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.

No beef, ever, for fear of catching BSE. I think DF only started eating beef again about 5 years ago. There were numerous discussions in which I insisted a hamburger must be made of ham and therefore I should be allowed to go to McDonald's. The one exception was when abroad - I had my first ever beefburger when I was 10.

Deodorant wasn't allowed as it was too grown up. By the time I was about 13 I saved up my pocket money, went to the corner shop and sneaked a Sure roll on back into the house.

No Disney - apparently it was unsuitable tosh (but Pingu and the Magic Roundabout were fine?!)

Until this thread I thought DM was the only one who asked "have you had an elegant sufficiency?" - to be fair she never made me eat everything on my plate if I had had the all important elegant sufficiency.

We had no choice or say in how we had our hair styled. Got laughed at at school for weeks after my mother decided a Princess Diana cut was the way to go. Had my long hair all chopped off into a pudding bowl style. Looked like shit. She didn't even ask if I wanted my hair cut.

@user094746788

No beef, ever, for fear of catching BSE. I think DF only started eating beef again about 5 years ago. There were numerous discussions in which I insisted a hamburger must be made of ham and therefore I should be allowed to go to McDonald's. The one exception was when abroad - I had my first ever beefburger when I was 10.

Deodorant wasn't allowed as it was too grown up. By the time I was about 13 I saved up my pocket money, went to the corner shop and sneaked a Sure roll on back into the house.

No Disney - apparently it was unsuitable tosh (but Pingu and the Magic Roundabout were fine?!)

Until this thread I thought DM was the only one who asked "have you had an elegant sufficiency?" - to be fair she never made me eat everything on my plate if I had had the all important elegant sufficiency.

Lol for what seemed like an eternity soft boiled eggs were "banned" in our house because of some woman called Edwina Currie who kept coming on the telly and talking about her friends "Sam" and "Ella". I had no idea who any of these people were but I knew I didn't like them because they'd stopped me eating my beloved eggs and soldiers . Unsurprisingly I now eat soft boiled eggs at every opportunity

Again, not a "home" rule but a school one. For some weird reason biro pens were not allowed in school. If you were even found to be in possession of one, it got confiscated, regardless whether you used it or not. Instead we had to use rollerball pens or those awful fountain pens that leaked all over your books!

I am so tempted now to just introduce some completely random ones for my kids. How about- No wearing the same colour socks two days in a row. ALWAYS put the right sock on first but the left leg through underwear first. For girls on your period begin the day by spinning clockwise twice, for boys when your voice has broken hop three times in the morning each day to start the day but alternate foot every day.

@NellyDElephant

If you ran around /exercised/ jumped or even moved faster than a slow walk straight after eating you would instantly 'be sick' My Mum still tries, to this day, to enforce this rule on my DC - one day I reminded her, that never in my living memory, have either myself or my DB been sick after 'running around too much' nor have my DC - she laughed.

My mum used to say that too. Itnever happened, but one time I was ill from s stomach bug that was going around school. My mum refused point blank to believe there was any such bug, and remained convinced it was because I'd been running and jumping after eating.

*NellyDElephant

If you ran around /exercised/ jumped or even moved faster than a slow walk straight after eating you would instantly 'be sick'
My Mum still tries, to this day, to enforce this rule on my DC - one day I reminded her, that never in my living memory, have either myself or my DB been sick after 'running around too much' nor have my DC - she laughed.

I feel a bit sheepish that I'm a bit guilty of this! DH used to throw the kids in the air as babies, or swing them around as toddlers straight after they had eaten and I was always convinced they would throw up (they didnt) and DS used to go out on the trampoline straight after eating when he was 5 or 6 and again I was sure he'd be sick (he never was!)

My wife's family didn't watch TV on the Sabbath, her Dad being a Presbyterian minister in N Ireland, and while he wasn't that bothered, his flock would have thrown a wobbly. But that all came to an end when her Mum's favourite, Dr. Finlay's Casebook, switched from Thursday to Sunday!

@Justmuddlingalong

I had a hot lunch at school and therefore didn't need more than a sandwich for dinner. I was such a scrawny wee scrap right up until I left home.

My mum insisted we eat hot lunch in school.... Despite all our friends taking sandwiches... abd we wanted to hang out with them.

So we would never have hot food in the evening... Often sandwiches /cake/yoghurt.... All of which took longer (i found out as an adult) than heating up soup, making an omelette/scrambled egg

We, too, were not allowed to use biros as it would 'spoil our handwriting' When my husband took his professional exams (RICS) in the 70s , he had to use a fountain pens as biros were forbidden

I always thought no elbows on the table was because they got in the way of the person serving and clearing the table. As someone who briefly worked as a silver service waitress in the 70s (trained by an utterly fearsome head waiter in a very upmarket restaurant) I can confirm that elbows on the table make the waitress’ job very difficult.

We weren't allowed biros at school. You had to show up on the first day with a fountain pen. If you were eleven and had never used a fountain pen, this was no way to improve your handwriting. And if you were left-handed, it was absolute torture, as you had to curl your hand in the air round the top of the page in order to avoid smearing what you'd just written. The kid next to me was left-handed. It was painful to watch.

Eventually, the rule was relaxed to allow Tempo pens (do they still make those? - they were felt-tips, essentially). I have no idea why that was preferable to a biro. Like many school rules, it made absolutely no logical or practical sense.

