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Original poster

Stupid rules from your childhood

88 replies

Knifer · 21/05/2022 21:14

This evening I have been reminded that my parents and theirs had a weird rule that children were not allowed to sit on the sofa. We had to sit on the floor unless we were invited to sit up on the furniture.

I also remember if we had family over for dinner, children had to sit at a different table, and if there was ever a buffet, children were last to eat.

I have never enforced any of this with my children.

What stupid rules were there when you were a kid?

OP posts:
AssignedSlytherinAtBirth · 21/05/2022 21:22

Not allowed to sit on the edge of my bed. Not allowed to use bedroom in the daytime. Not allowed in parents' bedroom unless there was thunder! (And I think in that case, Mum came into mine.) Not allowed to drink from a can or bottle in the street. There were probably others that I've blanked out - so depressing!

TowerRavenSeven · 21/05/2022 21:30

Ex Catholic here. We couldn’t wear jeans on Sunday - I’m not talking about Church or if we went somewhere or had someone over. We were not allowed to wear jeans any Sunday.

DuesToTheDirt · 21/05/2022 21:31

Had to wear decent clothes to go out anywhere. If we were decorating (we always seemed to be decorating) and needed to go to B&Q for supplies, I had to get changed out of my paint-splattered clothes. Confused

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Original poster
Knifer · 21/05/2022 21:39

Oh yeah, we had no eating in the street. And I also vividly remember, even though my mum says she can't, that we changed our clothes in the middle of the day until I was about seven. I remember getting them out of the drawer and taking off my "morning clothes" and folding them up

OP posts:
1000yellowdaisies · 21/05/2022 21:43

Yep we had the not allowed to sit on the edge of the bed one. We were never really allowed to sit on our beds at all, if i was ever reading for relaxation it had to be sat at my desk.

I guess the rule when we were growing up that you ate what you were given and you cleared your plate bugged me. As a child i remember not being able to leave the table until I'd finished eating home made steak and kidney pie, when i despised the kidney.
With my own kids i was firm about them not being fussy eaters or not trying things.... but i certainly respected their right to have likes and dislikes when it comes to food and i don't force food on them i know they hate...

AdaColeman · 21/05/2022 21:51

When my Mother and her brother were children, their mealtimes were held in silence. Their father had made a notice which was placed on the table
"Silence is golden".
Amazingly, they all adhered to his rule!

Rubyroseyposey · 21/05/2022 21:55

I lived in a childrens home as a teen, there were many ridiculous rules, mainly around food - such as in the morning you could toast with peanut butter, but not a peanut butter sandwich 🤣🤣

MMBaranova · 21/05/2022 21:59

We were supposed to speak different languages on different days. But is was loosely enforced and sometimes my brother and I exchanged the 'they are making this up as they go along' look.

Readtheroom · 21/05/2022 21:59

I wonder what the reasons are behind these rules Confused

Nevergoingtobemrsjones · 21/05/2022 22:08

No matter how hot it was,we where not allowed a drink with a meal
any food that was left over was dished up,cold,for our next meal-if it wasn’t eaten then,rinse and repeat until it was eaten
my mother would dish up massive adult portions and if it was on your plate,then you ate it-likes and dislikes didn’t matter-I remember having to eat liver (blegh) and sprouts/cabbage that had been boiled for hours
no choice at all-if she cooked it,you ate it
you ate on the floor if you where a child-just like a dog
dessert wasn’t a thing
Everything was dished up with gravy-I can’t bear it as an adult
sweets where dished up once a week-if we paid for them-no money,no sweets

its a mystery to both my parents why all four of us have issues with food

KarenLovesRosario · 21/05/2022 22:12

Not allowed to watch ITV (then it was regional) as my mother said it was a communist channel. So just BBC1 &2 growing up.

orbitalcrisis · 21/05/2022 22:20

I wasn't allowed to close the bathroom door!

uhtredsonofuhtred1 · 21/05/2022 22:39

We weren't allowed in my parents bedroom...ever! I love not having this rule for my kids. My teenagers and their friends love coming and sitting on my bed with me and having a gossip and it gives me such a happy feeling.

No ketchup on anything except chips or burgers. I don't care what my kids put ketchup or salad cream on as long as they eat it. My mum said it was disrespectful to put ketchup on her food Grin

No windows were allowed to be open, even on the hottest days. I still feel a bit rebellious flinging all the windows open

ThanksMateThanksMate · 21/05/2022 22:44

After my mum had dusted and hoovered the living room we weren't allowed in for about an hour and even then we weren't allowed to have the tv on yet because it made the room "look untidy".

Doofas · 21/05/2022 22:49

Not allowed to watch ITV because of the evil influence of the adverts. Only allowed 30 minutes TV each a day, unless we managed to sneak in the room when a sinking had their choice of program on. It was s revelation when I was off school sick one day to realise that my mum watched more than one program a day and even watched channels with adverts! Also, only one screen at a time so no TV and computer at the same time, even if the TV was educational like Blue Peter and computer for homework.

dropthevipers · 21/05/2022 22:51

Absolutely no pudding unless you cleaned your dinner plate. If that included liver (which Mum always managed to turn into burnt cork, bless her-weird, she was a good cook otherwise) then tough.

godmum56 · 21/05/2022 22:53

we had this subject recently

CherryRipe1 · 21/05/2022 22:56

No ketchup or gravy at all. Roasts were as dry as buggery.
No touching the telly in case of electric shocks.
No drinks with meals.
No going out after washing hair.

Cherrysoup · 21/05/2022 23:00

Had to clear my plate and were made to sit for ages until the boiled carrots were gone, even though I hated them. Definitely explains my eating issues.

Wasn’t allowed to go to the loo aged 10 or so even when desperate, because I couldn’t possibly need to go (yes, I did, still go very often now) which meant I went on my bedroom floor. I have issues around toilet use 40 years later.

FabulousKilljoys · 21/05/2022 23:00

Bedrooms were for sleeping so we weren't allowed to go chill or play in there. This was relaxed a bit when we reached about 14/15 but they still hated us doing it so we rarely did.

Everyone had to get up when my parents got up, even on a weekend or during school holidays. Which meant up at 8am no lie ins. That rule continued right until we kids moved out late teens/early twenties, and even when I've slept back at my parents home as an adult I've been woken at 8am and expected downstairs by 8.15.

thegreylady · 21/05/2022 23:01

I can’t remember a single unreasonable rule! Mind you my favourite evening meal was liver with onion gravy, mash and cabbage! I have a school diary from when I was 9 and one entry reads,”Valerie B laughed because I like liver.”

thegreylady · 21/05/2022 23:02

Just remembered I wasn’t allowed to wash my hair when as having a period. It was very dangerous…

DrBrennerFan · 21/05/2022 23:02

As a child eat what given, no eating in street. Do as I say not as I do until I left at 22 adults have first choice on tv again until I left at 22

No drinks/food in bedroom as a teen no posters no jeans until 17 because I was fat. Buy clothes with birthday birthday nor albums (I never did) no -ribs t she could walk in bedroom at anytime in daytime anyway.

Maytodecember · 21/05/2022 23:04

Had to sit upright in a chair, not allowed to touch the back of it. I can still remember leaning back in my chair in school, aged 7-8– wow, it was a revelation!
And the served up again food if you didn’t eat it. I remember being given cold liver to eat for breakfast as I’d not eaten it at two meals the previous day.
My parents were very hard, cold people.

FabulousKilljoys · 21/05/2022 23:05

thegreylady · 21/05/2022 23:02

Just remembered I wasn’t allowed to wash my hair when as having a period. It was very dangerous…

Same here!