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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:

Faevern · 05/02/2022 18:54

@Mamette

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

I'm intrigued as to how you eat half a creme egg? Bite the top off, cut it in half? 🤔

CMOTDibbler · 05/02/2022 18:54

Oh, and no ITV under any circumstances

notprincehamlet · 05/02/2022 18:55

I wasn't allowed to choose what clothes were bought for me until I was about 15 and my mum's fashion choices were dreadful.
This! My mother had a particular fondness for hideous shoes - she may as well have sent me out into the world with a bullseye pinned to my back.

Inspectorslack · 05/02/2022 18:56

ThankyoumumforcookingthislovelydinnnerpleasemayIleavethetable

After every meal. Even breakfast which was always cereal we poured ourselves. And even if the dinner was stinking

mizzo · 05/02/2022 19:01

Always had to ask “ please may I leave the table.?” before being allowed to after a meal.
I thought this was just good manners. Don't tell me I'm continuing another wierdism!

LaQuern · 05/02/2022 19:01

No washing of hair or having a bath when you had your period. Tampons were only to be used by married women, likewise you could only get cystitis if you were married (and my mother was so convinced this was the truth that she read the leaflet in a box of Cymalon three times as she 'read it on it').

Luckily my relationship had deteriorated with her so much by my early teens that I just ignored her and her 'advice' for the bollocks that it was

tibradden · 05/02/2022 19:02

@Mossstitch

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!

Yes that was me. Have often told others but no one else had this time (or didn’t say) . Seemingly it was to stop the menstrual blood going to your head

as only had a bath and rinsed hair under tap

jimmyreckon · 05/02/2022 19:04

No ITV - it was common apparently
Condiments had to be decanted into a glass tiny bowl with a saucer and condiment spoon (wtf)
Mars bars were sliced up here too - only one piece allowed

CouldIhaveaword · 05/02/2022 19:06

@Inspectorslack

ThankyoumumforcookingthislovelydinnnerpleasemayIleavethetable

After every meal. Even breakfast which was always cereal we poured ourselves. And even if the dinner was stinking

Me too. And I made my children say it. They still do

Also, no eating in the street. No makeup and no pierced ears. To be fair, she was involved in a lot of sports and dealt with horrific injuries where kids had earings ripped out.

FrenchyQ · 05/02/2022 19:10

We were only allowed 3 eggs a week, otherwise we'd get egg bound ( constipated I think?).

TroysMammy · 05/02/2022 19:10

Half a Weetabix for breakfast, basically light brown milk.
Orange and milk together would curdle in your stomach.

DedalusBloom · 05/02/2022 19:11

@PuppyMonkey

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.

This is the best thing I've read all day.

Hyenaormeercat · 05/02/2022 19:12

Mars bars sliced?? Oh yes, and the ensuing 'he got a bigger slice than me'
Sunday late afernoon, the TV family drama followed by bath after tea. Board games after bathtime before bed.
Bath was only on a Sunday.
DGM did the washing on a Monday morning. Clothes were worn until physically dirty/smelly.

MargaretThursday · 05/02/2022 19:13

No phoning until after 6pm.

We only had chocolate on Sundays and very rarely allowed sweets.

On birthdays we were allowed one bottle of cola, one bottle of orangeade (which always fizzed everywhere) and one bottle of lemonade. No fizzy the rest of the time.

Contrary to this thread we had to have a bath every night-even after the Dr told dm it was bad for my eczema. Tbf I love a bath every night and I don't think it effects my eczema.

The upstairs toilet window stayed open all the time.

On Saturday nights dp had their "special time". They cooked a posh meal for themselves and we were all sent up to our rooms from about 6pm after a quick (beans on toast type) tea. This happened until we left home.
Someone's going to say that was mean, but actually it was a lovely peaceful time. I'd lie on my bed reading or sewing or similar and enjoy the quietness. The only thing was I rather liked the food (my siblings didn't !) because it was rather exotic compared with our normal fare, so I often used to offer to help or wash up so I could pinch bits. I suspect sometimes they wondered why their prawn cocktails had very few prawns in, and the cream cakes sometimes were a bit flattened to remove a finger line of cream

Inspectorslack · 05/02/2022 19:14

No phoning til after 6 was because it was cheaper though wasn’t it?

BuickMcKane · 05/02/2022 19:14

@Mossstitch

Yep this was my mum too. In fact no bath or hair wash allowed when on your period. Such a bizarre (and gross) rule!!

NeverDropYourMooncup · 05/02/2022 19:15

No drinks before, during or after food.

Bread was a separate meal. It did not 'go' with anything.

Butter was deadly poisonous, but margarine was healthy.

Salt was equally poisonous.

Washing more than once a week in the bath was a disgusting waste of money. None of this washing at the sink business or trying to sneak some water and soap due to menstruation, literally just once a week.

Anybody looking at an electrical item other than the kettle would instantly make it break or catch fire. Unfortunately, this meant that the washing and vacuuming was done on her timescale suspect this was measured in decades, not days.

Cuwins · 05/02/2022 19:16

@Inspectorslack

No phoning til after 6 was because it was cheaper though wasn’t it?

Yes that's what I was about to say. While we did make calls before that my parents would prefer to wait till after 6 as it was cheaper

NeverDropYourMooncup · 05/02/2022 19:18

@Inspectorslack

No phoning til after 6 was because it was cheaper though wasn’t it?

You were allowed to use the phone?

The phone was a red monster that sat in the hallway and must never be touched and if it rang, it was probably your fault for looking at it.

MargaretThursday · 05/02/2022 19:18

@Inspectorslack

No phoning til after 6 was because it was cheaper though wasn’t it?

Yes... but if you were calling a company that closed at 6 it made it a little difficult.

93lu86 · 05/02/2022 19:19

@Inspectorslack ThankyoumumforcookingthislovelydinnnerpleasemayIleavethetable

Similar to this, but we always said please may I get down... from the normal height table and chairs

TeaAddict235 · 05/02/2022 19:19

No watching of Eastenders/ soaps etc as they 'corrupt the brain'

Ladies don't paint their fingernails red (only ladies of the night do according to head of year at private school)

Still don't paint my nails red only neutral and don't ever watch soaps on tv but do on You Tube and Netflix not the same is it?

Diversion · 05/02/2022 19:19

Chip butties were considered common. No eating in the street or the car or in the front room and we were only to have either butter or jam on toast, not both as this was considered extravagant. Any TV programme which was American was considered trash and banned. Any programme or film showing a bare bum or other body parts considered "rude" made my parents either change channel or cover my eyes up to the age of about 14.

jevoudrais · 05/02/2022 19:19

We weren't allowed ketchup if we had spaghetti hoops or beans because 'they have tomato sauce'. My children will always have access to ketchup!!

DH's family used to have to sit (in silence) for two mins after dinner to 'let it go down'.

Inspectorslack · 05/02/2022 19:20

My grandparents lived far away. They were phoned once a week at 7pm on a Saturday.

At one point there was a lock on the phone 😂

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