Another one was that you had to have a briefcase. I mean, a proper leather one, like an accountant. Within about a term, we had all ditched them - not least because in South London it was tantamount to carrying a big sign reading, 'Please drag me into an alley and beat me up' - and we'd all acquired canvas shoulder bags from the Army surplus shop.

Still got beaten up though. Had to wear a school cap on the walk to the station. Frankly, I'd have considered beating me up too.

@billycat321

We, too, were not allowed to use biros as it would 'spoil our handwriting' When my husband took his professional exams (RICS) in the 70s , he had to use a fountain pens as biros were forbidden

still the case where I am. (not uk) dc doing their gcse equivalent and have to use fountain pen with royal blue ink.

any work written with other type of pen or colour will not be marked.

I remember when starting secondary school in the late 90s the equipment list said we needed to use a fountain pen and ballpoints were only allowed in exams "for speed".

biro vs ink pen makes sense.
if yoh havd to handwrite long texts it's a lot harder on your wrist writing with a biro.

Another one was that you had to have a briefcase. I mean, a proper leather one, like an accountant. Within about a term, we had all ditched them - not least because in South London it was tantamount to carrying a big sign reading, 'Please drag me into an alley and beat me up' - and we'd all acquired canvas shoulder bags from the Army surplus shop.

A school near us had wicker baskets as part of compulsory uniform (think little red riding hood) for food tech until at least about 2010. Apart from being bulky to carry, I used to feel really sorry for teenage boys especially walking to school with a basket!

@liveforsummer

Salad and all unwrapped Pick'n'Mix type sweets had to left to stand in Milton for 30 minutes before we were allowed to eat them. I was 18 and had left home before I realised that salad did not need to taste of bleach

I read a thread on here not long ago about eating strawberries straight from a punnet and some posters actually still do this now with soft fruit and the likes - crazy!

If we ever wanted to wash fruit, etc, we just used fresh water with a little bit of bicarbonate of soda in it. I've never used Milton on food.

My mum was a great one for pooh poohing old wives tales, so she never followed batshit rules like not washing hair on periods, was happy for me to try tampons as I loved swimming, we happily watched ITV, etc.

One of the rules I've found very odd in this thread is the rule about not asking for help at all. I've wondered if this has it's origins in frail masculine egos, as my ex would also never ask for help, including in asking for directions, because "I can work it out".

We had the no showers after 8pm rule!

I've just recalled that my ex had this rule. Something about wanting to avoid condensation in the bathrooom. He was abusive, so it's nice now to have midnight showers if I want.

@TurquoiseDragon

We had the no showers after 8pm rule!

I've just recalled that my ex had this rule. Something about wanting to avoid condensation in the bathrooom. He was abusive, so it's nice now to have midnight showers if I want.

I remember being surprised when I met my husband, cos he'd have a bath at 14:00.

For me, I always had a shower first thing in the morning, or just before bed.

During the day?? That's madness!

💐 to you and your lovely midnight showers, my friend.

@Mothermorph

*NellyDElephant

If you ran around /exercised/ jumped or even moved faster than a slow walk straight after eating you would instantly 'be sick'
My Mum still tries, to this day, to enforce this rule on my DC - one day I reminded her, that never in my living memory, have either myself or my DB been sick after 'running around too much' nor have my DC - she laughed.

I feel a bit sheepish that I'm a bit guilty of this! DH used to throw the kids in the air as babies, or swing them around as toddlers straight after they had eaten and I was always convinced they would throw up (they didnt) and DS used to go out on the trampoline straight after eating when he was 5 or 6 and again I was sure he'd be sick (he never was!)

I think being thrown up in the air after having milk is a bit different!

@sweetbellyhigh I agree. I have two teenage DS and sitting at the table for meal times is when we all catch up and I really enjoy it. They always say thanks for their meal and ask if they can leave the table too. Why wouldn't you?

@bendmeoverbackwards

Some of these are crazy but others are downright heartbreaking

I was born in 1972. My mum had been widowed young and brought me up alone. She couldn't really cope, didn't put rules or boundaries in place and she thought of me as her companion from a young age.

I regularly had time off school, my attendance was probably around 60%. She just didn't care that went every day or couldn't be bothered to get up.

I watched a LOT of telly and nothing was banned. Saturday morning TV every week (I had a TV in my bedroom) and I pretty much watched what I liked (including the notorious Bouquet of Barbed Wire mentioned upthread).

My mum wasn't too bothered about healthy eating. She generally made a home cooked meal every night but I had chocolate every day, cakes, huge brownies from the Waitrose bakery.

But I don't think this lack of rules made me happy at all. I remember talking to friends and they said they 'weren't allowed' to do such and such. I don't think there was anything I wasn't allowed to do and I started to wonder why. Even at 8 or 9 I wondered if their parents cared more than mine. Just goes to show that children feel safe with boundaries.

Your post reminds me of a friend of mine in my teens. We were normally a group of three. My parents were somewhat strict (and old fashioned). One girls parents thought that 'children should make their own mistakes' and rarely told her no.

Once a group of us wanted to go to a concert in the 'Big City'. We were 14 and my parents told me I couldn't go. Her parents of course said "Do what you want, it's your decision". When the group was discussing it I told them I wasn't allowed. When they asked my friend she said "Oh no, Across' mother said we aren't allowed to go". As I raised my own children I realized how having limits meant 'security' to her.

No going outside with your hair wet. I never use a hair dryer unless I am going out/in a rush and I have never 'caught my death' of cold from air drying my hair

FlamingoDust

But is is so cold and uncomfortable. This morning was minus 2- no way am I going out with wet hair in those temperatures.