“You live under my roof, you follow my rules.” Many of us heard this from our parents as children. It was their way of enforcing boundaries and expectations for everyone in the home.
Sure, most of them promoted safety and encouraged responsibility. However, there were rules that were rather odd in nature, only to find out the real and, sometimes, even unsettling reasons behind them upon reaching adulthood.
This was a topic of discussion in a recent Threads post, where people shared their stories without holding back. Scroll through to see what they had to see.
#1
I was told to never open my blinds. The neighbor was peeping on me. Stills gives me the ick.
9points
#2
You did not talk about the family goings on outside the family. I’d say the treatment of my foster siblings was [horrible] at times but we can’t talk about that.
9points
#3
I was told to never wear high heels around a man we knew. I was a child. Didn't realize how bad that was until years later. Gross. So so gross.
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9points
#4
Not allowed in the house after school. Change clothes, do your homework on the backporch, then do your chores. After that you could do anything you wanted but couldn't go in the house until mom called us for supper. After everyone had eaten everything mom had put on our plate, dad would go set and watch TV. He picked the show and no one could speak. We were sent to bed at random times.
We were afraid of dad, his punishment was illegal to say the least. We were never touched for a hug or bedtime thing.
We were afraid of dad, his punishment was illegal to say the least. We were never touched for a hug or bedtime thing.
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9points
#5
Growing up, my family lived in a large old house surrounded by woods. Every night at exactly 9:00 PM, my mom would make my sister and me go into the living room, close all the heavy velvet curtains, and sit on the rug until 9:15 PM. She called it "quiet quarter." We weren't allowed to talk, move, or look toward the windows, no matter what we heard outside.
We thought it was just a weird family game to get us to calm down before bed.
Last month at thanksgiving, i brought it up casually, laughing about how weird that routine was. My mom's face was completely drained of color. She leaned in and whispered, "That wasn't a game."
She told me that for the first six months after we moved in, every night at 9:05 PM, something would walk up onto our back porch, stand right against the glass door, and heavy-breathe while scratching its fingernails against the pane until 9:12 PM.
She kept us in the living room so we would never look through the window and see whatever it was looking back at us.
We thought it was just a weird family game to get us to calm down before bed.
Last month at thanksgiving, i brought it up casually, laughing about how weird that routine was. My mom's face was completely drained of color. She leaned in and whispered, "That wasn't a game."
She told me that for the first six months after we moved in, every night at 9:05 PM, something would walk up onto our back porch, stand right against the glass door, and heavy-breathe while scratching its fingernails against the pane until 9:12 PM.
She kept us in the living room so we would never look through the window and see whatever it was looking back at us.
8points
#6
Whenever the Schwann’s guy would come through our neighborhood my Mom would scream at my sister and I to go downstairs. Even she would lay on the floor to avoid being seen. We always thought she just didn’t want to answer the door.
Nope— Schwann’s Man was [an offender] and commented to my Mom about how “breathtakingly beautiful” my sister and I were. My Dad’s employee recognized him when he came to deliver an order to our house. Dad told Mom to never open the door for him again.
Nope— Schwann’s Man was [an offender] and commented to my Mom about how “breathtakingly beautiful” my sister and I were. My Dad’s employee recognized him when he came to deliver an order to our house. Dad told Mom to never open the door for him again.
8points
#7
No sleepovers. Not anywhere, relatives, best friends, school outings… I get it now.
8points
#8
No one was allowed to sleep over at our house. This was my Mom protecting THEM.
8points
#9
When I was sick - like fever / puking / fuzzy head sick - my stepdad would make me sit crisscross applesauce under a pyramid of dowel rods with plastic tube joints holding them together.
It drew out the illness.
My mom just gave me Tylenol.
It drew out the illness.
My mom just gave me Tylenol.
8points
#10
Not so much terrifying as sad; when I was a teenager one day my mom got really upset and told me I wasn’t allowed to check the mailbox or answer the phone. No exceptions and no explanation. Turns out my biological sister (I was adopted) had found me and was trying to connect. Years later when I found her she told me my mom wrote her a letter saying I had [passed away].
8points
#11
When we were kids it would get so hot over the summer we would leave the windows wide open. Suddenly one summer our Tata swapped out our front door screen for a security door & we were forbidden to leave the windows open at night. As an adult we watched a documentary on Richard Ramirez and found out our neighborhood was one of his hunting grounds. We called our mom & she confirmed.
8points
#12
I was raised by my aunt, starting at age 7, until I ran away at 16.
I wasn't allowed to sit on the furniture. Couldn't drink anything except for water or have snacks unless her grandkids were over. If I had something her kids or grandkids wanted, I had to give it to them, even if it had been a gift. If I objected, I was grounded for months at a time. Once, for a year.
I didnt realize none of that was normal until I was older.
I wasn't allowed to sit on the furniture. Couldn't drink anything except for water or have snacks unless her grandkids were over. If I had something her kids or grandkids wanted, I had to give it to them, even if it had been a gift. If I objected, I was grounded for months at a time. Once, for a year.
I didnt realize none of that was normal until I was older.
8points
#13
- You finish everything on your plate.
I was forced to eat vegetables I hated- mostly beans, but also mixed vegetables. I had to sit in my chair at the table until I ate them all. If I didn't finish by bed, I got them for breakfast the next morning. To this day I barely eat vegetables.
Also, my mom made me keep my hair short, like boy short, until I was old enough to pay for my own haircuts. I started babysitting at 12 so I could grow my hair.
I was forced to eat vegetables I hated- mostly beans, but also mixed vegetables. I had to sit in my chair at the table until I ate them all. If I didn't finish by bed, I got them for breakfast the next morning. To this day I barely eat vegetables.
Also, my mom made me keep my hair short, like boy short, until I was old enough to pay for my own haircuts. I started babysitting at 12 so I could grow my hair.
8points
#14
When my brother and I had a fight, we would be locked in a dog cage in the backyard. If we fought in the car, we would get "bagged" and were forced to wear pillowcases on our heads until we reached our destination. It could be 45 minutes up to 4 hours. We laughed about it telling friends and it only dawned on us how messed up it was when we realized our friends were not laughing.
8points
#15
Not being able to use the couch cushions/pillows and blankets because those were only to decorate when we had guests over.
Ends up my mom has untreated OCD and only told us years later LOL explains a lot of her behavior.
Ends up my mom has untreated OCD and only told us years later LOL explains a lot of her behavior.
8points
#16
The pantry was locked so I wouldn't snack. I was very thin, but apparently I needed discipline.
rena.bena.ding.dong:
No snacks allowed after 5 years old or unless you were pregnant. I was so hungry all the time omg
rena.bena.ding.dong:
No snacks allowed after 5 years old or unless you were pregnant. I was so hungry all the time omg
7points
#17
No Britney, Harry Potter or That’s So Raven for me until I was older. (Magic & psychics)
7points
#18
I wasn’t allowed to look in the mirror for a long time so that I wouldn’t think I was too cute and get haughty.
7points
#19
Couldn’t watch The Simpsons because they were evil.
7points
#20
My sister and I were never supposed to be alone at our grandfathers house… didn’t find out why until I was well into my teens, long after he passed away. This was my mom’s dad.
7points