40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread

We are all products of our environment, and parents are a big part of it. For better or worse.

A few Mondays ago, Redditor u/i_cant_see_my_ears posted a question on the platform, asking other users what things did their moms and dads ingrain in them as problematic but they later realized were actually ridiculous.

From white lies ("Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis") to questionable social conditioning ("Women can't curse"), here are some of the answers that sparked plenty of intense discussions in the comments.

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40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread This is so dumb but just happened last week. I got out of the shower & grabbed a towel & started to dry my hair with it while I stood there cold & dripping wet. I had a flashback to when I was like 10 or something & asked my mom if I could use 2 towels, one to dry/wrap around my hair & the other to dry my body - like all the ladies do on TV. She said no, of course because " something something wasting towels because I said so blah blah blah" . I suddenly realized I'm an adult & this is my bathroom & my towels & I make my own rules. So for the 1st time in my 55 year old life I used TWO towels & it was was wonderful!

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Final score:

278points

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MyOpinionHasBeenServed 3 years ago

I thought it was weird that I was asked why I need 2 towels when I'm visiting other people. My mom used 2 all the time. Since I shed like crazy, a separate towel is needed otherwise I would get stray hairs all over me.

35points

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40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread Girls take care of babies and kids. Men don’t.

Sometimes I still fall into the trap it’s so ingrained in my brain. I saw a Dad at a party taking his kid to the bathroom for a diaper change and my mind went “he shouldn’t be doing that. Where’s his wife?”. I quickly realized how dumb that was. But it’s so drilled into my head.

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Final score:

181points

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IlovemydogShilo 3 years ago

It's obviously a problem in most of society as you hardly see baby changing rooms in mens public toilets but they have been and always are in ladies rest rooms.

33points

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We got in touch with u/i_cant_see_my_ears and they were kind enough to have a little chat about the inspiration behind their now-viral post. "I was on lunch break at work and sitting in my truck. I had the interior lights on and randomly thought of when I was younger [and] my dad would freak out if someone turned a light on in the car while driving at night. Thought it was ridiculous and wondered what other things parents teach or do that stick with their kids," u/i_cant_see_my_ears told Bored Panda.

After going through the comments, they think "the biggest thing I learned is that many people have the same or very similar experiences and might not realize it; I read many similar answers.

40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread That I have to finish all my food which is on the plate. Whenever we would eat, at home or in the restaurant my mum would forced us to eat everything on the plate.

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Final score:

181points

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Foxxy (The Original) 3 years ago (edited)

That can cause issues around food like eating disorders/habits.

83points

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40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread If you hate your job you just have to suck it up and make the best of it. Don't complain because you'll be pegged as a troublemaker, and if you quit you'll be seen as flaky and nobody else will hire you.

This nugget has caused more damage to my physical and emotional well being than anything else. You really don't want to hear their views on staying in an unhappy, dysfunctional marriage (they're similar).

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Final score:

169points

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WilvanderHeijden 3 years ago

"Nobody else will hire you" is so effing wrong and another attempt to shut employees up and keep them hostage in their sh!t job. I've been told so many times that I would never get a job again if I walked out of this job. I still walked out and always got a new job within one week.

21points

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40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread Going to church every Sunday or high holiday makes you a good person. It does not.

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Final score:

149points

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Susan Green 3 years ago

No it doesn’t. I’ve known people who would go to church every Sunday, then think it was okay to do whatever they wanted the rest of the week, even if it was wrong.

47points

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The number of things each of us has to "unlearn" can vary. But if you had a tough childhood, know that you’re not alone. Turns out, a not-so-ideal upbringing is extremely common.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 61% of adults report having at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE), with women and People of Color at a higher risk of experiencing more than four ACEs.

"I don't think it's possible to grow up without parents ingraining something nonsensical into their children because there will always be something kids disagree with their parents on at some point," u/i_cant_see_my_ears added. "Parents might think they are teaching their kids something very important but the kids [might not see it that way]. I don't think (good) parents try to teach their kids anything that's not important, just that everyone has different opinions."

The good thing is that we continue to grow and heal throughout our lives, and figure out healthier ways to navigate life as an adult.

40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread Indian food is disgusting. Just had it yesterday for the first time at the age of 27. Maybe the best meal I have ever had.

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Final score:

148points

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Jo Johannsen 3 years ago

Indian food is wonderful!

110points

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40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread That I had to take care of everyone else and make sure they were happy before I could be happy.

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Final score:

146points

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Juririn 3 years ago

Oh, my, I realized I am not responsible for my mother's happiness two years ago, in therapy, at 48. The lifelong battle with depression of daughters of narcissistic mothers is something that began to be talked about only in the past few years.

