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“She Thought Our Home Life Was Insane”: 30 People Share Their Weirdest Childhood Home Rules
Interview
All families have their own habits and quirks that can seem strange to outsiders. But after reading this Reddit thread, you might find yours are actually pretty tame.
User poothhippers asked people to share the weirdest house rules they had to follow growing up, and the responses did not disappoint.
From outlawing naps to banning mice-themed movies (yes, seriously), here are some of the best ones!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
When I was about 14, I asked my mother (who I was made to live with when I was around 11) to put on a shirt and stop walking around without clothes. My punishment was to immediately remove my shirt and bra when I got home from school and walk around topless. If I covered myself, another week was added. It was her husband's idea, but she totally...didn't give a f**k and made me comply.
Not so much "weird" as it is full on SA. Sorry to ruin the vibe.
Child of the Stars 2 weeks ago
Good lord. I have a "clothing optional" rule for my kids at home (provided we don't have any company), but it's really just because I didn't want to argue with toddlers. This is just disturbing.
Dumb teenager 2 weeks ago
The general vibe of this thread is childhood abuse so I’d say this fits perfectly
Teutonic Disaster 2 weeks ago (edited)
OP was a teenager who was probably uneasy about nudity in general, as many teens are, what with the physical changes they go through. Best solution would've been to talk about the issue. Also, to burst your bubble, it was OP's stepdad, who, and I bet my behind on that, jerked it with OP's tits in mind. Edit: OP. DID. NOT. DEMAND!! She asked, jfc.
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#2
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.
#3
I wasn't allowed to put sugar in my tea because my mum told me that when you go to prison they don't let you have sugar, so it will makes prison that much harder.
1) Thanks for having so much faith in me mum.
2) I'm pretty sure you are allowed sugar for your tea in prison.
Some of the rules shared were downright disturbing, others simply bizarre, and a few just plain funny. But as we at Bored Panda scrolled through the responses, we couldn’t help but wonder how these habits found their way into Redditors’ households. So, we reached out to one of the users, u/Inevitable_Spell5775, who had one of the more memorable stories in the thread. He shared that his family wasn’t allowed to use the front door.
“My mother was petrified about people breaking in, even though we lived in a good neighborhood,” he explained. “As soon as anyone would leave through the front door, it would be instantly locked behind us. The key would always stay in the lock, so we couldn’t get back in that way even if we tried.”
#4
I wasn’t allowed to watch mice-centric movies (The Rescuers, American Tail) because my mom said 'our cat finds them offensive.'
#5
Not allowed to walk around in socks with no shoes. I got my revenge when I moved into my first when I moved into my first nice apartment alone. They came to visit and I made them take their shoes off at the door.
It turns out, though, his dad also had some unusual expectations for the family. “Our father always made us—my siblings and I—clean the car every time we went on vacation,” he said. “I have no idea why we had to do this, because the car would always get dirty again pretty much straight away. We hated doing it... But in his defense, it was probably us making all the mess in the first place.”
#7
We weren't allowed to say "that's not fair" because "life isn't fair."
To this day I am preoccupied with fairness, equality, justice - to an almost obsessive extent.
Sounds like the beginning of a superhero movie but it's just crippling f*****g anxiety.
#8
No naps
Not in the car, the house, if you were sick, ect
My dad couldn't nap (terrible sleeper) so we couldn't either
12 hour road trip? No sleeping in the car, and no whining either
Flu? Doesn't matter
I think the only exception was when one of my migraine medications I was trying made me vomit for hours before I'd fall asleep with my head pressed onto the edge of the bathtub and he'd leave me alone
Basically, if he was awake- you had to be awake
F****n love naps as an adult.
#9
Hyper-Christian parents were very worried about Satanism in the 90s and early 2000s, so no Pokémon, or anything with magic (all my friends played Runescape D&D). Also, no Halloween or anything with monsters.
As a parent now Pokémon is my favorite show to watch with my kid and Halloween is probably my favorite holiday.
Somehow, I haven't tried to summon the Devil or performed any Satanic rituals.
Francisco Scaramanga 2 weeks ago
You haven't tried because you didn't learn it in childhood :D
Interestingly, u/Inevitable_Spell5775 doesn’t really follow any weird rules or superstitions of his own, but he admits he can’t resist messing with other people’s. “I’m not a very superstitious person,” he told us. “I think that sort of thing is a bit crazy and like to rebel against it... But sometimes that ends up creating its own kind of ritual, so it sort of backfires.”
