30 House Rules People Had As Kids That They Only Later Realized Not All Households Followed

Everyone's childhood is strange in one way or another. After all, what is normal? However, after reading this Reddit discussion, you might start thinking that yours wasn't so unusual.

A post created by user u/ctsom asked people to share a house rule they had as a kid that they thought was completely normal until they grew up and realized that it probably wasn't. And many obliged!

From mandatory milk consumption after dinner to a ban on home-alone showers, here are some of the most memorable answers.

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30 House Rules People Had As Kids That They Only Later Realized Not All Households Followed 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 , cottonbro studio Report

Final score:

424points

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That emo Girl 1 year ago

Probably makes ppl better at social skills (unlike me, the introvert that hates basically the whole human race, generally, spare a few ppl) and also teaches organisation :3

107points

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30 House Rules People Had As Kids That They Only Later Realized Not All Households Followed My mum used to pay me to be my own babysitter between the ages of 10-14 or so. The rule was that as long as I didn't make a mess and I'd put myself to bed by the time she got home then I got $10 in the morning.

anxiousjellybean , Karolina Grabowska Report

Final score:

402points

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Nina 1 year ago

That's pretty smart ^^

168points

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30 House Rules People Had As Kids That They Only Later Realized Not All Households Followed Any of the kids (7 of us) can play with any toy that is left out. The owner of the toy can't take it back until whoever's playing with it is done. If the toy is put away in the owner's room, permission must be asked.

JetScootr , Polesie Toys Report

Final score:

359points

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Nina 1 year ago

I think it's a smart rule though, teaches to take care of your things and not leave them laying around

170points

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30 House Rules People Had As Kids That They Only Later Realized Not All Households Followed My parents would check my and my brother’s teeth for “sugar bugs” every night after we brushed our teeth, before we got in bed. If they thought we were trying to skip brushing our teeth they would tell us they could see the sugar bugs in our teeth and would make us go brush again. My brother and I were so convinced these sugar bugs were real we would constantly ask when we’d be able to see them, my parents always told us only people 13 and older could see them, but by the time we got to be 13 we had completely forgotten about the sugar bugs in our teeth.

I love thinking about creative parenting tactics like this, I’ve even used that one while babysitting a fussy kid who doesn’t want to brush their teeth/get ready for bed and it helps a lot.

batman1227 , Shalev Cohen Report

Final score:

273points

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Banana Duck 1 year ago

My parents would do little voices of the sugar bugs being scared of my toothbrush and then screaming as they were brushed away

104points

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30 House Rules People Had As Kids That They Only Later Realized Not All Households Followed When I was really young I had a “night night bell”. It was this old clay bell(?) that hung in the kitchen, and when I had to go to bed I got to ring the bell and everyone would come say goodnight and then I would go to bed. Not really a rule, but a weird little ritual in our house.

motorbike-t , Anirban Biswas Report

Final score:

249points

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Allison B 1 year ago

The only thing I can think of is maybe it was done to make sure the kid got to bed on time and/or to make sure they were safe and in the house before bed

47points

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30 House Rules People Had As Kids That They Only Later Realized Not All Households Followed No curfew as long as I told my mom where I would be. I was always honest bcs I loved being 16 with no curfew.

Ushouldknowthat , Zeeshaan Shabbir Report

Final score:

238points

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Petro Roos 1 year ago

We had this too! As long as we dropped her a "still alive" message when we went out, all was good! OH and CALL HER if we got stuck somewhere!

111points

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30 House Rules People Had As Kids That They Only Later Realized Not All Households Followed Maybe it's not a "house" rule. But when I was six my mom told me that if a behaved she would let me skip school on Saturdays and Sundays.
One day my teacher said "see ya Monday" and I knew

missdontcare_ , Ivan Aleksic Report

Final score:

237points

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Nina 1 year ago

Smart mom. Now where did we get those trust issues again though

107points

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30 House Rules People Had As Kids That They Only Later Realized Not All Households Followed We weren’t allowed to eat anything without first asking. Even a glass of water, we were required to ask first. When my boyfriend and I started dating, I would ask his parents if I could eat or drink something if I was hungry or thirsty and it was a hard habit to break when his mom told me I could literally eat or drink anything (other than the alcohol).

