Rules you had in your childhood that now seem bizarre?

[Tattted]

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.

@Justmuddlingalong

DM always went on about never swallowing an apple pip, coz it would grow a tree in our belly. I have never worked out if she actually believed that, or if she didn't, why the rule?

It used to be thought that the cyanide in apple pips was poisonous...which it is of course but you'd have to eat and chew and orchard full all at once chewing every single pip to a pulp before it would kill you

Omg! Izal! Didn't wipe your bum, just moved the shit about a bit.

I had mousy brown, thin, pathetic hair . It was made very clear that only tarts dyed their hair. I used that Sun in spray stuff when I left home and ,once I had a salary, I had my hair professionally coloured. I have had it coloured it ever since. My mother didn't dare have anything like that done to her hair until after my father died. My father was obsessed with things being common. He was horrified by anything that could be remotely regarded as working class. I should have gone from secondary school to something practical but that is what common people did. I would have thrived in a practical environment. I was pushed into doing A levels because that was middle class and appropriate for girls.

I grew up in the 50' and 60's. My mother used to say, "There's no point in getting a phone because we don't know anyone on the phone". I was 16 when there was enough people 'on the phone' to justifying getting one and then it was treated as a sacred object . I don't remember my dad going near it.

Pretty soon she put a lock on it to prevent me from using it. I was only allowed to receive calls, so I had to go down to the shops to make a call.

I emigrated when I was 19.

When I returned for a visit some years later with my year old baby - the lock went back on the phone.

The last time I was there I was 65 years old and she'd finally lost the lock but kindly told me I could call locally, but only after certain time and only if I talked for two minutes.

Thankfully I had a cell phone with me.

@Justmuddlingalong

Omg! Izal! Didn't wipe your bum, just moved the shit about a bit.

lol yes but it was cheaper than the soft stuff. My aunt (the one with the front room that was never used) only had skiddy bog paper in her loo, so when we visited, my Mum would give us a few sheets of ours oft stuff to put in a pocket and use on the quiet. If we needed to go more than once, she would sneak us a bit more from her handbag....thinking back her handbag must have been FULL of the stuff!

Re Santa presents. I had a pillowcase at the end of my bed and woke up to open it on Christmas Day with4 waking my parents. The gifts weren’t wrapped either-so much easier for them. We’d then t add me them in to show them what we got. 1970s.

Bath on Sunday evening, and only Sunday.
No playing out on a Sunday as “people want peace and quiet”.
I wasn’t allowed to pick out my own clothes or shoes till I left school and got a job. I think my mum delighted in making sure I got nothing even vaguely fashionable.
No friends in the house.
We could only watch Grampian TV, only what my mum wanted to watch.
I had to be in bed by 8pm until I was in high school.
No drinks with meals but we got a cup of tea afterwards.
No sitting on the front steps because it gave you piles.
No putting “the big light on, we’re not made of money”.

@Tiredan

What was the problem with ITV? I remember people coming to our house to secretly watch things on 3 because they weren't allowed to watch it at home. Tiswas was brilliant, Bob Carolgees and Spit the Dog and DM reminiscing about that time she met Chris Tarrant every flipping time he appeared on screen

I wasn't allowed to whistle, though. I have absolutely no idea why as my parents were pretty cool about everything else.

ITV was common. The BBC was the only thing we were allowed to watch. Whistling is probably common too. I expect tradesmen whistle but not brain surgeons.

@liveforsummer @godmum56 yeah, he probably was right.

@Ellowyn

I grew up in the 50' and 60's. My mother used to say, "There's no point in getting a phone because we don't know anyone on the phone". I was 16 when there was enough people 'on the phone' to justifying getting one and then it was treated as a sacred object . I don't remember my dad going near it.

Pretty soon she put a lock on it to prevent me from using it. I was only allowed to receive calls, so I had to go down to the shops to make a call.

I emigrated when I was 19.

When I returned for a visit some years later with my year old baby - the lock went back on the phone.

The last time I was there I was 65 years old and she'd finally lost the lock but kindly told me I could call locally, but only after certain time and only if I talked for two minutes.

Thankfully I had a cell phone with me.

those did used to be the rules...local calls cost more than long distance...calls before 6 cost loads more than calls after 6 and the first two minutes were cheaper than time after that.

It seems so many of these are actually more to do with saving money... before reading this I'd told my family we should shower rather than running hot baths to save on cost, especially when DD spends 15 mins running a bath, pouring 5 different things into the water then getting out after 3 mins.

We do seem far more wasteful than my parents generation. In my bid to make sure my kids have things I didn't I fear they take things for granted. Rising fuel prices and cost of living increases will mean we have to teach our kids to manage our resources more carefully. I fear my grandparents would be spinning in their grave if the could witness the waste we see daily.

Oh yes, the no washing hair during your period, and no bathing then either, as it would make the blood run faster. Had to wash with a revolting flannel, which was changed once a week.

Also, don’t lock the bathroom door if you’re in the bath because you might faint and drown. When I got my own flat, and my Mum trotted this out again, I asked her if I should leave the front door open, not just the bathroom door, and she dithered a bit before finally saying no.

Tampons made you lose your virginity. I got a concession for the mini ones, but my periods were so heavy they were utterly useless. I wasn’t allowed to buy bigger ones, and could only buy normal flow sanitary towels as “super” ones were “not nice.” Also only allowed to use the outside loo when I had my period in case I made a mess in the nice indoors ones.

We were not allowed to throw bread on the open fire. Bread is the Staff of Life and it is disrespectful.
Our friends were not allowed upstairs to our bedrooms.

