The strangest things can keep a family together.
Reddit user, u/Turuu_Was_Taken, wanted to hear how your family sticks together when they asked:
What are your absolutely weirdest "it runs in the family" traits or characteristics?
Some "runs in the family" traits are funny, quirky, and, overall, hopefully non-harmful?
Dangerously Sleepy
"We all sleep walk and sleep talk, mom and dad both did it, my siblings and children do it."
"Best one is my mom, she's a saint during the day but 10 minutes after she dozes off she starts screaming and cursing like a trucker. It's funny because if she goes somewhere we have to explain in advance what will happen."
"She's harmless for the most part, she has tossed and broken a few remote controls that she left on the bed next to her though."
"Me I'm a sleep walker/talker and eater, I check the locks, the gas on the stove, then raid the fridge and eat anything that I can get my hands on."
Half-Legolas
"I have one slightly pointed ear, my grandfather had it too, and apparently his grandfather. So we have an elf ear that runs in the family that skips a generation. Also none of my siblings or cousins have it so it hits one person every other generation… weird."
There's No Stopping The Onion Train
"Everyone on my dad's side of the family becomes allergic to onions and garlic around age 40. I have 10 years left and then I need to do some serious research into alternative seasoning."
"How sensitive? Fermented garlic in honey may be a solution for you."
"I'm not sure if it's technically an allergy, it's only if it's eaten and it causes pretty nasty stomach issues. Apparently, it's less severe if the onions/garlic are cooked but still bad enough that my dad/uncle/grandmother avoid those ingredients."
Window Cleaners Share The Best Things They've Ever Seen | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
*insert squawking noises
"Pretty much everyone on my dad's side of the family, like most of his siblings (he has 8) and then some of their kids, me included, have what we call "bird legs."
"We all have pretty long legs, and whenever we walk our knees knock together. It doesn't seem that bad, but on hot, humid days, it makes my legs/knees supper itchy from the constant rubbing, and I can't do anything about it."
Maybe the crew all react a certain way to things. This kind of behavior comes from years of learning, watching one another, and incorporating those actions into our own routines.
Kick Them Demons Away
"Kicking our feet when falling asleep. My whole family does it, we all feel uncomfortable unless we do."
All Power, No Technique
"The men in my family have a considerable amount of natural brute strength. We are all built like linebackers with extremely broad shoulders. But here's the rub. It is great for jobs and tasks that require pure strength but we have a lot of issues using it for skill related purposes. You need something heavy lifted,, torn off, or moved,...great! Give me a call. You need a skill position on a sports team? Well maybe not."
"When up to bat I really have a hard time hitting past the infield. Three point shooting in basketball was embarrassing how often I airballed until I worked like crazy on my technique. It is funny to think back how other parents were always wary about us playing with other kids our age when younger. I guess they thought at any minute we would just pick up one of their kids and defenestrate them on a whim."
Just Have One Of Those Faces
"My mom has this odd thing about her in that random people will just approach her and talk to her about pretty much anything. You'd think that she knew these people her whole life, but no. I never understood what was up with that until it started to happen to me. For about a decade now, I'm constantly having unexpectedly long and in-depth conversations with complete strangers."
Locking On To Something And Staying
"Addiction gene I guess. Whether it's smoking, alcohol, pills, cars, cleaning, food. There is something each person from my dads side is addicted to. It's not like a passion or hobby. Like real REAL addiction. Idkk lol I guess it's got to do with some sort of psychological satisfaction thing. (There are a lot of mental health problems too but all of them are supportive amazing people)"
And then there's these traits, generated deep down in the blood, and passed from generation to generation.
How Much Time Do You Have?
"My family is full of genetic oddities and weird quirks."
"Our canines grow in higher up the gums and over lay other teeth like fangs."
"We're all born with large, pointed ears that round out by 3."
"Our eyes shift color with sun exposure. Mine are dark brown for most of the year but turn almost gold in summer where my mum's go from emerald to an almost ghostly white."
"We're abnormally warm blooded, I normally sit around 99.8 or higher."
"One boy from every generation never leaves home, but fortunately I think that one ended with our line."
Coffee Is Full Of Sound And Fury, Signifying Nothing
"Multiple people in my family have Meniere's Diseasse, which, among other things, makes it so consuming caffeine makes us go deaf."
"What? How? Why? Does it go away? How long does it last?"
"Basically our inner ear sucks at fluid balance, and caffeine messes with it further, exacerbating the problem and making us go deaf and dizzy. Hearing and balance fluctuate day to day, but with management it's not too bad."
Extra...Teeth?
"In my family all of us from my dad's side can crack just about everything. Not just the usual knuckle cracking but also toes, ankles, elbows, knees, neck, wrist, back, nose, jaw, and hip. My mom always gets weirded out by it."
"Also, a lot of us have extra teeth. I had 6 wisdom teeth removed, my dad had 5, and I know a lot of people in my family just get extra teeth for some reason. Maybe we're shark idk. My dentist said that roughly 0.8% of the population has this."
Whatever keeps the family together, right? Even if that means kicking your feet while scratching your elf ears and having to no longer eat onions, so long as you're doing it together is what matters the most.
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