It was so weird to just go into the fridge or pantry without permission. I sometimes have to fight the urge to ask my bf if I can eat OUR food in OUR apartment.

When I went to my parents house over Christmas, I was reprimanded for getting an apple without asking first. It’s just all so weird but it used to be so normal.

bigmacnpoet , Athena Report

Final score:

235points

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Sasha Grace 1 year ago

Food I can understand but water?? That's not right.

158points

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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 Report

Final score:

226points

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Jojo 1 year ago

This is awesome 😂

74points

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#10

30 House Rules People Had As Kids That They Only Later Realized Not All Households Followed My family had a thing we called the food blanket. When we’d eat casual meals, we’d lay a blanket on the living room floor and eat on it, like a picnic. My parents didn’t want to get any food on the carpet. Instead of “set the table,” my mom would say, “go lay out the blanket.” I remember being really confused when I learned every family didn’t have a food blanket.

llamallama-duck , Alex Andrews Report

Final score:

209points

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Nina 1 year ago

It seems like a fun way to eat though, having a indoor picnic :)

112points

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#11

30 House Rules People Had As Kids That They Only Later Realized Not All Households Followed Not being allowed to leave the table until your meal was finished. I remember eating at a friends house and looking really uncomforable trying to finish a food I didn't like, only to be told, "You don't have to finish it if you don't want to." Mind blowing.

MollyWhingo , Angela Mulligan Report

Final score:

201points

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Thor Haugen 1 year ago

I think a lot of us grew up with that rule.

144points

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#12

30 House Rules People Had As Kids That They Only Later Realized Not All Households Followed 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 , Tom Claes Report

Final score:

201points

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Royal Stray 1 year ago

That just sounds like a rule waiting to backfire, kids get hurt doing stuff, that's part of being a kid

20points

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#13

30 House Rules People Had As Kids That They Only Later Realized Not All Households Followed I wasn't allowed to take a shower if I was home alone.

I also learned at age 7 that other households closed the bathroom door when using the toilet and keeping it open was weird. I learned that by keeping the door open at a friend's house, a friend walked by the bathroom, saw me, told their mom, their mom called my mom, and all of a sudden the new house rule was we close the bathroom door when using the toilet.

gothchrysallis , kevin Baquerizo Report

Final score:

197points

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Royal Stray 1 year ago

I can understand the shower under a certain age since small children might slip and fall, but over a certain age refusing your child privacy when they're naked or have their pants pulled down should be considered some kind of abuse.

165points

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#14

30 House Rules People Had As Kids That They Only Later Realized Not All Households Followed If you don’t get A’s you don’t eat at the table. I legit thought this was normal until I had dinner at a friends’ house and my friend brought home a devastating report card. His parents were so supportive and loving..

anon , Taylor Flowe Report

Final score:

188points

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Nina 1 year ago

Wow, no pressure at all O.o

89points

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#15

30 House Rules People Had As Kids That They Only Later Realized Not All Households Followed When I got in trouble I was put on "reading restriction" as a punishment. I loved to read as a kid (still do!) so it was an effective punishment at the time.

CharlieChooper , Pixabay Report

Final score:

176points

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Ashlyn 1 year ago (edited)

My parents did this too. They stopped it about a year ago tho. (They did not take my books away thank goodness but they said I couldn't read until I got ungrounded 😭)

44points

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#16

30 House Rules People Had As Kids That They Only Later Realized Not All Households Followed We weren't allowed to watch anything remotely sexual like if people were kissing on screen my mom would freak out and run to cover the TV with a pillow and go "blah blah cough cough" loudly until it was over.

Once I tried to see a pg13 movie with my friends and my mom cried and my dad called me horrible for making her cry. I was 14.

Dameunbatido , Erik Mclean Report

Final score:

167points

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Sarel Seerower 1 year ago

I was also raised by manipulation. It really messes with you.

