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Original poster

To ask what the weirdest thing you experienced or saw at someone else's house when you were a child?

963 replies

BillHadersNewWife · 08/01/2020 13:59

Inspired by a Reddit thread...there were some absolutely weird things that people experienced or saw at their mates' houses as children.

There was a man who said he hated eating at his friend's house because they weren't allowed to drink water with a meal.

There was someone who said their friend wasn't allowed in any other room but the kitchen and their bedroom.

That kind of thing! I'm thinking myself and can't really dredge much up. There was one friend who lived in a huge mansion...think National Trust style place...and it was empty!

Just room after room with less furniture in the place than in an average semi!

Normal-ish family...I think they were broke due to having 5 kids and privately educating them all!

OP posts:
Beastieboys · 10/01/2020 00:30

I don't find that unusual as we weren't allowed to go upstairs unless it was to get changed or go to bed, my 0arents kept all of their papers and private stuff up there so probably didn't want kids nosing around

Original poster
BillHadersNewWife · 10/01/2020 00:39

beastie it's highly unusual to just ban kids from going upstairs! All parents have private papers and things...you're meant to secure them...lock them up...then your children can go upstairs.

OP posts:
Rachel709 · 10/01/2020 00:55

One friends house had little brothers who just used to get their willies out and pee on the carpet. The mum didn't bat an eyelid. They also tried to drown puppies they had, in a bucket.

Another friend had rabbits kept outside. She invited me to see them but they were all dead. It was winter and had been snowing.

katewhinesalot · 10/01/2020 01:09

I wasn't allowed to watch Dallas or Eastenders but happily for me, was allowed to watch Grange Hill.

BusterGonad · 10/01/2020 05:03

I haven't read all of these (saving it for later) nothing too terrible but I remember going to a friend's house and at pick up time I was waiting for my dad, he was a few minutes late, and my friends dad said he's forgotten me and isn't coming, I almost cried and was so upset. Why would you do that to a young child? Being a parent now I just can't understand it? I didn't really like it there as they were smokers and it stank.

SpangleSparkle · 10/01/2020 05:16

I remember going to a friends house in the middle of a town, she has a full sized pig which lived in her back garden, that was unexpected Grin

wheresmymojo · 10/01/2020 06:11

Shocked when asking J what she was having for tea ( we weren’t rich, worse off than J) that she said “egg and chips, it’s Tuesday” further questioning confirmed their menu was 7 things only, the same dish on the same day of the week.

My Mum's childhood was like this and my Nan still lives like this now.

I don't know every day but Tuesday is 'chop day' (lamb or pork), Friday is fish, Saturday is bacon and tomatoes and Sunday is (obvs) a roast dinner.

Luckystar777 · 10/01/2020 07:01

Never realised a schoolfriend had very religious parents. Over at hers one day, she showed me her brother's MASSIVE keyring collection. I said 'Bloody Hell, that's alot of keyrings!' She FREAKED out, panicking her parents heard me say this, she looked like she thought she'd be put to death or something. I wasn't invited back. Confused

My best friend would never use his front door, like, EVER. I'm not sure if his parents told him not to or what, but I always thought that was so bizarre. I always had to go round the back to get into and out of his house. There was no logical reason for not using the front door. I got used to it and it wasn't a problem, I just always thought it weird.

Another friend's parents brought out forks and knives and plates to eat a fish supper Confused

Another one's mother (clearly started her menopause, looking back) went crazy buying tonnes of plants and the house was like 'Day of the Triffids' She was also sitting around drinking gin in the middle of the day - this lady was a primary school teacher!!! Confused

Neighbours who lived across from us had their dining room and kitchen curtains closed at all times, even in the middle of summer. Vampires? Hmm

This is new, I recently spotted this while visiting my dad at Christmas - the people next to the vampires(?) have their grown adult daughter, hubby and kids living in the house right next door and a special little gate in the middle of the two gardens to enter in and out of instead of just going around. I always thought the father was a bit of a creep. I would hate to have him right next door like that.

Cottagepieandpeas · 10/01/2020 07:13

@angieloumc my Mum did make us eat tripe. I can still smell it now Envy
Not envy, obviously.

Original poster
BillHadersNewWife · 10/01/2020 07:14

Mojo I think I rotate around 7 dishes...not in the same order...but when you find things your family will eat, then why bother looking for other things!

We eat the following

Spag Bol
Chicken Curry
Roast dinner with either chicken or lamb
Homemade pizza
Homemade burgers with wedges
Lamb stew
Lamb chops
Baked potato with cheese and ham.

