming that their home life is normal. Whether your parents hosted family karaoke nights every Wednesday or dragged you along on sunrise hikes every Saturday, you probably didn’t know anything different until you were exposed to other experiences. And sometimes, becoming an adult makes people realize just how bizarre their family truly is…
Redditors have been recalling unique habits and traditions that their families instilled in them that they eventually realized weren’t exactly normal, so we’ve gathered their most interesting replies below. Enjoy reading all about these families, and be sure to upvote the behaviors that you find particularly strange!
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#1
Touching pointer fingers to say hello, think ET style.
Realised it was my dad's autism once I got older, his way of 'hugs'.
RELATED:
#2
Say ‘I love you’ at the end of each phone call or goodbye. It could be a quick call that lasts only 30 seconds because one of us misplaced something, but if we didn’t say ‘I love you’ then it felt off.
My mom imbedded into me real young, and I imbedded it into my dad. If something ever happened to one of us then at least we know our last words would be ‘I love you.’.
rorschach-penguin 4 months ago
This isn't bizarre. Doing it or not doing it are both within the realm of normal.
#3
When we went on road trips and crossed a border, say from Nebraska to Kansas, someone in the front seat would put their hand in the front of the dashboard and say “First one in Kansas,” and someone in the back seat would put their hand in the back window and say,”Last one in Nebraska.”.
#4
Grew up with an autistic brother who makes a lot of humming noises to express emotion and the whole family eventually ended up doing it too (to a lesser extent). didn't realize it until someone pointed out we never shut up even though we're not actually saying anything.
#5
My mother was a stay at home mom with 3 kids, 3 years and 8 years between them. Every night after supper, she had us all working like little soldiers: Dad stood at the sink in his button down shirt from work, rolled up at the sleeves, after his sweaty commute home in his unairconditioned yellow Ford Fiesta. He washed the pots and pans and fancy dishes by hand. I loaded the dishwasher, my sister dried and put the dishes away, and my brother took out the garbage. Mom put the leftovers away and wiped the table/countertops/stovetop.
When my sister got married, and when I eventually did too, we were always questioning how did mom do that? We somehow ended up alone in our respective kitchens. Probably can't blame anyone but ourselves.
Winnie the Moo 4 months ago
You’re right, but probably compliment your dad as well. He didn’t op for the couch and told your mom to do everything. A husband that respects his wife will teach that same respect to the children. Also, seems like you had a nice family to be together like that without screaming at each other.
#6
Not hugging or show affection in general.
I remember being around 18 and graduating when one of my friends' mom gave me a big hug. So weird - I never hugged my own parents? But also so nice... 💕.
Winnie the Moo 4 months ago
D**n, being deprived of hugs seems like neglect to me. Poor thing!
#7
Yell at each other multiple times per week. I had my first serious girlfriend and her family got along all the time and a problem was a logical discussion not a yelling contest. I was like wow.
#8
Sloppy Joe's are one of my all-time favorite comfort meals. We serve them open faced and eat them with a fork and knife, which makes sense to me because they're messy! But I only found out when I was like 35 that pretty much everyone else actually eats them like a sandwich! I tried it once, and half of my meat ended up on my plate and shirt, and I was like why would anyone eat them this way?!?!
#9
Tie the hairbrush to the bathroom faucet.
My mom had 5 daughters and was tired of not being able to fix her hair in the morning because the brush had wandered off under the couch or a bush or something.
#10
When we were really young we thought everyone had the Birthday Fairy, but as we got older we realized we were the only ones! But, she still came until we were 12, and as we aged out we became part of the Fairy team fur the younger siblings. Still love this tradition. Our parents started it because our dad was a traveling salesmen that was always gone, so this way our birthdays were still special on the day. ❤️❤️🎂 And FYI, it was like Santa or the Easter Bunny, but just for us!