55points

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40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread That women can’t curse or be impolite in the very slightest.

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Final score:

141points

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ADHORTATOR 3 years ago

You have never met my daughter :-)

61points

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40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread A man is never going to like me if I have a PHD. Men don’t like women who are smarter than them.

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Final score:

140points

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ADHORTATOR 3 years ago

My wife is a teacher for French, Latin and ancient Greek, so I guess she is smarter than me. Married for 25 years :-)

69points

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#10

Obedience. My dad tried to ingrain in us that the most important thing was being obedient.

Like... no. This taught me to blindly do whatever an authority figure told me to. Luckily I wasn't put into these situations, but this put me at a huge risk for sexual abuse. If an authority figure had told me to do something terrible to be doing with a child, I probably would have done it because that's what I was conditioned to do.

It actually almost happened in high school, and I had no idea what to do because it was a teacher and I thought I had to respect and obey them. So I just avoided the person, but I was so lucky I was able to avoid them and didn't have something worse happen.

I've grown out of it now of course, but teaching kids to blindly accept your authority translates to them thinking that's what they need to do for everyone. And it could be so damaging.

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Final score:

132points

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Otter 3 years ago

Honey, I wish I could give you 100 upvotes!

30points

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#11

40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread You are supposed to accept abuse from anyone in a superior position to yours : parent, manager … If you don’t then you are a troublemaker and a shame to the family because you rebel. You will never get anywhere in life and end up alone. Be submissive. You are a woman, that’s enough of a sin already.

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Final score:

131points

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Caro Caro 3 years ago

Fu*k that!

57points

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#12

40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread That long hair and tattoos means you're a problem to society.

KingFingersOG , pexels Report

Final score:

131points

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Lily Mae Kitty 3 years ago

I was a teen in the 70s and I will always like long hair on men.

32points

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#13

40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread That children aren't allowed to show emotions when they're upset at their parents. Doubly so when they're getting chewed out.

LoneQuietus81 , pexels Report

Final score:

130points

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Otter 3 years ago

It is the sign of a massively dysfunctional family, that only one person in the house is allowed to freely display their feelings. You can always tell who the domestic tyrant is, if you pay attention to this rule.

42points

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#14

40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread Catholic guilt. The world's problems are not my fault.

kajak08 , pexels Report

Final score:

119points

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ADHORTATOR 3 years ago

All religions are nonsense

55points

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#15

40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread My father used to make me wash my hands after greeting/handshaking with my uncle (who is homossexual), like you could "acquire gay through touching". My uncle is a respected surgeon dentist.

I know I was just a child following what my parent was asking me to do, but I still feel a deep remorse to this day for doing something so homophobic and pointless.

unbilivibru , pexels Report

Final score:

118points

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Caro Caro 3 years ago

That's not your fault, it's your father's (shame on him). You know this, you feel remorse so you are OK.

62points

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#16

40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread If you work hard and go to college you'll get a great job.

What a load of utter nonsense. The first job I had in my industry stressed me out so bad I left entirely.

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Final score:

117points

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Caro Caro 3 years ago

That was 30 years ago but not anymore...

22points

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#17

Putting up with people and going to events because “family.” Yea, I want to keep my sanity, thank you.

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Final score:

115points

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Hannah Edwards 3 years ago

You don’t get to choose your family and they can be as toxic as anyone else.

35points

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#18

40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread A whole bunch of misogyny from both parents, but mostly from mum. The highlights include being told not to play certain musical instruments, not to go into certain professions (only boys can be doctors. You can be a nurse instead), not to whistle as my future husband wouldn’t like it (I was five), not to say ‘I love you’ to other girls (again, five) and the good old lock/key analogy when I was old enough to question why only girls were sl*ts and not boys.

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Final score:

115points

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Caro Caro 3 years ago (edited)

I wish those types of women would stop being such shits. As if this makes them good (religion) women. You can be whatever you want, you can say fu*k and "I love you" to anyone you want and that lock/key should be at the bottem of the lake. Boys can be sluts and cheap too.

51points

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#19

40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread ‘Be a man’ ‘boys don’t cry’ ‘men don’t b*tch’

It doesn’t make anyone manlier, it just makes someone repress their feelings and become emotionally incompetent.

Teach kids honesty, and encourage them to say what they think. Also lowers the chances they’ll take their repression out on people, or start punching walls instead of verbalising their needs

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Final score:

112points

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Caro Caro 3 years ago

Men need to vent their feelings and cry if they want to without receiving bs from others.

21points

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#20

40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread That vaccines are bad.

