Things your parents did that you wouldnt dream of?

[Frasersmum123]

Is there anything that your parents did when you were younger that you wouldnt do?

Our used to leave us in the car while they went shopping, for what seemed like hours, but in reality was probably about half an hour.

There was 4 of us and we all used to squeeze into the back of my dads car, which had three seats.

[JJ17]

Ah - sugar sandwiches for packed lunch - I was the envy of my mates.

[Porcelain]

My mother made me listen to Barry Manilow...

[PaigeTurner]

Made me commute to primary school, five stops on South Western trains (just for the last year).

[newmum001]

Reading all these is making me miss my childhood and making me wish my DD (3 months) would have the same childhood as i did. I'm 25 but the travelling to holidays in the boot were my all time favourite part of holidays!!

My dad and grandparents smoked like troopers all the time, my grandad tought me how to roll cigs at a very young age (although would never have let me smoke!!!!)

Basically mine are the same as everyone else's but im loving this thread, it was more my grandparents that did odd things rather than my parents but it's lovely reading about things that you had completely forgotten about.

My grandad had guns and used to let my brother fire blanks at beer cans in the back garden, i had a phase of pretending that the shed was my house (about 8 or 9) and my grandad set a fishing chair and a tv up in his shed so i could play house.

I used to love driving my dads car on Morrissons car park on Sundays (when it was closed) from being about 10. Also playing out in all weathers, leaving the house in the morning and not returning till the evening in the summer holidays, it makes me sad that children these days can't have that kind of freedom!

[Quenelle]

DH's parents went to Spain on holiday and left him 10yo and his sister 12yo at home for a week.

They made them promise to go to school. Which they didn't.

[Whitethorn]

Copious smoking and being sent to the corner shop aged 6 to buy fags.

All the same car stuff as other people - particular one was my dad speeding while we stuck our heads out the sunroof - what fun!

We had nutricious food though, I remember a lot of stew and endless carrot, cauliflower, turnip and parsnip.

One thing I would never do though us get out of control drunk in front of my children. My mother was very dedicated and caring but parties in the house or when she would go out it would result in her being very drunk and I always remember how nervy, frightened and insecure that made me I used to sit up until she came home as I was so worried about her driving home safely.
That will never happen to my DD

[PinkIsMyFavouriteCrayon]

Same as others in traveling in the boot of the car

Their's also a very nice pic of me, 6 months old, sat at the top of a VERY high slide with no adults nearby!

Ah the 80s!

[PinkIsMyFavouriteCrayon]

Oh yes and how could I forget my mums favourite story of being mortal drunk on Christmas eve, 5 days overdue with my brother! That explains a lot....!

[mrsoliverramsay]

I was allowed to stay up very late at my grandmothers so she had company while she watched the drunk people coming out the club opposite her house. It was a small village so she knew them all.

I was allowed to watch horror films there as well. I once did a school report in primary 6 about 'Children if the Corn'. There was a few raised eyebrows but nothing was said.

One new years eve, my little sister aged 10 got massively drunk as a party went on at grandmothers. She had drunk loads of vodka on the fly. When we took her to bed she kept saying how she had to get up as the vodka loved her.

Grandmother also used to send us to the shops for her cigarettes with a little note explaining who they were for

[StarlightWonderStarlightBright]

My parents were teachers.

My dad used to take 15 kids from his deprived inner-London class and pack them ALL into a transit van with a big tent and take them camping for the weekend, - just them, about 8 times a year. Sometimes my mum and us (4 kids) would also squeeze in.

[cakeywakey]

Am very at everyone who got to sit in pub carparks or gardens. Me and my cousins had to sit outside on the street - the street! - being checked on every so often by relatives when they topped up our coke and crisp rations

[cakeywakey]

Oh, and we also used to go an visit people on a Sunday night we kids would sit in a corner bored shitless while Mum and Dad talked up a storm with people we were loosely related to.

We'd finally get going home at around 10pm - after having watched a pile of adult-orientated shite on the box which was on full blast and ignored by the adults (does anyone remember widows? I was far too young to watch it) - and be really tired for school the next day.