#11
My whole family has always quoted movie lines at every possible opportunity—not just particularly memorable or relevant ones, but often the most random bits that nobody else seems to remember even though they made a lasting impression on us for some reason. We just really love movies and watch our favorites enough times to memorize most of the dialogue, and basically every single lyric of any song. (Turned out we’re all autistic.).
Mabelbabel 4 months ago
My dad and I could have entire conversations based on quotes from the Discworld books written by Terry Pratchett.
#12
I was home schooled and very sheltered. I also grew up working on a farm. I had my daily "chores" (mucking horse stables, feeding the animals, taking care of my own critters, cleaning the house, doing dishes, etc) that had to be done before I could do anything for myself or on the rare occasion, get to go to a friend's house. I thought everyone had chores they had to do before they could do anything. I was even more annoyed when I found out that they all got to hang out at each other's houses all the time. I rarely even got to go to a friend's place at all. Let alone all the time. I still don't think that was fair to this day. Lol.
Ellinor she/they/elle 4 months ago
Well that wasn't fair. A child shouldn't have to "earn" their right to spend time with friends.
#13
We are very blunt with each other. Like if my brother is eating chips to loud, my sister will tell him to stop chewing like a cow, it annoys her. And he’ll say something like sorry I hurt your princess ears, should I i draw your bath and make your bed when I’m done. No yelling just dry, somewhat mean humor.
But it turns out other families tip toe around feelings. I like our way better. No one goes into a rage about the time someone ate someone else’s sandwich five years back at Thanksgiving in my family’s house.
The Chronic Insomniac 4 months ago
My marriage was built on a foundation of insult based humor. I'm widowed now and I so miss that daily banter. Nobody's feelings got hurt and on the rare occasion that someone's did, all they had to say was, "Hey, you're playing a little rough". Instant brake check. The offender would immediately fall into apologies, kisses, and I love you's. A big hug and kiss later, right back to normal. Miss that man so much it physically hurts my soul.
#14
I was extremely confused when the charcuterie trend took off because I legitimately didn't realize there were so many people not already eating exactly that. In Italian American families we refer to that board/plate as "antipasto" and it's ubiquitous at every gathering.
Becca not Becky 4 months ago
I'm convinced that one big reason charcuterie got so popular is because it's a big French word that we English speakers can actually pronounce.
#15
I didn’t know the appetizers on restaurant menus were like a before-dinner little treat shared with the whole table. (Honestly I do still think it’s weird to eat before you eat?). I also didn’t realize what a proper “meal” was. Growing up in poverty. Sometimes we’d have like slices of bread for dinner or chips and salsa. And we never went to restaurants. So when I was an adult and got invited out to eat, I’d order the appetizers because I was dirt poor and they were the cheapest things on the menu. And people would say “wow thank you!” and I’d be like “for what lol” and just eat the entire plate of mozzarella sticks myself. It wasn’t until I was in late 20’s when a roommate asked what I was making for dinner to eat after the handful of crackers I was eating, she was shocked to learn that *was* my dinner, and had to explain what meals were. I’m still embarrassed. I’m in my 30’s now (so this was only a few years ago) and I still feel weird about food around other people. Going out to eat with friends is embarrassing and stressful and I’m constantly anxious I’m doing something wrong. Always watching what everyone else is doing and copying them so I don’t out my poverty ignorance.
#16
My mom washed the groceries before putting them in the cupboard… not just the produce, but boxes of cereal and canned goods and everything else. I’m not sure I thought it was something everyone did, but I didn’t realize how odd it was until I was I was older.
I didn’t see anything like it until Covid hit and people thought it was living on surfaces.
#17
I thought every kid only saw their mom half the week. My mom works 3x12s Sun-Tuesday so I hardly saw her those days. It wasn’t until I started having a later bedtime that I got to see her when she got off on those days. I remember talking to a friend and she was talking about doing something with her mom that night and I went “wow, you get to see your mom on a Monday?”.
Wondering Alice 4 months ago
This sounds fairly normal for the time and place I grew up. I was lucky, someone was normally around at dinner time, usually one of my parents in-between their multiple jobs. I know most households were similar as if a child should actually really need an adult, it was not always easy to find one. I was lucky in this regard too as a few of our neighbours were retired and would pop out to check if an accident was the plaster sort or A&E sort.
