Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Rules you had in your childhood that now seem bizarre?

999 replies

Tattted · 05/02/2022 17:20

As a child/teen living with my parents we were actively discouraged from showering/bathing everyday. It was really frowned upon and seen as unnecessary and probably a bit extravagant. I know probably as a young child I didn’t need to but as I got older and even after I turned 18 and was still living at home they would have been a bit annoyed about it if I wanted to shower everyday . I should say where we live has no water charges so it wasn’t about that. Now as an adult and a mother myself it seems so strange. I realise it’s probably because my parents both came from large families that had very little money and, back then, no hot running water. Even know my parents bath weekly but sink wash every day.

OP posts:
Twospaniels · 05/02/2022 17:28

At Xmas we could open our santa sack in the morning and then presents from relatives etc had to be opened at intervals throughout the day

If we had sweets or chocolate we could only eat one or one piece each day. If we had a cream egg we could only eat half and save the rest for the next day.

This was in the early 1970’s

PuppyMonkey · 05/02/2022 17:34

My dad used to stop whatever he was doing at 4pm on a Sunday and make a boiled egg for himself and my eldest brother. The rule was my sisters and I were not allowed to have one, nor my younger brother. Just my dad and eldest brother. Even if we’d all had a big Sunday lunch around 1-ish.

Nobody ever questioned this.Grin

miltonj · 05/02/2022 17:44

My mum didn't let me boil the kettle the whole way. I had to click it off when it was nearly done as she thought it saved energy. I mentioned this to her recently and she seems to have blocked out the crazy.

RedskyThisNight · 05/02/2022 17:44

My parents had similar rules about bathing/showering. It was a bath once a week with sink washes in between. And no deoderant or conditioner and clothes could only be changed twice a week (except pants) to save on washing.

The most bizarre rule we had was that you were not allowed to ask anyone for help ever as you would then be "beholden" to them. This ranged from things like asking the way to somewhere to getting a lift to asking how to do something at school. It's been a massively hard rule to break as an adult, and I often catch myself struggling unnecessarily because I won't ask anyone else.

mizzo · 05/02/2022 17:58

If we were having soup we weren't allowed a drink,
"the soup is the drink mizzo" Hmm
Even now my Mum bristles if I take her out for lunch and order soup and a drink, which I do frequently to make up for all the times I thought I'd die of thirst because the soup is bloody well not the drink!

I wasn't allowed to shave my legs until my Mum deemed me old enough, I'm early 40's and she still hasn't officially told me I can! I've been happily shaving since 11.

We had the delay between opening presents at Christmas too although I loved it as a child and have repeated for my children.
Not a rule as such parents never got up on Christmas morning to see us opening Father Christmas presents. I find that bizarre as a parent.

mizzo · 05/02/2022 18:01

My younger self would have been jealous of others bathing rule. We had to have a vigorous flannel down every morning and a bath every night. None negotiable, even if we'd stayed up until midnight. I hated it.

freshcarnation · 05/02/2022 18:02

Half a mars bar only. All other chocolate was fine to eat in any quantity but a mars bar was too rich. No drinks with the meal. A cup of tea after eating.

FAQs · 05/02/2022 18:05

@mizzo I’m with your mum on the soup and drink, I can’t have both it’s just wrong Grin

TheGirlOnTheLanding · 05/02/2022 18:05

All our Christmas selection box sweets and Easter egg sweets were put into a big biscuit tin and doled out in small amounts when DM decided we could have something, yet we had a chocolate biscuit every day at lunch time and a pudding at most dinners, so it can't have been about reducing sugar consumption. I'm not sure why Christmas chocolate was consumed more as a rare treat than Penguins and KitKats! It meant I was/am really rubbish at self-regulating treats as an adult.

Katshouldnotswim · 05/02/2022 18:06

Not quite childhood but I was 17 an just passed my driving test.

It was “illegal” to drive and wear sunglasses apparently and I could be stopped by the police for doing so.

35 years later and I still do a little smug “ I don’t care “ when I drive wearing them !

Mamette · 05/02/2022 18:06

I’m intrigued as to how the 0.5 of a creme egg was stored overnight.

Teeeefs · 05/02/2022 18:07

Not allowed to lie down on the couch.

No nightmare outside of bedrooms.

Adults controlled the tv so, no matter what you were watching, you couldn’t complain if an adult switched channels without warning.

No talking while adults were on the phone.

Teeeefs · 05/02/2022 18:08

^nightware, not nightmare.

Teeeefs · 05/02/2022 18:08

^nightwear not nightware.

FFS.

Riverlee · 05/02/2022 18:08

@Twospaniels

At Xmas we could open our santa sack in the morning and then presents from relatives etc had to be opened at intervals throughout the day

If we had sweets or chocolate we could only eat one or one piece each day. If we had a cream egg we could only eat half and save the rest for the next day.

This was in the early 1970’s

Are you my sister (apart from Crème Egg), although I spread Christmas presents out with my family.

If there was kissing on tv, we had to turn away (and still find myself doing that at times).

Unplugging everything at night.

ElftonWednesday · 05/02/2022 18:09

Saving new clothes for "best". Then I'd grow out of them so hardly got any wear out of them.

My DDs are allowed to wear things straight away. This really bamboozles my DM.

mizzo · 05/02/2022 18:10

[quote FAQs]@mizzo I’m with your mum on the soup and drink, I can’t have both it’s just wrong Grin[/quote]
Gah! Doesn't it make you really thirsty? I love soup but thirst quenching it is not.

Mamette · 05/02/2022 18:11

We had things like: Not allowed watch TV Monday to Friday as it would interfere with our studies. Yeah ok I’ll just read my book and listen to music in my room then, cos if you think I’m doing extra homework out of boredom you’re seriously mistaken.

Now that I’m older I actually think it was just a way of having the tv to themselves every evening.

ElftonWednesday · 05/02/2022 18:11

It was “illegal” to drive and wear sunglasses apparently and I could be stopped by the police for doing so.

I'd say it's a good idea to keep sunglasses in the car. Winter can be even worse for glare/low sun.

mimi14 · 05/02/2022 18:12

We weren't allowed a drink with soup either, DM said it would curdle ConfusedGrin to this day I never have a drink with soup.

HelloKeith · 05/02/2022 18:13

No red shoes.

No eating outside. However picnics were OK and we were encouraged to eat meals at home outside from March to September, so there was a weird line against impromptu outdoors eating.

Mossstitch · 05/02/2022 18:14

Did anyone else have the 'not allowed to wash hair when on a period' or just my weird mother (along with a lot of other weird stuff😕)?!! As a greasy haired teenager this blew my mind and eventually ignored her!

Foolsrule · 05/02/2022 18:17

No blankets on the sofa unless you were unwell. We have loads of blankets in our cosy living room now Grin

FAQs · 05/02/2022 18:18

@mizzo I’ve had a really thick Chowder for dinner tonight and even though I was thirsty I still couldn’t have a drink with it, it just seems wrong, no logic to it at all, it’s just wrong 🤣

SGBK4682 · 05/02/2022 18:18

Being taught how to use cutlery properly / have good table manners, and banned from using a fork in the right hand. Also always having to 'lay' the table and sit at it to eat. My dad would make out we would never get on in life or a career if we didn't.

Now I rarely use a knife, always eat with the fork in my right hand and only sit at the table for a family meal or if we have guests. And this had not affected my career one jot, strange to say!!!