Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

The Weirdest House Rules People's Parents Enforced While They Were Growing Up

The Weirdest House Rules People's Parents Enforced While They Were Growing Up
round clear glass-top table and five gray chairs dining se

Certain house rules are commonly found in just about every household all over the world.

Pick up after yourself, no TV until you've finished your homework, and no dessert unless you've eaten your vegetables.

The sort of rules just about every parent enforced to ensure their children were disciplined, and their house remained tidy and orderly.

However, no two families are alike, and thus some of us likely grew up under a stricter set of rules and guidelines.

Rules which we thought might have been commonplace, only to discover our set of household rules were, in fact, unique.


Redditor ctsom was dying to know the most bizarre house rules people's parents enforced when they were growing up, leading them to ask:
"What was a house rule you had as a kid that you thought was completely normal until you grew up and realized not all households followed?"

Who Am I Speaking To?

"I had to answer the phone 'hello this is first-name last-name speaking' whenever I answered the phone."

"This is obv in the 80’s before caller ID on landlines."

"My mom tried to make my childhood friends do it too when they called me to play."

"As in:"

“'Hi can I talk to geeltulpen?'”

“'Who is this?'”

"'It’s friend'.”

“'Well, friend, when you call this house and I answer the phone, you should say hello to me and then tell me that it’s you, your first name and last name, before you ask to talk to geeltulpen'.”

"Boy, was I popular."- geeltulpen

No Secrets In This House!

"My door could only be closed if I was changing clothes."

'If my parents suspected that I was hiding anything, they could, and did, go through anything to make sure."

"Dresser and desk drawers, bags, closet, car, whatever they felt was necessary."

"Even my mail was fair game."

'As a result, I got really good at hiding things."- DonNatalie

Closing Bye Bye GIF by Global EsportsGiphy

Treating Family Like A Business

"We had 'family council' every Sunday night after dinner."

"We would sit and say good things that happened that week, share our grievances if we had any, we always did, make a dinner menu, and assign chores."

"Frankly, it was stellar parenting."

"Though, if I mention it to my mother now, she will brag about it for a solid 20 minutes before we can move on."- Illarie

What A Unique Way/Of Communicating With/The Whole Family

"Haiku night dinners."

"Some nights we spoke in haiku."

"And only haiku."- bronwen-noodle

Hilarious... And Inhumane?

"If you ever ran out of toilet paper whilst on the toilet, you had to sing the 'Stranded' song or else no one else in the house would bring you a roll."- kteabrown

The End Reaction GIF by Robert E BlackmonGiphy

Don't Have A Cow, Man!

"I had SUPER laid back parents but there were a few certain things that they were randomly crazy strict about."

"No gum."

"No play doh."

"No cereal with sugar as one of the top 3 ingredients."

"No Simpsons."

"I had basically no rules growing up, but those four things would make them lose their g*ddamn minds."

"I still get anxious when I’m chewing gum and I’m 35."- SiFiWiRi

Some People Hate Pineapple On Pizza That Much!

"I come from a large family."

"Any time we'd order pizza, we ordered a few different kinds because, obviously, there were different preferences."

"Any left overs were left in their respective boxes and placed in the oven."

"I did that when I lived with a couple of roommates and of course their reaction was: 'I just burned this box. Why was this in the f**king oven?'"-Justgivme1

One And Done!

"If I got hurt doing a certain activity I wasn’t allowed to do that activity again."

"My mother ended that rule though when I broke my wrist snowboarding when I was 16 and didn’t tell her until a month later when I couldn’t move my wrist at all and it required surgery with a bone graft to repair."-_njhiker

Fox Tv GIF by Paradise HotelGiphy

Keep Your Filthy Hands Out Of There!!!

"Not mine but my mother in law and her sister will fuss at you if you wash your hands in the kitchen sink."

"I think that's weird."

"If there's a sink and some hand soap I say wash away."

"My wife isn't like that."- singuslarity

Most rules come from a place of love... or concern.

And in some cases, having proper phone etiquette and weekly open conversations with our families might have had positive effects on our lives.

Although, when visiting the home of your partner's parents and you find yourself in need of toilet paper, better think twice before singing for more.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Jonathan Bailey
Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM; @fallontonight/YouTube

Jonathan Bailey Has A Clarinet Solo On The 'Jurassic World Rebirth' Soundtrack—And It's Too Cute

Jonathan Bailey seems to be making a career that involves living out the dreams of his younger self.

With the new Jurassic Park sequel, Bailey got to live every dinosaur kid's dream and be in a movie with them. He was also able to get his orchestra geek on while the score was being recorded.

Keep ReadingShow less
Right-Wingers Roasted Over Bonkers Conspiracy That Oil Is Secretly A Renewable Energy Source
Ezra Acayan/Getty Images

Right-Wingers Roasted Over Bonkers Conspiracy That Oil Is Secretly A Renewable Energy Source

Right wingers basically never met an absurd conspiracy theory they wouldn't immediately fall for, and their favorite one about petroleum is a doozie.

Many conservatives are convinced that oil—you know, the stuff made of millions-year-old fossils compressed underground—is actually a renewable energy source. "They" are just not telling us!

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump sitting at his desk in the oval office; An elderly Black woman
Joe Raedle / Staff/Getty Images; @funnyphilduck/TikTok

Grandma Goes Viral After Refusing To Say Trump's Name During Medical Evaluation

When a healthcare professional tries to determine someone's cognitive abilities, they tend to ask a few routine questions.

These can include "do you know where you are?" and "what year is it?" Oftentimes, medical professionals ask "do you know who the President of the United States is?"

Keep ReadingShow less
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

RFK Jr. Admits That Banning Fluoridated Water Will Cause 'More Cavities'—But He's OK With That

Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was criticized after admitting in a Fox News interview with Harris Faulkner that his proposed fluoridated water ban would likely lead people to have more cavities—but defended the move nonetheless.

While fluoride is not federally mandated in drinking water, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had long recommended its inclusion. Fluoride helps prevent cavities by strengthening enamel, and numerous studies have shown that fluoridated water reduces tooth decay in both children and adults.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Jesse Watters discussing Zohran Mamdani
Fox News

Jesse Watters Dragged After Trying To Give Mamdani A Scary Nickname That's Actually Kind Of Epic

Fox News personality Jesse Watters was widely mocked after he tried to give New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani a scary nickname in the vein of Conan the Destroyer—only for it to backfire considerably.

Watters is the latest member of the GOP to lash out at Mamdani, a democratic socialist who handily defeated former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary last week.

Keep ReadingShow less