#18
Thank whoever cooked the meal you just ate (mostly Mom or Dad as we grew up) and tell them you enjoyed it. Then the cook would say he or she was glad you liked it.
When my youngest sister got married, her new husband thought it was hilarious that all our little children would say “ ‘Joyed it!” as they got up from the table. He teased us by saying “ ‘Joyed it” and “Gladja!”
It had never occurred to our family that it was unusual, but it WAS funny!
AtMostAFabulist 4 months ago
While my family was not that formal, we always thanked the person who cooked it.
#19
Sit on the floor.
Big family, small house. Lots of visitors.. US littles sat on the floor most of the time.
Taylor's Ferry 4 months ago
When I worked home health with children; this is the only way to be on the plain as them.
#20
Put peanut butter on pancakes.
Fry cold leftover mashed potatoes patties for breakfast.
Call the refrigerator an ‘icebox’.
#21
I realized fairly early on that I was the odd one out for washing my hands like a medical professional (my mom is a nurse) and that washing my hands and forearms is usually not necessary but I felt *really* called out maybe five years ago when a FWB who is a doctor gave me a really weird look and then asked me "why the f**k are you washing your hands like you're getting ready for surgery?" after we got done having s**y times. Made me realize I could probably tone it down. 😂.
#22
My mother for some reason refused to put little trash bins in the 2 bathrooms that we had. You'd have to carry your used Qtips or cotton b***s to the garbage can in the kitchen.
rorschach-penguin 4 months ago
That's just weird. What are you supposed to do if you're a menstruating woman?
#23
My parents were from the South (US) even though their families moved to California where they met. Every dinner there was a plate of extras. It would have green onions or sliced onions, sliced tomatoes, olives, celery sticks, radishes, basically anything edible on hand that wasn't cooked. This was normal to me
After I got married, we had 2 of my husband's friends and their wives over for dinner. They were confused about the plate in the middle of the table, had never seen such a thing.
Many, many years later I saw an episode of Andrew Zimmerman where he was in some Scandanavian country at a family's home and they did that. I wonder if that's where it came from.
#24
Having a sock basket. I don’t know why but we put all of the clean socks into a basket for everyone to choose from. I didn’t think anything of it until I stayed at other people’s homes and they just kept their socks in the sock drawer lmao. I need to ask my mom why the h**l we did that.
#25
My father was a driver instructor, imagine my surprise, when i realized that not every car has 2 set of pedals in each side.
#26
Having cameras in my room. Didn't think much of it until I was a teen. I started to think it was weird since I sometimes change in there... but they have it there in case someone breaks in. I only realized it was not exactly normal when people online thought it was so weird. They really only check it if I'm taking too long in my room. They also have camera's around the house so it's not just my room.
#27
Spent my whole life until I started college drinking milk for dinner. Unless it was a special occasion where we were eating out, then we could have whatever we wanted. It took me a couple months to realize this but I was sitting at a dining hall eating dinner and realized that I could literally drink anything. And also grew up thinking it was against the law to drink soda before noon. Had some friends have a sleepover and my mom looked at them weird and told them they don’t be needing to drink a Pepsi at breakfast.
#28
We were 'lip kissers'. Kiss goodnight, on the lips. Kiss someone thank you for gifts. I thought all families did that but I guess it was just ours. It wasn't gross or weird or anything. And thank god not a single one of us kids were ever molested or anything like that either. Maybe it was a European thing as my maternal family was originally from Italy? When I told my husband he was horrified. It just wasn't weird for us.
rorschach-penguin 4 months ago (edited)
I think it's just a cultural thing. I find it kind of weird because it's not part of my cultural background, but I don't think it's creepy or anything. A little gross, maybe.