@BakedTattie
‘We were absolutely FORBIDDEN to touch the windows in our car when I was young. We weren’t allowed to eat in the car either. No way.’

Same, we were never ever allowed to touch the windows. We were not allowed to eat, drink or even speak in the car with dad.
When I was about 17, I had a good friend, he was driving us somewhere about an hour away and we were almost there and he pulls over the car and said ‘right just tell me, what have I done??!’ And I was thinking ‘what is is on about?’. He said ‘you have not opened your mouth since we left!!!’ ( it is very unusual for me to be quiet.) I said ‘I didn’t want to distract you by talking’ and he said ‘people talk in cars all the time?’ That was news to me!

Seeing the state of my car though, I think my dad might have been right

@Thursa

Bath on Sunday evening, and only Sunday. No playing out on a Sunday as “people want peace and quiet”. I wasn’t allowed to pick out my own clothes or shoes till I left school and got a job. I think my mum delighted in making sure I got nothing even vaguely fashionable. No friends in the house. We could only watch Grampian TV, only what my mum wanted to watch. I had to be in bed by 8pm until I was in high school. No drinks with meals but we got a cup of tea afterwards. No sitting on the front steps because it gave you piles. No putting “the big light on, we’re not made of money”.

I still try not to mow or do noisy stuff on a sunday but I am ooooooold.

Not really Andy strange rules in my house but going to my grandma’s house was a different matter. I was allowed a drink but this was always one of those tiny cans of lilt never water or anything else even if I was thirsty.

She also use to fold her mat back on itself in half incase I made a mess when playing- even at 12 year old!

She would always choose the table in a restaurant and if eating out you had to have steak as it was a special occasion!

@Daenerys77

We had to bash up the shell after eating a boiled egg. Apparently witches would steal discarded eggshells and make boats, to sail out to sea and frighten the sailors.

This was a serious thing. My mother encouraged us to make cracks in the egg so it wasn't obvious there was a crack or hole, and when (not if) the witch stole the eggshell, she would get part way out to sea, and the egg would take on water, sink, and she would drown. Hurrah.

@AngelinaFibres

I had mousy brown, thin, pathetic hair . It was made very clear that only tarts dyed their hair. I used that Sun in spray stuff when I left home and ,once I had a salary, I had my hair professionally coloured. I have had it coloured it ever since. My mother didn't dare have anything like that done to her hair until after my father died. My father was obsessed with things being common. He was horrified by anything that could be remotely regarded as working class. I should have gone from secondary school to something practical but that is what common people did. I would have thrived in a practical environment. I was pushed into doing A levels because that was middle class and appropriate for girls.

Interesting as my WC mother was obsessed with things being common too! I was desperate to be common as it seemed to encompass everything bright and fun and attractive.

@Thursa

Bath on Sunday evening, and only Sunday. No playing out on a Sunday as “people want peace and quiet”. I wasn’t allowed to pick out my own clothes or shoes till I left school and got a job. I think my mum delighted in making sure I got nothing even vaguely fashionable. No friends in the house. We could only watch Grampian TV, only what my mum wanted to watch. I had to be in bed by 8pm until I was in high school. No drinks with meals but we got a cup of tea afterwards. No sitting on the front steps because it gave you piles. No putting “the big light on, we’re not made of money”.

We had all these rules except the Grampian TV one because we had Anglia TV.

I remember my dad banging on the bathroom door because he could hear the bath running and I’d had one the night before. I was about 15 !

I feel as though I grew up in a parallel universe.
As a child there were no weird food rules - my parents did believe fruit and veg was good for us - and we could eat/drink anything we fancied (including the apparently oft-rationed fruit juice). My dad even bought cans of diet cola (our weakness) for us.
We could shower/bathe as much as we wanted, whenever we wanted (esp. during our periods for hygiene).
And aside from being considerate and polite towards other people - we could roam free.
The odd thing is, that both my parents were born in the 1920's, having us very late in life - yet they were quite forward thinking.
I feel really lucky now I've read the weird rules here! :D

Of course the classic “You’re either in or you’re out!” If you kept coming in from played out to use the loo, get a drink or get a toy.

@SecretSunflower

I feel as though I grew up in a parallel universe. As a child there were no weird food rules - my parents did believe fruit and veg was good for us - and we could eat/drink anything we fancied (including the apparently oft-rationed fruit juice). My dad even bought cans of diet cola (our weakness) for us. We could shower/bathe as much as we wanted, whenever we wanted (esp. during our periods for hygiene). And aside from being considerate and polite towards other people - we could roam free. The odd thing is, that both my parents were born in the 1920's, having us very late in life - yet they were quite forward thinking. I feel really lucky now I've read the weird rules here! :D

A lot of it was financial. We didn’t have fizzy drinks or juice, couldn’t help ourselves to food and could only bath twice a week… not due to ‘rules’, my parents just couldn’t afford it.

Ooh... I have remembered some more...

Having to go to church every Sunday until
I was 16.

Not allowed to say anything remotely blasphemous. My dad swears like a trooper. And uses the c word as punctuation. I once said “for gods sake” as a teenager and my mum told me she’d prefer me to say “for fucks sake” than take Gods name in vain.
Even now I won’t allow my son to say “oh my God” and tell anyone who says it in my house that “we don’t say that in this house”.

I loved fruit as a child in 70s but my parents bought nowhere near the amount I buy now. I was allowed one piece a day. I remember taking an extra apple and hiding the core behind the toilet u-bend. My mum told me off and I was shocked because I’d forgotten that she would clean and find them all stacked up. I actually remember confessing this to a priest as a sin during confession on Saturday mornings. That’s another stupid rule I have up!