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Final score:

112points

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Foxxy (The Original) 3 years ago

Vaccines good, antivaxxers bad.

90points

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#21

My parents always told me that because Canada's social security system is so good that homeless people are only homeless because they are drug addicts or schizophrenic, so you shouldn't give them money.

It wasn't until I was an adult that I learn a) how bad the social security system actually is, b) how hard it is to survive even if you are on government assistance and c) that having an addiction or mental health issue is not a reason why someone should be treated as less than human.

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Final score:

105points

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Cecily Holland 3 years ago

It’s a lot better than the USA

26points

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#22

“How can you be both depressed and anxious?!? By their very definition they would cancel each other out anyway.”

Those words are burned into my memory. This was my parents’ response to my therapist’s findings when I had just started middle school and was struggling.

I never saw that wonderful therapist again. They managed to find one that they could agree with, that I should just get over myself and stop being such a child…which I was.

It took me far too long to seek help again.

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Final score:

103points

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Leo Domitrix 3 years ago

OMG, this makes me angry beyond words....

42points

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#23

40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread That cracking your knuckles will cause arthritis. Not true at all.

1980pzx , wikimedia Report

Final score:

90points

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V Michael Lazar 3 years ago

The sound is nitrogen bubbles popping in the synovial fluid of the joints. No damage occurring.

32points

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#24

That I had to fight back my bullies with wit and outsmart them. Yeah no, I had to kick their asses.

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Final score:

90points

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Vorknkx 3 years ago

"Ignore them and they'll stop" - this never works. It's a blatant lie.

65points

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#25

That if I share a bed with a man he has full rights to do whatever he wants to me/my body.

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Final score:

90points

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Cecily Holland 3 years ago

I don’t share one. It’s kept an 18 year relationship happy

39points

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#26

40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread That as a girl, I should never be the one to reach out to the guy first, he must be the one to make the effort first. (Ex: if I want to hangout with a boy I like or even simply text him, I need to wait for him to text me or reach out to me first) it really messed up how I talk to guys I’m attracted too, because I’m 23 years old so I can do what I want when it comes to guys but I sometimes still have this mindset.

The crazy thing is now my parents wonder why we don’t even reach out to any guys we are interested in lol

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Final score:

86points

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Caro Caro 3 years ago (edited)

As a girl you can reach out first. If he's kind and fun and you're attracted to him go for it.

16points

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#27

That being gay is a sin. Furthermore, the saying “love the person but hate the sin” when applied to our gay neighbors. I loved them but wasn’t allowed to walk their dog anymore once my parents found out they were gay. This is among many other ridiculous beliefs that came along with their extremist religion.

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Final score:

85points

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Andy Acceber 3 years ago

Oh yes. Your parents don't want you to catch "gay" from their dog. *eyeroll*

26points

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#28

40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread You catch colds simply by being exposed to cold. For some reason I just never questioned the idea that temperature itself caused viruses, but it's such a ridiculous notion once you think about it

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Final score:

79points

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Cecily Holland 3 years ago

Well cold can lower your immune system making you more vulnerable so there is a little truth to that one

51points

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#29

The good ol' "You gotta learn to cook, clean, etc. because one day you'll have to do it for your husband. Do insert random hobby now because your husband won't tolerate it one day. The wife always needs to be less educated than the husband. Etc." They made a relationship with a man sound like servitude where my life is immediately over and after a liferime of telling me that they wonder why I don't want to get married yet

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Final score:

73points

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Beeps 3 years ago (edited)

When I first started uni, my grandmother told me not to do too many courses and extra curricular activities, because: “You now have a household to look after.” Still makes me so angry that she valued that more than education.

21points

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#30

"Money doesn't buy happiness"

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Final score:

72points

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Stefan 3 years ago

Mostly said by people who don't have money problems.

74points

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#31

40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread That I need to maintain a positive relationship with people who don't like me.

My parents taught me to be on everyone's good side no matter the cost. In college, we had a serious rift in the friend group. They said that they had hated me all along and only hung out because I'd buy them things. Using my parents advice, I put too much energy into trying to "fix" those who I thought would change their hearts. Now that I'm older, I've realized that trying to fix people who don't care for you is manipulation and it's healthy to be selective about who you associate with.

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Final score:

69points

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Caro Caro 3 years ago

Being like that is a breeding ground for many toxic relationships.

17points

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#32

40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread Putting your hair in a ponytail is lazy. Absurd!

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Final score:

69points

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Foxxy (The Original) 3 years ago

It's pretty much all I can do with my hair.