150points

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#17

30 House Rules People Had As Kids That They Only Later Realized Not All Households Followed Haiku night dinners.

Some nights we spoke in haiku

And *only* haiku

bronwen-noodle , fauxels Report

Final score:

165points

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Niall Mac Iomera 1 year ago

That sounds tedious. I can't believe you did that. I'm sorry for you.

194points

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#18

30 House Rules People Had As Kids That They Only Later Realized Not All Households Followed When I was sick I couldn't be in my bed because it would make it dirty. My mom put a towel in a corner on the hardwood floor and I had to stay there until she deemed me better enough to use my bed.

Zenosparadox1 , cottonbro studio Report

Final score:

157points

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Nina 1 year ago

Wtf...

292points

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#19

My father never let us talk around the dinner table. Once when I was 15 I asked everyone around the table how they were doing and how their day was. My dad got up angrily after hurriedly finishing his meal and said: "I can't stand people talking around a meal, if I wanted to talk to you I would."
We finished our meal in silence.

Morb2 Report

Final score:

142points

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devotedtodreams 1 year ago

Wow, this is just sad. I remember dinner time being a time of talking to each other (whilst eating too, of couse). My Dad would often be the one to ask: "So, did anyone hear or read something interesting today?" It was not uncommon for a simple little thing to morph into a long discussion. Good times... I miss them.

203points

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#20

30 House Rules People Had As Kids That They Only Later Realized Not All Households Followed We weren't allowed to get into the fridge or the cabinets without asking permission. My family was very poor and we had a limited food budget, so eating something without permission very possibly meant eating one ingredient of a meal my step mother was planning on cooking within the next few days.

I went to friends' houses and they just ate whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted.

badhairguy , cottonbro studio Report

Final score:

138points

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Jojo 1 year ago

This must have been hard ❤

87points

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#21

I grew up with 6 siblings. In the TV room, there we more people than couch seats. We had a rule that you couldn't steal someone's seat if they got up to go the bathroom, get a drink, etc.

My parents instituted it because of all the fights that would happen over seats. We all instantly realized how great a rule it was. No more arguments, but more importantly, your seat was safe for the night.

I never thought it was a "normal" rule as defined by the OP, but it is a great rule that every family should have.

waltbosz Report

Final score:

134points

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JoNo 1 year ago

We had to "save" our spot on the couch by saying "save" and hitting the spot with your hand before leaving, as if hitting a button. If you did not save the spot, it was up for grabs. Maybe that's why my brother became a programmer?

101points

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#22

No sliced bread in the house. Like my parents were perfectly normal in every other sense. But I think my mom assumed the uncut bakery bread at the grocery store was better quality or healthier or something? Anyway, I remember going to a friend’s house at like 13 years old and making a sandwich with pre-sliced bread! It was awesome! So much easier! My friend and her family laughed at my revelation but I’m not kidding it was a game-changer. I’d been cutting my own slices for years and they were always slightly uneven and it made making sandwiches or having a piece of bread a bit of a pain. I went home and immediately demanded sliced bread. It took a bit of convincing but eventually my mom caved to my demands. To this day my parents still prefer unsliced bread but whenever I visit my mom will go to the store and buy a sliced loaf just for me.

hclorin Report

Final score:

129points

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Nicola Roberts 1 year ago

The best thing since sliced bread. No wait...

105points

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#23

30 House Rules People Had As Kids That They Only Later Realized Not All Households Followed My mom freaks out about hearing commercials on TV. The second it goes to commercial break it has to be muted. She also mutes it if she thinks it's about to go to commercial, even though sometimes she's wrong. And she doesn't really pay attention, so she doesn't notice a lot of the time when the commercials are over so she leaves it on mute when the show is back on. It's very difficult to watch TV with her.

code_name_jellyfish , cottonbro studio Report

Final score:

105points

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Ace 1 year ago

I can relate to this. These days with IPTV it's always possible to skip or pause when advert breaks come on, and I'm quite a master at hitting the +30sec button the exact number of times for ad breaks on some common channels. I'd even change channels and come back later to what I'm watching if it's in real time broadcast and I can't skip them.

33points

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#24

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*****g oven?"