#29
Shout around the house for someone. Like if I needed to speak to someone who was upstairs, I just shout their name from the bottom of the stairs and they come to the top of the stairs, or answer from where they are if they're busy. Doesn't help that we live in a 3 storey house, so sometimes one of us would be be on the bottom floor and need to speak to someone on the top floor, so they'd stand at the bottom of the bottom set of stairs and shout up to the person N the top floor, who'd stand on the landing and answer. Never tho ght this was weird until a friend came over when we were teenagers and they were so confused that this was how we did things. I know a few families like this, so as a kid I never realised that many people would walk up/down the stairs to talk to the person thsy needed to speak to 🤷😂.
#30
Pat you on the back during a hug. The more love, the harder the patting. Not like painful or anything, just faster and more forcefull. Just wack wack wack.
Auntriarch 4 months ago (edited)
I do that, especially if the person I'm hugging is upset at all, or if I haven't seen them for a while
#31
No one in our family eats ramen noodles normally. We pack and eat them like chips. I didn't notice it was "weird" until my first roommate accused me of culinary crimes. 😆.
Daya Meyer 4 months ago
If only there would be an instruction how to prepare it so you don't need to be the weird one...
#32
St Nick's holiday
Turns out, not every family celebrates it. Sure there are others but it surprised some people when I talked about having a fluffy red stocking hung on the wall one night, then coming downstairs on St Nick's morning to find the stocking full of oranges, chocolates and a reminder from St Nick to keep being good for Santa later on.
#33
Flare nostrils as nonverbal communication but mostly just as a joke... Not aggressively or anything it's more akin to "the not it" nose game. If we're at dinner or something and somebody's just looks at you and start flaring nostrils the last person who figures out we're all doing that and being weird loses the game.
In retrospect this is probably something funny my parents did when we were babies...
#34
Nothing important, but my family has a version of "jungle bell rock" that we sing during Christmas. I didn't know it wasn't the original lyrics until grade 5 in music class where we had to split into groups and sing a Christmas Carol in front of the class. Someone in my group suggested this song and asked if we all knew the lyrics and we all said yes. When it was our turn, we all started out singing the same thing....then suddenly I was singing something different than the others. I was so confused 😅
Went home and told my dad and he's like "oh, yeah, your sister came up with those lyrics when she was younger cuz she didn't know the correct ones" 🤦♀️.
Taylor's Ferry 4 months ago (edited)
This is what the OP thought the words were : Jingle bell jingle bell jingle bell rock Dasher and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen Through the frosty air What a bright time, it's the right time To rock the night away It's jingle bell time, what a swell time To go riding in a one horse sleigh Giddy up jingle horse pick up your feet Dancing around the block (Can't remember the next lines cuz we haven't been together to sing for years now, but it definitely wasn't mix and a mingle in the jingling feet 😅) That's the jingle bell That's the jingle bell That's the jingle bell rock! (And yes....my phone did autocorrect jingle to jungle while I was typing this 😆)
#35
Never using a butter knife. 🫣 Growing up we always just had spoons and forks. I don’t know if it was because we were poor or Mexican. 🤣 When I started dating my now husband, he was making a sandwich and asked me for a butter knife. I told him I didn’t have any and to use a spoon so he can get a bigger scoop of mayo. He looked so confused. Thank goodness I didn’t scare him away. 😆.
Snackmachine 4 months ago
In my house a butter knife only gets used as a substitute flat head screwdriver in a pinch.
#37
Snuggling on the couch or bed with my mom or dad, but mostly mom. I became embarrassed by this as a teenager when I realized not all families are physically affectionate.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 4 months ago
I used to be worried that my dad would stop hugging me/being physically affectionate with my sister and I because we were girls. He'd taught us to be wary of strangers, and to tell them/a trusted adult if someone was touching us or behaving inappropriately with us, and I always worried in a vague kid's way that that meant he would eventually stop hugging us since he'd be worried what other people would think. Luckily he was a great dad and was never embarrassed by hugs. Heck, he's the one who had to explain to me how to use a tampon because my mother couldn't be bothered XD
#39
Fish sticks with macaroni and ketchup.