24points

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#33

40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread Hair grows back faster/thicker after you shave it for the first time.

deqb , pexels Report

Final score:

68points

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Little Wolf 3 years ago

while this is not true, it looks thicker bc the hairs have been cut off at the root, where it is thicker and then that is the thickness of the hair the whole length through!

21points

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#34

Turning on the interior light in the back seat will cause us to immediately crash and die or go straight to prison.

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Final score:

62points

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ZAPanda 3 years ago

it reflects off the front windshield and makes it hard to see through.

25points

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#35

They used to basically tell me that driving on the highway was extremely dangerous and that I should stick to backroads. Turns out they were just projecting their own fears of cars moving really fast onto me.

For the first couple years of driving / my career I would go only backroads. One summer I got sick of having to drive for over an hour to get to work, and I figured it would be lower traffic then so I gave it a try, it was way easier than taking backroads, and the highways were better maintained than the roads I was used to taking, with far less turns, blind spots, etc. it was way safer and quicker.

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Final score:

61points

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Otter 3 years ago

I live in an area prone to dangerously thick fogs, and the freeways are one of the safer places to be when the fog closes in. The warmth of the asphalt helps to lift it a little and the speed of the moving cars creates enough wind to clear more, and the headlights and the taillights are sometimes the only things you can see. On the back roads the fog closes in and you can see absolutely nothing, stay on the freeways if you can!

12points

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#36

That spanking your children is acceptable, and that they were right no matter what. Discussion? What's that?

Now, I never agreed with them, and I frequently didn't know what I did wrong, but I just accepted it as something all parents do. Now, as an adult, I will say with 100% confidence that spanking is always wrong. Got studies to back me up, y'all!

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Final score:

58points

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IlovemydogShilo 3 years ago

My dad used to back hand me across the face and my mother used to force me to take my clothes off and she'd whip me with the dog's lead or hit me with the wooden spoon. ALL physical discipline is wrong.

34points

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#37

That if you don't like something, just keep your head down and push through.

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Final score:

54points

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Otter 3 years ago (edited)

Sometimes, it's beneficial to keep your head down and push through problems. And sometimes not. Wisdom is knowing when to persist, and when to say "Screw it", and self-discipline is learning how to just keep pushing when you have to, even if you don't feel like it.

34points

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#38

40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread You have to wait 30 minutes after eating before you go back in the pool, otherwise you'll get cramps and drown.

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Final score:

53points

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YoyoSthlm 3 years ago

This is just so the parents can relax for 30 minutes and don't have to keep watch over the kids in the pool!

15points

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#39

40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread That growing facial hairs make you a thief, drug addicted and a failure to society. Still wonder how does that even make sense to this day.

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Final score:

52points

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Foxxy (The Original) 3 years ago (edited)

I should tell my hubby this, he's currently been working 12-14 hours a day, 6 days a week. Geez, can't believe I married such a failure.

21points

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#40

40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread That you are lazy if you watch TV during the day

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Final score:

47points

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Caro Caro 3 years ago (edited)

My mother was told "you are lazy if you read during the day". It took me years and years of telling mum: READ what and whenever you want.

27points

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Note: this post originally had 52 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.

What do you think ?

Scarlett 3 years ago

My mom is pressuring me to marry at 20 in college like she did. Number one, she divorced him, and number two, I’m not forcing me and my mental health issues on someone. That wouldn’t be fair. Also 20 is way too young, in my opinion.

Ozacoter 3 years ago

Hugs. Dont do it for her

4points

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Ian Reynolds 3 years ago

To always respect your elders, respect is earned, and just because someone has lived longer than you doesn't make them wiser. Some of the biggest racists and xenophobes are older, so according to this rule I should respect their backwards opinion.

9points

J. Normal 3 years ago

For me ... I show respect as the default, no matter the age. The fastest way for me to realize someone is a loser is that they show me lack of respect from the start.

5points

whodunnitfan2013 3 years ago (edited)

Ah, yes. Teaching girls to be submissive and inferior to boys. And telling them that their only purpose in life is to be a submissive, quiet wife who has none of her own opinions and is dependent on her husband for everything and mother to lots of her husband's babies. And teaching girls that they must always be willing to do anything and everything to please their husbands, and that they mustn't have any other interests besides being a wife and mother, and that their husband and children should be their entire life. I've even seen girls taught that they need a husband (and children), and that they should be needy towards their husband for everything, including their happiness. Overall, that they need a husband and children to be happy and fulfilled, and "have it all", and that getting married and having children is the only way to be happy and fulfilled, and "have it all".

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40 Ridiculous Things Parents Engrained In You As A Child, Shared By This Online Thread

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