Justgivme1 Report

Final score:

100points

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Ample Aardvark 1 year ago

Where else does anyone keep leftover pizza apart from the oven? It'll be eaten for breakfast the next morning anyway!

64points

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#25

30 House Rules People Had As Kids That They Only Later Realized Not All Households Followed 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 goddamn minds. I still get anxious when I’m chewing gum and I’m 35.

SiFiWiRi , Ivan Samkov Report

Final score:

94points

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Huddo's sister 1 year ago

We weren't allowed to watch Simpsons either, after certain incidents...

57points

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#26

30 House Rules People Had As Kids That They Only Later Realized Not All Households Followed We weren’t allowed to walk in our dining room unless we were using the room for a special occasion. The carpet always had that “just vacuumed” look so it was a dead giveaway if anyone walked across it.

secretagentsquirrel1 , Spacejoy Report

Final score:

91points

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Sussy 1 year ago

Weird

64points

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#27

30 House Rules People Had As Kids That They Only Later Realized Not All Households Followed If you couldn't find something, and you asked someone for help (sibling or parent) and they found it for you, they got to punch you in the arm.

dahaoab , engin akyurt Report

Final score:

85points

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AwesomeLeoWife 1 year ago

I get very frustrated when husband/children call me because they can’t find something then I walk in the room and instantly see it. But punching? No

14points

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#28

30 House Rules People Had As Kids That They Only Later Realized Not All Households Followed My dad made a rule that I had to kill seven flies a day during my summer break.

mosaicevolution , Jin Yeong Kim Report

Final score:

81points

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That emo Girl 1 year ago

!!??

52points

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#29

First thing upon coming in the house you have to change into clean pants and wash your hands. (Guests were exempt from the pants rule but not hand washing). If you took your shoes off while you were out you had to change your socks as well.

ineffectivelyperfect Report

Final score:

75points

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O-O 1 year ago

We usually have a shower when we come home but if we are too tired we just wash our hands and change clothes

27points

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#30

No singing at the table, unless it's a birthday.

Still to this day I don't cope well with quiet, but I guess when I was a kid the karaoke party never stopped. It was a good rule, but not necessary for most households

ParadiseSold Report

Final score:

59points

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Allison B 1 year ago

I'll be honest I'd hate to hear someone singing at the table all the time especially if it was a kid. I'm very sensitive to noises and especially high pitched screeching children. I like my peace and quiet. Hence why I can't stand kids for more than a couple minutes.

60points

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#31

This is 100% true! Visitors were never allowed 'inside'. So if someone wanted to come by to play or just hang out, you had to go out to the yard to entertain them no matter if it was night or day. Likewise we weren't allowed to go into other people's homes. I've had so many conversations on porches.

round_the_corner Report

Final score:

23points

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Nicola Roberts 1 year ago

I'll be honest I'm not a huge fan of visitors. No idea why, I blame my parents. I always say I make a much better guest than I do a host.

14points

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#32

No “swearing” which includes the obvious as well as “stupid”, “idiot”, “shut up” and “fart”

primordialsuper Report

Final score:

21points

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Vermontah 1 year ago

Same here because "nice people" don't say those things. My mother used to say Fudge and yuck so the next family reunion when I was 7 I told a room full of family how I invented the F word. Wow did that room get quiet.

11points

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#33

If my sister or I made a mess in our bedroom, my mom would toss everything - including stuff that was already in its right space - into a pile in the middle of the room to make us clean an even bigger mess. I love her dearly but that woman and cleaning, WHEW...

yogimonkeymeg Report

Final score:

21points

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Billy Harrelson 1 year ago

My mom was like that. My room was organized chaos and if she didn't like how it looked, everything got tossed on the floor and I had to do it again.

13points

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#34

My parents used a laissez faire parenting style. No censorship whatsoever. I watched Rocky Horror Picture Show with my brother when I was 7.

Pretty awkward when I brought the VHS with me to a sleepover at a friend's house. The parents were mortified.

ryro24 Report

Final score:

20points

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Thor Haugen 1 year ago

My parents didn't censor my reading. I remember having a parent/teacher conference after I brought in a record with a dramatic reading of Poe's Telltale Heart for show and tell. Apparently a lot of the other kids were disturbed.

