What was a HUGE deal in your house growing up that is normal for you now?

[Bakingmamma]

Various things in my house.

A big one was baking. Although we
usually had the things in the house, wanting to bake was such a big deal and we could only do it on special occasions. Possibly did it once or twice a year.

I’m not talking about big extravagant bakes either! I’m talking about 12 bog standard cupcakes with some basic icing on!

It was only when I reached adulthood that I realized I could cook some basic cupcakes in 20 minutes and it wasn’t a big deal at all.

It takes longer to do a load of washing!

What was a huge deal in your house that you’ve now normalized for your own children? I can’t be the only one 🙈

Pj day. My mother is horrified that we are strictly in pjs unless about to leave the house.

Sending my love to you now x

Processed food. Yes this is a good thing but it was always wholesome stews or roast or jackets. When I went to friends I was excited to have fish fingers chips and beans or similar kids food.
We never had crisps or biscuits in a drawer or treats it was always a homemade fruit cake or fruit.
We did have some treats on holidays and at Christmas etc but it was very much a treat. Probably better for us, but I like my DD's to have some of both and especially if friends come it's pizza or kids food if they ask for it.

chocolate digestives.

My parents were abusive and insisted on all doors closed all the time eg came out of you bedroom you had to shut the door immediately or they screamed at you. The kids can shut their door if they like but I leave all the doors open except front and back door unless the washing machine is on!!

Baths more than twice week. Since I've been adult, I've had a bath or shower whenever I want one, at least once a day.

day time tv
tbh i still dont watch it

Telephone,had to ask to use the neighbours,otherwise walk to the phone box.

Only water or tea to drink.

Never went out to eat.

Takeaways.

Cheese except Cheddar.

Rice or pasta,was jealous of my friend, they had spaghetti!

The list is endless for me.

Eating out
Take outs

Again with baking though it was fun it wasn't regular all done with margarine as well even the butter icing.

Going swimming - though they'd suddenly start and stop that.

Going to local park - barley went and was always a huge deal even though we could have dropped by walking home from school.

Going to main library and sometime park - all free but so very rarely done and always like it was a huge thing - though I suppose heading into town also felt like that most of my childhood and that had a car and you could park for free.

I've thus taken the kids out loads of parks and libraries but they frequently don't remember.

Staying in a hotel. My parents were caravanners, we never stayed in a hotel when we went on holiday, that was for posh folk.

Yes they were considered a luxury, I used to love staying at my Nan’s she always had grapes.

Periods and any conversation that included necessity to mention body parts or body functions with the exception of vomit. So I suppose any 'downstairs body part or function'.

All that chat is normal in my house, we can talk about anything to do with the body without dying of embarrassment. There not hard is it.

Abroad holidays (if it wasn't for my grandparents I would not have gone).
Fruit salad (the one with strawberries, mango and pineapple in).
Eating out
Buying a clothing outfit
Easter was a big deal because we could eat lots of chocolate

Haha see it’s the opposite for me. I grew up thinking wine was just what adults drank with their evening meal 😂 I honestly don’t think I ever saw my parents have a glass of water - it was tea, coffee or wine. I don’t think they were alcoholic or anything and I never saw them drunk.

I do drink wine but definitely not every night, maybe once or twice a week at the weekend. My dad is constantly surprised by this!

I wasn't allowed to call people on the phone - when I came back from university and got permission to ring now DH -and brother as adult with his mates after getting permission - Dad would get itemised bill hit roof at these unknown phone numbers and call them up demanding to know who they were.

It was nice to get my own phone and own place. My kids have mobiles and ring friends or talk on teams with mates.

@zibbifydoo your date would hate our house, we rarely wash or shower before 8pm!

Big salads, and little ones, are becoming rare again now!!

TV dinners, never had them.

Fizzy drinks - blew my mind when we went to stay with relatives and they had big bottles of coke and lemonade in the fridge!

also agree OP baking seemed to take ages in our house - it wasn’t rare as such but always a huge faff. Like you I later realised making a basic cake/muffins/whatever takes a few minutes.

avocados - I remember us all sitting round to have a taste of the first one I ever saw, in my late teens.

and definitely eating out - it was a massive treat to go to the one restaurant in our town and I thought it was the height of luxury and style. Looking back it was a very basic pizza place. We never ate out on holiday, we always camped or self catered and I would gaze in amazement at people going to cafes.

@EL8888
I rarely wash or shower before 8 these days myself! It always feels like a small win

Holidays.

We hardly had any.

A week in a crummy old cottage.

Days out.

Never went abroad. No money.

Neither of my parents have ever been out of the UK even now. (one is dead.)

Big towels (not tiny ones the size of a tea towel)

Having to go to the town every single Saturday. We would have to go to the bank, the chemist, the butchers, the grocers, the "supermarket" which nowadays seems like a corner shop. Every single Saturday we would all have to go, even in my early teens i wasnt allowed to stay home. Cant imagine doing that with my kids week in week out lol.

At the risk of sounding very stupid, what age is everyone who is replying on this thread? The things listed are making it sound like the 1950's? I grew up in Canada in the early 80's and most things listed on this thread were very normal for me. This thread makes it seem like a very different world here than it was there. The examples are closer the examples my dad would tell us about his childhood in the 50's.

Baths? What's the issue? We had baths / showers every day?

Heating? I don't understand this. Why was this an issue? Was it because it was just expensive? We always had the heat on.

Blankets not allowed on sofas? That's just strange.

Meals out? I do agree we definitely go out more now, but as a child we probably went out a couple times a month.

Days out? We often went on long drives into the countryside or to explore different towns. Even just for drives in our own town.

Fruit & veg were all readily available from what I can remember and very normal to have these. Perhaps seasonality played more of a role back then, but I can't remember not having them during my childhood.

For me the main different things now are things I do with the children such as indoor soft play, national trust properties (we didn't have these in Canada obviously), short city breaks to Europe (we did lots of Canadian & American holidays instead), playing in the street until we were called in or going over to a friends house and not telling our parents.

Pizza. Once a year, on the lounge floor, watching James Bond, at Christmas. All other meals at the dinning room table.