#40
We used to put ketchup on popcorn
I genuinely thought that was a normal thing people did at movie nights.
First sleepover at a friend's place… I asked for ketchup and everyone looked at me like I was a criminal 😂.
#41
We had cinnamon sugar on French toast. I learned in college that 99.9% of people have syrup on their French toast. Psst!- Cinnamon sugar is way better!
Mtn Lungta 4 months ago
Buy some real maple syrup and you will never go back. Cinnamon and sugar is for toast. Or not. U do U.
#42
Not a family thing, but I thought everyone had nightmares 4-7 nights a week, and 2-3x a night bad enough to wake them up. I was 27 when I brought it up to friends and they said most people don't experience that.
That was my normal since I was a child.
#43
When opening gifts at a birthday or Christmas, we all clap after it’s been opened…like a big clap and cheer lol.
quentariel 4 months ago (edited)
We always open gifts one at a time, so that everyone watches one people open their gift, then the next person and so on. If there's more gifts we go another round. So everyone get's to enjoy others' gifts too when they are being opened. I know it wouldn't work in bigger families, but I'm an only child so our is small. Also we tend to make many presents ourselves and buy thoughtful gifts (not anything really expensive) so it's great to see the reactions for your gifts.
#44
Thought every family had a p**e bowl. Which is not solely designated just for p**e.
Fabulous chocolate cookie 4 months ago
We have that as well. One old bowl which always gets used for when someone is sick.
#45
I won't speak for myself on this one, but I will relate my daughter's shock and surprise when she discovered that other families don't set up traps for the Easter Bunny. This was the brain child of my Eldest & became a tradition that the older two passed on to the younger two.
#46
When we were kids my mom made us vacuum the dog every Saturday. She was a black lab who didn’t shed that much. I thought everyone vacuumed their dogs.
#47
Eating cereal dry (no milk). My sister and I would just pour it out onto our placemats and eat it off there.
Edurne 4 months ago
that's how I eat cereal too, it's so crunchy and yummy! and I can't stand soggy food
Auntriarch 4 months ago
Chocolate granola is also much nicer without wetting it.
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Colleen Glim 4 months ago
My daughters would use dry cereal as snacks while watching tv. They had specific brands that were bought for use as snacks. Munchie cereal
Saeyoul Akiyune 3 months ago
For me, it depended on the cereal - Honey Comb and Lucky Charms were my favorite to eat dry. After I got Covid the second time, I lost a lot of my tastes (chocolate, Pepsi, and white sauces were horrible! Thankfully, they've come back) and has to have every cereal with milk (though now, I only eat Cocoa Pebbles) Though...I always use a bowl 😂
Huddo's sister 4 months ago
I will snack on slightly sweet cereal like Nutrigrain dry from the box, but not at breakfast time, then I need milk and I eat other cereals. Not sure why I bother though, because I always have a sip of tea between mouthfuls anyway.
Microwaved Robot 4 months ago
I love dry cereal, it is a nice change from snacking on popcorn 🍿
Bret Sander 4 months ago
Meticulously separating the crunch berries from the regular Cap'n crunch and saving those for last.
Julie S 4 months ago
I eat frosted flakes (frosties in the UK) straight out of the box.
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#48
Every person in my family ate a different meal at dinner time. My mom is vegetarian, and my dad is not, and I don't eat beef or pork. So when I was a kid, I'd usually end up eating some combo of what my parents had. Or my mom would make me something totally different. I'd eat while my mom and dad were in the kitchen making their own, different, dinners. Then they'd eat dinner together, but not the same food. Even now as an adult if I'm with them, they each are eating something different for dinner and usually I'm eating some combo. I thought this was so normal. .
Child of the Stars 4 months ago (edited)
I know a family where each of them has multiple food sensitivities or allergies, and none of them are the same. The mom always makes 5 separate meals because no one can eat the same thing.
#49
Obviously not just my family but it’s apparently less common than I thought…having a basic schedule/routine you do every day.