OP posts:
ThebishopofBanterbury · 10/01/2020 07:52

When I was about 14 in the 90s I bunked off school and went to my new friend's high rise flat in London. When we got up there his mum was smoking a joint and watching "enter the dragon" by Bruce Lee. I'd never heard of him and she put his films on all day for us which I of course thought was really cool. She also told us how she had actually invented punk and not Malcolm Maclaren and that he had stolen her idea. She had a huge fancy glass display cabinet and inside were hundreds of different lighters and bongs. I was fascinated by it all as my family were very ordinary and sensible.

ChardonnaysDistantCousin · 10/01/2020 07:58

They had proper cooked food every night. I spent many an evening there, watching TV and getting fed while my parents were fuck knows where.

wanderings · 10/01/2020 07:59

@GlummyMcGlummerson I loved Chock-a-block! I used to record episodes of the Crystal Maze back to back, and watch them endlessly. I didn't try to make friends watch them, but I often imagined doing so, saying "here's an episode where they do very badly".

@PlumsGalore For some time in the 90s, we had a fixed menu of a certain meal on each day of the week, although weekends would be more spontaneous. Tuesday evening was always pancakes, including during Lent!

Taddda · 10/01/2020 08:00

@katewhinesalot funny! I wasnt allowed to watch Grange hill! But was allowed to watch Aliens, Young guns, Dirty Dancing, Lost Boys....and read endless Stephen King and James Herbert- But 'Grange Hill'....'it's way too affecting'....Confused

HemlockStarglimmer · 10/01/2020 08:00

We went though a phase of seven meals a week. Sunday, roast dinner, Monday, cold meat and jacket potatoes. But Mum has just gone back to work as Dad wasn’t earning (retraining). It made life easier for her not to have to think about meal planning on top of everything else.

The only outstanding thing I can remember is playing with the girl two doors down and her mother giving us cake as a snack. I was amazed and thrilled when she offered ice cream with it.

So much heartbreak on this thread FlowersSad

HemlockStarglimmer · 10/01/2020 08:03

*had just gone back to work.
This was about 45 years ago.

Luckystar777 · 10/01/2020 08:03

@halexanderamilton was the musician Ozzy Osbourne? Grin

I'm remembering more as I read everyone else's tales now. My gran used to tell me that she used to eat bread with brown sugar on it and also bread with a tin of condensed milk on it as a snack Confused

YouJustDoYou · 10/01/2020 08:15

When I first started dating my now husband I met his sister who was 14. She never, ever had friends round, and most certainly was NEVER allowed to a friend's house, for all of her childhood. Sleepovers were the worst kind of horror my MIL could imagine. When I tentatively asked why, I was told "Because if there's fire the other parents will save their own children and would leave my daughter to burn". Like, she honestly believed that, but probably because she herself WOULD let someone else's kid burn just to save her own.

ExhaustedGrinch · 10/01/2020 08:16

Another friend's parents brought out forks and knives and plates to eat a fish supper - I do this ... I didn't think it was particularly odd? Blush

sleepymoggy · 10/01/2020 08:19

I agree @ExhaustedGrinch. I'd call it civilised rather than weird!

sleepymoggy · 10/01/2020 08:22

My gran used to tell me that she used to eat bread with brown sugar on it

Never had one myself but this was definitely widespread at least in the north. When I was at primary school "sugar butties" used to be something you said as a polite version of "bloody hell"

SaskiaRembrandt · 10/01/2020 08:29

On my French exchange (1984, Vichy grin) we had dinner one evening and once we’d finished the main course we turned the plates over and had pudding off the other side of the plate - within the ring on the bottom of the plate.

That happened to my uncle and aunt, also in the '80s. We've always assumed they were winding them up but maybe not. Alternatively, it was the same people and they played this joke on all their guests Grin

discusstin · 10/01/2020 08:40

My friend’s dad had a garage containing ugly dressing table stools. They were velvet covered with Queen Anne legs, ugly braids, fringes, the works. He seemed to be assembling them. He worked at a car plant and when I mentioned the dressing table stools their reaction was as if I had uncovered a major criminal operation. It was all very hush hush and I was told not to talk about it.

Binterested · 10/01/2020 08:47

love the dodgy dressing table stools story Grin

Luckystar777 · 10/01/2020 08:50

@sleepymoggy Glad it wasn't just my gran who was weird! I was maybe 10 when she told me and even at that age I thought it sounded gross!