#1
#2
I always just thought my parents were just cool, chill and liked all the kids at the house… now as an adult I realize my Mom came from a super [toxic] family…. She saw many kids in our neighborhood going hungry, not wanting to go home, [mistreated], neglected, sad, hurt, etc…. She always treated them like a little members of our family, always let them stay, eat with us, do chores with us, spend the night with no questions, gave medical advice (she was a nurse), explained how and why they needed to go to college. My Dad was always the one who helped with the orchestrated fun, drove us to get ice cream, dropped us off at the movies, made sure we were safe at the pool, took us to an arcade, stayed up as late as us making sure we weren’t doing dumb [stuff].
My point is…. BE THE AMAZING YOU WISH TO SEE IN THE WORLD.
#3
Cultivating positive family traditions can be a huge benefit to everyone involved. For one, you’re spending lots of time together, and it strengthens the bonds between you and your relatives. On top of that, you’re also keeping your family history alive, passing along your values, and making awesome memories together.
The fun thing about traditions is that they can involve, well, pretty much anything! They can be as silly or serious as you want to make them. And the timing is up to you, too: you can focus just on the holidays, spend Sunday lunches together (no phones!), or pick something completely random. Just keep it regular.
#4
Boggle was the favorite because Mom had MS and used it to help keep her mind sharp as it was affecting her memory. You'd hear her rattle the box and yell "Challenge me!" And no matter where we were or what we were doing Dad and I would drop everything and go play.
Mom passed away in 2009, then Dad followed in 2018. I haven't played since he passed. Apparently most other people don't enjoy playing something "boring" like boggle.
#5
#6
As a kid, my parents were nice to me and my siblings in public.
My mother was a scout den mother, school crossing guard, PTO and rec center volunteer. My father was an all-around decent guy -- he'd give someone the shirt off his back.
At home, they[mistreated] us on a daily basis. They beat us to the point that we had to be kept out of school, from time to time, until the visible bruises went away.
Because my sibs and I weren't permitted to hang out at our friends' houses, we really had no idea that most people didn't live like that.
The point is to create a reason (frankly, any reason) to get everyone in one place so they can spend quality time together. With that in mind, it’s important to remember that being together is key, not the tradition itself. If you have to make small adjustments to your traditions to make them slightly more palatable to new generations, do that, while keeping their essence intact.
You have to be a bit flexible. You want your family members to want to be part of these traditions, and not feel like they’re forced to participate for some obscure reasons.
#7
Sit down all together and eat a home-cooked meal at the dining room table every night. We even ate lunch together at the weekend (assuming you were in). We’d chat a bit and listen to Radio 4 (god I’m so middle class).
When I went to my friends’ houses I was always like, idk, not surprised exactly but at least interested to see them eating in front of the tv and eating chicken nuggets whilst their mum pottered about as a usual thing, since that was a treat in my house.
I was very lucky, I think.
#8
#9
We were curious to hear about the inspiration behind the intriguing topic. The author was kind enough to share the story with us.
"On the day I made that post, I had just visited a friend’s home. After dinner, everyone left their plates on the table, and their mom collected them to take to the kitchen. That felt so unusual to me because, in my family, everyone takes their own plate to the kitchen after eating," u/Pale_Pie_4789 shared.
"It got me thinking about how every household has its own version of 'normal,' and that curiosity inspired me to ask the question," they said.
"I’ve always found it fascinating how the little everyday habits we grow up with can seem totally unique or even strange to others."
#10
I used to see tv shows and movies where people had clothes neatly folded in drawers or hung on hangers and thought that was fake 😂
My mum was a widowed mum of 5 and looking back, probably had undiagnosed adhd. I imagine she was barely keeping. Her head above water 🤷♀️.
#11
#12
Once you’ve read all the stories and upvoted the ones that left an impact on you, we’d like to hear from you, dear Pandas.
What are the most bizarre things that people in your home did that you never found in any other family? What kinds of family traditions do you have, and what do you do to maintain them throughout the years? Let us know in the comments.
#13
My grandma was born with one arm. It was never weird or looked down on in my family. No one even brought it up. So of course, as a kid, I made the assumption that everyone's grandma has one arm. I sometimes still get thrown off if I'm meeting someone's grandma for the first time and I shake their right hand. I always held my grandma's left hand.
#14
I have two daughters now and I have never and will never yell at them like that. I will break the cycle.
#15
We were very poor and most ppl had more than we did (they had two working parents, cars and house phones or owned their homes, which we for a time did not b/c we could not afford them), but my mom always gave food and drinks to ppl. Esp to little kids.
#16
#17
I knew it was quirky but it was our thing. Then us grandkids got old enough to bring partners to family Christmas...
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