According at my in-laws, two speech/OT therapist, and a handful of pediatricians this is abnormal behavior. 🤷🏻♀️.
Rick Murray 4 months ago
My entire day doesn't have a schedule, but getting up and going to work has a very precise schedule that if not followed would lead to things being forgotten. Ditto bedtime. To the point where I have made myself checklists that I can go through to ensure I haven't forgotten anything important. 1754143773...nsored.jpg 
#50
Scream at each other. I grew up with a mentally ill, emotionally a*****e parent. It turns out yelling is not an effective way to work things out.
#51
Order appetizers and dessert every single time we go out to eat. I’ve met people who have never ordered an appetizer or dessert in their entire lives.
#52
Moaning while stretching, pretty much all of my family does it. we're just stretching like everyone else, nothing weird, but the sounds we make tend to catch people off guard
my girlfriend found it entertaining when she noticed me doing it, and eventually picked up the habit for herself 😂.
#53
My next-door neighbor was bewildered by people leaving cookies & milk out for Santa. In her family, the tradition was scotch and cheese!
#54
I don’t even wanna talk about this lmao. my parents kept cereal bags in the dishwasher. I don’t remember if it was broken or my mom just didn’t like to use it or what but for as long as i lived there the dishwasher was the cereal place. it never occurred to me how wild that was until a friend stayed the night and in the morning i open our cereal storage and she said why on earth is there cereal in your dishwasher lmao.
Rick Murray 4 months ago
A neighbour used to stick her cat's litter box in the oven because she kept tripping over it. Sometimes she'd leave the oven door open so the cat could...... yeah, I was invited to various meals and get-togethers, thankfully - just by pure coincidence - I had important appointments at that same time so sorry... One time I got a taxi to the railway station and spent £40 going in a big circle around central England, just to be away for long enough to justify not being around. ;)
#55
You have to eat all of your dinner - if you don’t, you can’t have dessert, and have to complete dinner as breakfast in the morning.
Ellinor she/they/elle 4 months ago (edited)
Lesson 1 on how to make sure your kids grow up to have an eating disorder and possibly a sugar @ddiction once they are financially responsible : Make dessert a reward.
#56
Calling a bowel movement a “job.” “I have to go do a job.” Never heard anyone else ever say that. I often wondered if I should punch a time clock and unionize. Does that come with benefits?
Mabelbabel 4 months ago
Have they got Scottish ancestry? In Scotland, poop is called a "jobbie"
#57
Washed combs and brushes every week. I grew up and realized most people don't do it at all. I seldom do it anymore.
#58
Not did, but my parents had the same birthday. Same year and all. They also had matching cars (which they had owned prior to meeting). Mom drove a white Dodge Dart and Dad's was blue.
How could you marry someone with a different birthday? Who drove a different car? Just unnatural! Or so I thought when I learned about other arrangements as a little kid.
Huddo's sister 4 months ago
I remembered this week (facebook reminded me) my dad has the same birthday as one of my best primary school friend's dads. Her mum also had the same, or very close, birthday as my mum too. I used to find it weird that other people's parent's birthdays weren't close to mother's/father's day. Like, there was another time of year to think about buying presents for them?
#59
Drank till we blackout on the weekends..oh and just a few beers or a light mix on the weekdays🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
Sobriety is so empowering, yet the times you loook back and judge yourself makes you wanna take a 40 to the face again..
“Just keep swimming..just keep swimming..”.
Huddo's sister 4 months ago
I went from having a tea-totaller dad and mum drinking 1 glass of cask/boxed wine/g**n a night to stepdad who will drink everything (but only a couple of glasses of wine/scotch on weeknights) and mum drinking wine from bottles (though still what I would call cheap wine). Despite (or maybe because of) being allowed to drink as teens (but generally didn't exceed 2 drinks at a party) none of us are alcoholics, though my sister does drink more than she should in one go, and none of us are even daily drinkers, only on social occasions.