[MadAboutQuavers]

I was born in 1969 so I had most of these that everyone has mentioned, smoking, smacking, being left too young, etc.

Now I've got my little DS I have sworn that there is another thing I will definitely NOT do, and that's to take a tissue or hanky, lick it, and then wipe my DS's face with it.

My mum used to do this and I can remember the horror and utter disgust at having her spit wiped around my face as though it were yesterday

YUCK!

[FellatioNelson]

Smacking
Smoking - especially in the car with all the windows done up
Going to the pub and leaving us in the car for hours with a shandy and some crisps (access visits with Dad)
Letting me go halfway cross London on a bus with my friends, aged 10. No mobile phones! God, I feel sick at the thought.

[winnybella]

My mum used to leave me sleeping in my cot while she went to lectures/pass her exams at the university Thank God grandma came one day and discovered me crying inside (she didn't have a key, so had to wait for my mum to arrive) and gave mum huge bollocking

Smoking in the house (although I wasn't supposed to be in the room when they did it)

Spanking (occasionally, for 'serious' offenses like laying etc)

Letting me play outside alone when I was 3 or 4

etc etc...

[FellatioNelson]

Leaving me at home alone when I was off school sick - aged about 7 or 8, while she went to work.

Lewaving me to look after my little sister in teh school holidays beacuse she couldn't afford a child-minder. Junior school age. To bea fai, in those days if you were a lone parent who worked full time no-one made it easy for you. No subsidised childcare or flexi-time, and no 'rights' as an employee who was also a mother. It was that or benefits for us, and she chose that.

[DeckTheIceWithDragonsAndHolly]

whisked raw egg sweetened with sugar. light fluffy and very yummy.

smacked with ahir brush or slipper for being naughty

not being allowed birthday parties (tbf it was an expense thing with 3 of us born very close together)

being made to dress almost identical to sister - we had same clothes but in diff colours.

being a young carer for siblings because mother was too proud to admit she was depressed and on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Being dragged around so many old houses that we have no idea what information relates to which house. Although did see some pretty interesting places, just far too many of them!

we did the sleeping bags down the stairs but we werent allowed, jumping out of the upstairs window onto the grass below, climbing out onto the flat roof and having a tea party. Werent allowed to do any of it mind. Didnt stop us though.

Must admit though a good old fashioned tray is the best for flying down the stairs but not to be recommended if there is glass window at the bottom.

[DeckTheIceWithDragonsAndHolly]

I have been thinking and despite everything I had a very happy childhood. Hellish teenager years but that is a whole different story. And not really my parents' fault.

[Lynli]

Smoking excessively around DCs
Not wearing seat belts.
Fitting 12 in a mini.
Force feeding.
Locking in toilet to eat.
Smacking.
Allowing to walk to school alone through London at 4 years of age.
Putting baby brother at bottom of garden so you could not hear him cry.
Feeding baby brother sugar water instead of milk, to save money for cigarettes.
Being out when children came home from school and locking them out of the house.

A few of the less offensive things my DM thought were appropriate.

[Laquitar]

Aged 3 i was going with my brother and friends (7-8 yrs old) on boat trips . Not armbands or anything. Sometimes we went at midnight for fishing!
When the sea had waves was more fun

I'd rather die than letting my dcs do this.

Mind you we bought a tiny plastic pool from sainsburys last summer and i was standing in the garden next to them supervising them. My mum said 'fgs relax, they are on the grass, not even in the sea'

Oh and of course the smoking and not seatbelts.

And i'm terifyed of the street and cars, i dont think i will let them go to the local shop until they are hmm ...18?

[waffle3]

Smoking around us, Putting whiskey on my dummy and gums while teething.
Putting us to sleep on our tummys and me holding my baby sister while in the car. No car seat

[MamaVoo]

While watching me faffing with newborn DS's carseat my mum said that she had just bought me home on her lap. When I was a bit about not being in a car seat she said, quite defensively, "you were wrapped in a shawl"

[FellatioNelson]

Reading these back I realise I may have had too much wine last night. So many typos!!!

[Lonnie]

my mother ouldnt get up in the morning for me so I often skipped breakfast and I never had a lunch box made so often I would go ffrom waking up until 3 before I got anything to eat..