14points

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#35

We had to have milk after dinner, but before bed. Asked my mom when I was older what that was about and she realized we could have just had milk with dinner if we wanted, but she had been raised kosher so it wasn't something she thought about.

GetMeTheJohnsonFile Report

Final score:

20points

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David H 1 year ago

What does drinking milk after a meal have anything to do with kosher what so ever? I have eaten kosher my whole life and still do, and there is literally zero about this in any Jewish literature or anything connected to this and kosher. So I have no clue what this person's mother was raised in, but it has nothing to do with kosher

7points

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#36

I was not aware that other kids had no homework over summer. My mom assigned papers, projects, reading, and math workbooks. Real summer sounds fun.

FidgetyGidget Report

Final score:

20points

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Gardener of Weeden 1 year ago

My Son had tons of homework over the summer. He just did not realize it. He made sun dials, studied ant hills planned and planted a garden etc. Vacations were the same - life is full of learning... make it FUN!

12points

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#37

If I talked back I'd get "quiet days" where the rest of the day I wasn't allowed to talk to my parents... At all. If I did, I lost privileges like my phone or I'd get grounded. Kinda weird looking back.

saltypotato95 Report

Final score:

19points

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Sarel Seerower 1 year ago

That's horrible

12points

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#38

No shoes in the house.
Imagine my shock to learn that not only did people do this, but that it was a widely accepted practice. Personally, I think it's gross.

Chuuni Report

Final score:

19points

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Marek K (mkk3a) 1 year ago

Shoes in the house are normal only for Americans. The rest of the world either walks in socks or wears some kind of slippers.

11points

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#39

30 House Rules People Had As Kids That They Only Later Realized Not All Households Followed Bare skin was not allowed to touch the leather sofa. No shorts, bare feet, tank tops, etc.

Also we had to peel mushrooms. It took forever and was completely stupid.

SuperBubber , Austin Park Report

Final score:

18points

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Ace 1 year ago

I've known people who 'peel' mushrooms. Basically just removing half of the best part, completely insane.

12points

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#40

30 House Rules People Had As Kids That They Only Later Realized Not All Households Followed Was literally told by my best friends dad I was only allowed to eat popcorn one kernel at a time...

CallMeRawie , Georgia Vagim Report

Final score:

17points

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Huddo's sister 1 year ago

So you savoured it and so it wasn't gobbled in one go?

10points

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#41

As soon as I could stand on a chair and touch the controls, doing my own laundry was added to my list of chores. Me having chores started as soon as I could walk. I was doing my own laundry in kindergarten, and putting the dishes away at 2.

busterann Report

Final score:

17points

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Huddo's sister 1 year ago

I wouldn't trust (not sure that's the right word) a kindergartener with the laundry, there are so many variables. Like what to do if there are stains, what setting etc.

19points

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#42

Vegetables: “a little or a lot?” That was my moms response when I didn’t want to eat them.

MissPeppingtosh Report

Final score:

13points

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Justin Thyme 1 year ago

Got forced to eat broccoli and cauliflower-- to this day I detest both.

6points

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#43

No whistling!!

bepisbabey Report

Final score:

13points

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Jake B 1 year ago

I’m behind this. It drives me crazy. No idea why, but sometimes I’m in a store and someone starts whistling and I have the urge to mail them. I have to leave. Maybe I was killed by a whistler in a prior life? I’ve no idea why it sets me off.

11points

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What do you think ?

Sami-Jo Ross 1 year ago

Some of these are strange but others are flat out abuse. "If you ask for help finding something they get to punch you"? "If you're sick you don't get to use your bed"? Those people should not have been parents.

Lirael Kl 1 year ago

A 'no' for the actual punch part, but some people can't seem to find anything, that is right under their noses. 'Mom, I can't find my shoe!' Well, if you just turn your head to the left a bit, you would! 'Honey, where are my car keys?' On the table, where you left them. If you'd just moove your wallet, you'd see them! In some cases, wanting to punch someone for stuff like this should be a fair game! )))

5points

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