#60
Frank conversations about death and dying. E.g., “When I die, I want you to have X, play this music at my funeral, bury me here, etc.” My MIL just passed away and she was very organized about her estate, trusts, Power of Attorney, etc. But did she tell us who gets what or where to be buried, etc? Nope. Sigh….
Huddo's sister 4 months ago
I had two brothers with degenerative conditions, so we always knew (most likely) their funerals would be coming before they were adults. Death was never something we shied away from. Maybe it helped we/they were Christian, so expected where they would 'end up'? We might not have talked about my older brother's funeral until he was intubated (conscious) and in palliative care, the week or two before he died, but we did earlier with my youngest brother. He was very depressed when my older brother died (he was 18 months or so but knew he had the same condition) so I think talking about it helped. We also know everyone's stance on end of life care and euthanasia. I think it helped me with dealing with other deaths during my lifetime.
#61
Peach yogurt on toast…it’s really just a fruit spread on toast but the first time I brought it for lunch at school everyone roasted tf out of me.
#62
Look inside the refrigerator ... just to see how you doin'.
#63
If someone likes a lot of butter on their popcorn, I can relate to using a utensil as a workaround...It may be odd, but it's not crazy.
#64
Does being dropped off at your grandparents house the day after school ended in June and being picked up 2-5 days before school started again count? (it was an 11 hour journey each way).
Huddo's sister 4 months ago
We lived close to our grandparents, but never spent that much time at their place. More when both parents were working full time, but by the time I was 9, mum was on maternity leave for 2 years, and dad working only intermittently so we didn't need the care. My mum managed to work for about 1-2 years as a nurse, then my brother's care needs increased so she couldn't work again. We would stay at my grandparents sometimes when my brothers were in hospital but that was about it after that. I think that's why my little brother and sister were not as close to my grandparents as us older three.
#65
As a kid, I was not allowed to answer our home phone. From the time I was born until I got a cell phone at age 17, I probably had fewer than 20 total phone conversations.
#66
Hug each other as a greeting. Add a kiss on the cheek if it's been awhile since you've seen each or if it's a special occasion.
Fabulous chocolate cookie 4 months ago (edited)
Hugging as greeting or as goodbye is something that is common in my friendgroup. I had to get used to it as akward-hugger tho.
#68
We brush our teeth in the kitchen. Our bathroom on the first floor has no medicine cabinet and a pedestal sink. We don’t have anyway to keep germs off of the toothbrushes. We’re too lazy to walk back upstairs and brush our teeth after breakfast.
Rick Murray 4 months ago
So do I. It's where the kettle is. I chuck boiled water over the toothbrush before use.
#69
We had a dinner schedule.
Every meal repeated weekly.
Sunday lunch, pizza
Sunday dinner leftovers
Monday dinner, hamburger helper chilli mac
Tuesday dinner, spaghetti
Wednesday dinner, pork chops
Thursday dinner, sausage, peppers and onions
Friday dinner, fish sticks
Saturday lunch, sandwiches
Saturday dinner, grill out (summer) or baked potato (winter).
#70
Corn on the cob with butter and sour cream - delish!
#71
We had a dedicated drawer for plastic bags inside another bag. I thought every house had a “bag of bags” system. Turns out it’s just peak desi household behavior.
#72
Not giving freedom, or sending kids on trips stop kids to participate any school activities.
#73
The rest of my family, excluding me, never stopped loving my cousin, even after he attempted double homicide of his mother and her boyfriend. While he was in jail/prison, they genuinely sent him letters of support expressing how much they cared about him.
#74
Catalina dressing on pizza! I thought everyone did it!! Even the dominoes pizza’s in south MS would provide packs upon request. Pizza restaurants have bottles on the table. It wasn’t until I moved to Louisiana and requested it that I realized, it’s just a south MS thing.
nottheactualphoto 4 months ago
Catalina dressing? There is a Catalina Island in California... we had a Pontiac Catalina when I was in high school. That's all I got.
