What did your family never do growing up, that was normal in other families?

[Barnyandella80]

• camping
• family bike rides
• BBQs , or eating outside
• holidays abroad
• do separate activities on holiday eg mum & one child horse riding, dad and other child bike ride. Always did everything together
• holidays or days out with other families

Never went to the park.
Never had my own birthday parties.

I was born in the late 80s, so I had a 90s childhood. It mostly involved watching TV by myself, drawing/playing alone or playing out all day with my friends and coming home for dinner. It was common amongst by friendship group (and perhaps most people in that time) that parents didn't keep you amused or play with you like they do now. You entertained yourself.

We didn't watch tv, mainly because we didn't have one. They thought they were mind numbing and would kill off our brain cells. Fun times!

We didn't watch tv, mainly because we didn't have one. They thought they were mind numbing and would kill off our brain cells. Fun times!

We never did the things on your list either, OP.

And we never ate pasta or rice! Lasagna on the secondary school menu was really exotic!

We never did any of the things in your list OP. I came on to say family bike rides but I don't think other families I knew were doing the other things you list either.

TBH we don't do your list with our own family now either. DH and I do a lot of cycling but we don't take DC, they hate it.

We never listened to the radio at breakfast time.

I remember going on sleepovers as a teenager and discovering that there were radio programmes in the mornings with news and music and chat, and everyone else took it for granted. WHAT WAS THIS SORCERY?

Surely a lot depends on family income?

Lots of my friends had cars and money to go off and have riding lessons and piano lessons and could go off at weekends on drives. My dad worked shifts, wasn't often home at weekends, we had no car and very little money. So, although our upbringing was perfectly happy (mostly), we didn't do a lot of stuff that other families were doing, because my parents couldn't afford to.

I was born early 70's and did all the things on your list regularly. As did most of my friends.

My parents never had friends over, never had a party, never got drunk, people never just popped in to visit, they just seemed to lack fun.

Have nan and bread for tea
Stick a milk bottle on the table
We weren’t posh btw but mum and dad felt that it was too painful a reminder of poorer times.

Jam...doh

Although we had a car very early on ....1957
And only lived 100 miles from the Lake District....we never ever went

Although my dad did work for the railways for a few years...we only ever went to Spain once..by train..1957 ..why was that?

Although they both liked children and I was much loved and much wanted..they never had any more..why was that?

Although mums brother, my uncle..always took his children camping..we never did..why was that?

We did almost nothing as a family. Possibly because my parents had 5 dc. I have vague memories of the occasional day trip to the beach when there were just three of us and my dad took us to the cinema once or twice a year for a few years but once there were five of us we didn’t do anything all together.

We never went on a family holiday and even the rare once or twice a year days out stopped when I was 6 or 7. We were all adults before we ever went to a restaurant and although I’m in my 40s now I can still probably count on one hand the amount of times we’ve eaten out together as a family.

My parents weren’t the most sociable people so never wanted to have people visit or to visit others. They went out together maybe once or twice a year (even when we were old enough to be left alone so not because of lack of babysitters).

Some of it was “of it’s time”, after all there were fewer leisure options but I recall friends on our street and school mates seeming to do a lot more as families than we ever did.

Was never taken to a McDonalds or similar. Was always curious about it.

Never went to any of the activity holiday type places, Butlins for example.

Never had 'chores', never 'grounded'.

Go swimming together (I went with family friends)

Camping

Bike rides

Holidays abroad

I have a disabled mum and my dad was her career, it did me no harm not doing these things. I did them as a teen with friends and my children will experience them as a family

Had to laugh..just said to dh..never saw my mum on a bike
And then I remembered mum and dad had a tandem bike and went all over in it

Well that obviously all stopped when I put in an appearance

My dad was an amateur photographer, had his own dark room, the little pantry under the stairs, so I have zillions of black and white photos of me growing up..once colour came in..that was it.he stopped .barely any more photos, which is sad.

Considering Butlins was very big in the 50s and 60s
We never went either.
We had two holidays a year, one was with the odd fellows for their annual yearly meet up..they were great fun and I got to see lots of our southern sea side resorts like Margate, Brighton, Hastings, Folkestone Bournemouth, Folkestone., Morecambe and Scarborough we even flew to the Isle of Man when there was a ferry strike on and also went to guernsey
Absolutely loved those weeks.
We had three dinner dances in the week, where we would all get dressed up and stay up late.
It was great my parents took me ..and not left me at home with my auntie
We also had a week in Cardiff with my welsh relatives..every year .again more great fun and am still very close to those that are still with us.

Holidays.
Trips out.
Meals out.
Have friends over for tea or sleepovers.
Go to friends for tea or sleepovers.
Show physical affection.
Exhibit emotions.
Give praise.
Celebrate birthdays.
Leave the house after 2pm.
Leave the house at all over the weekend.
Take photographs.
Decorate.
Have a party.
Have guests.
Take the dog for a walk.
Spring clean (or any cleaning, really)
Wash windows.
Make telephone calls.

Perfect training for lockdown, really. From the moment I got in from school until it opened again, the front door was locked (other than when providing access to older brothers) and I went no further than my bed or the living room - the summer holidays were the worst, as she'd order whatever was available from the milkman that meant there wasn't even a trip to the supermarket to break up the months.

Bloody hell mitzi...

We went camping occasionally, but only for a couple of nights.

We never went to the seaside.
We never did activities as a family, I was taken to swimming lessons so I could learn to swim but never went to a pool with either parent.
I don't think either of them ever owned a bike whilst I was a child.
I did play out a lot as a child, I certainly had a lot more freedom from a younger age than mine have had, it was great to be honest.

@MitziK

Holidays, cinema trips, eating out, getting a takeaway (first and only Chinese takeaway as a child at my aunty's house when I was 11), only ever did bonfire night fireworks once and never went anywhere for bonfire night, trick or treating, swimming (my mum was petrified of water so I didn't go in a swimming pool until I was 10 at primary school), birthday parties.
We had a few days out when I was under 11 to the seaside and it was always a surprise which I have fond memories of. We didn't have much money so that impacted on my whole childhood. We never had central heating and when I moved out it was such a novelty!

@MitziK that's upsetting to read. Sorry you went through that.

@MitziK that's upsetting to read. Sorry you went through that.