#75
Answered the family/ house phone politely. My father had a script for us - hello 'Smith' family, 'Jane; speaking may I ask who's calling please? I hated it and felt weird. Especialy when it was my friends caling me. They would crack up!
AtMostAFabulist 4 months ago
We had a message on our answering machine "We were here, but now we're gone, we've left our names to carry on. Those who know us, know us well. Those who don't can leave their name, number, and brief message at the beep."
#76
Went to church, then got in the car and made fun of/talked s**t about all the other families in attendance.
#77
Not my family, but was told getting obsessed with things to the point of daydreaming different plot points/situations/stuff like that to where I disconnect from reality and just go through the motions without being mentally in the room at all. Just staring of into space, according to other people.
#78
Arguing at Sunday dinner about everything then leaving without any animosity. It was just what we do. Going over another house and seeing the dinner conversations or lack there of, was eye opening.
Nizumi 4 months ago
This is great and serves one well in life. I grew up in a "button it" household and still don't know how to do small-scale confrontation (that's really what debates and lively discussions are - a form of small confrontation - differing points of view trying to sway each other).
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UKGrandad 4 months ago
Most of these are far from being weird. It's almost as though some people are so desperate to be involved in Reddit threads they'll write any old dross 🤔
Metalhead Turtle 🇺🇦 🇵🇸 4 months ago
My thoughts exactly. Some of these are wholesome.
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Stardust she/her 4 months ago
I used to think that it was normal for parents to beat their kids until I was 13
LakotaWolf (she/her) 4 months ago
::hugs:: Same :( I thought it was normal for families with more than one kid to have the "scapegoat child" who was the one who always got hit, beaten, yelled at, and blamed for everything. I was that child in my family. I remember once (when I was 8 or 9) asking my best friend Matt if he was the "beaten child" or if his little sister was. He just stared at me and said his mom didn't hit either of them. I was really shocked. I honestly thought all parents always hit/beat their children, too.
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Fabulous chocolate cookie 4 months ago (edited)
cleaning the house every week and helping with the groceries. Apearently this is not as common/normal as I thought when I talked with a coworker about it. Even though maybe I have to add I have a single-mother.
Yrral Spavit 4 months ago
Was expecting to see the poop knife brought up https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/poop-knife
Artful Penguin 4 months ago
If we didn't put our napkin in our lap at dinner, and got caught, we had to go to our bedroom and count to ten loud enough for everyone to hear. Even if we had company. If it happened while out to eat, we had to go outside the restaurant to the nearest window and do it where our parents could see. This was the 80's...
UKGrandad 4 months ago
Most of these are far from being weird. It's almost as though some people are so desperate to be involved in Reddit threads they'll write any old dross 🤔
Metalhead Turtle 🇺🇦 🇵🇸 4 months ago
My thoughts exactly. Some of these are wholesome.
Load More Replies... Stardust she/her 4 months ago
I used to think that it was normal for parents to beat their kids until I was 13
LakotaWolf (she/her) 4 months ago
::hugs:: Same :( I thought it was normal for families with more than one kid to have the "scapegoat child" who was the one who always got hit, beaten, yelled at, and blamed for everything. I was that child in my family. I remember once (when I was 8 or 9) asking my best friend Matt if he was the "beaten child" or if his little sister was. He just stared at me and said his mom didn't hit either of them. I was really shocked. I honestly thought all parents always hit/beat their children, too.
Load More Replies... Fabulous chocolate cookie 4 months ago (edited)
cleaning the house every week and helping with the groceries. Apearently this is not as common/normal as I thought when I talked with a coworker about it. Even though maybe I have to add I have a single-mother.
Yrral Spavit 4 months ago
Was expecting to see the poop knife brought up https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/poop-knife
Artful Penguin 4 months ago
If we didn't put our napkin in our lap at dinner, and got caught, we had to go to our bedroom and count to ten loud enough for everyone to hear. Even if we had company. If it happened while out to eat, we had to go outside the restaurant to the nearest window and do it where our parents could see. This was the 80's...
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