“Some people like to have all the pens facing the same direction in a pack—I’ll flip one backwards. My ex insisted on having all the pictures level, so I’d move one slightly off every time I passed it,” he shared. “I was walking with someone, and they were trying not to step on the cracks on the pavement, so I started trying to only step on the cracks. I can’t win!”
We really enjoyed these glimpses into u/Inevitable_Spell5775’s life. And if you have any curious rules from your childhood, pandas, we’d love to hear them in the comments!
#10
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 f****d up it was when we realized our friends were not laughing.
#11
Still have to follow this now because I still live at home, even though I’m 21 (rent is insane!!)
I can’t lock my bedroom door or any bathroom doors during the day when I’m in my room or on the toilet. My dad will get pissed off and try to knock the doors down.
It’s flat up abusive imo.
#12
Not allowed to take naps when I was a teenager because "I'm too young to be tired" even after I got a job and had to be up at 5am...
#13
I wasn't allowed to say no. I wasn't allowed to smile either.
#14
My dad had severe OCD. He converted our garage to a studio apartment that we were never allowed to enter. He had his own dishes and if we were ever caught using them they became family dishes. Even washing them wasn't enough they were ruined. He boiled it hell out of everything he put on the BBQ. Chicken, ribs, hamburgers, etc. All boiled first. Lots of cleaning quirks, but I'll leave it there for now. I could go on for days. I thought alot of these things were just normal stuff until I stayed the night at my first friend house. He went to the cupboard to get me a cup for a drink. I was like "you can just use any cup you want" his mom asked me why I asked. So I told her what my house was like. I remember the look she gave me and from then on she always invited me over for sleepovers. We weren't abused at all, but she thought our home life was insane.
#15
No laughing in the house, if you want to laugh go outside.
Ghostshaper 2 weeks ago
Wtf?! What kind of parent doesn't want to hear their child's laughter?!
#16
If the fridge door was open. With or without a child kneeling behind it. My dad would body slam it close.
We got a lot of concussions (probably mum didn't believe in hospital visits until pain was present for 3 days and head injuries were "easy to fake" according to her).
#17
When I was young my mom made us go to bed at 6pm. I remember the sun being out and hearing kids outside playing. She got married soon after and the guy had a daughter so that rule went away but I really think she just didn’t want to deal with us. We spent all day outside playing when we weren’t at school and wasn’t allowed to come in until she called us in for dinner and then it was baths and bed. I can’t imagine just napping, never checking on my kids and having your young kids roaming the neighborhood all day. I had a friend who lived down the street. Her mom was like my second mom. I remember rollerskating and falling on my knee and scraping it pretty bad and her cleaning and bandaging it because I knew I wasn’t allowed to go home. And on school days we were in after school child care until they closed so then home, dinner, bed.
#18
Going to the toilet.
First I had to ask permission then I had to wait until the toilet door was unlocked. My mother would then stand by the open toilet door until I sat down I would then hand her the toilet paper mother would tear off three squares and hand them to me. That's all I was allowed if I needed more my parents took it as a sign that I was eating and drinking too much.
#19
Unless it was for school or I was with one of my parents, my sister and I were never allowed to leave the apartment. We couldn't have friends over and we couldn't go to friends' houses..probably why I'm such a homebody now with anxiety issues around people.
#20
Was actually a friend not me. Basically at his house, him and his brother were allowed in only 3 rooms. Their bedrooms and the bathroom. The kitchen, living room and conservatory were completely off limits.
If they wanted water they had to ask and a parent would bring a glass from the kitchen. The conservatory was used for family meals but apparently a lot of the time they just gave the kids food on plates to eat in their room.
It really weirded me out as a kid when I went round. I would be greeted by the parents, they would escort me to my mates bedroom, then close the door behind me. When it was time to leave my mate had to call for his parents to then escort me out.
No idea why they had this rule. The mum didn't work and literally sat at home all day every day just chain smoking in the living room.
TribbleThinking 2 weeks ago
She was just lazy and didn't bother with niceties like socialisation for the children.
#21
No chores.
I’m dead serious.
My mom was so overprotective she wouldn’t let me do any kind of chores. She never let me near appliances or showed me how to do the most basic of housework.
The only thing she told me to do was clean my room, but never showed me how to clean it. So my room was always messy.
Now I’m 25 and had to beg my dad to show me how to use the dishwasher, clothes washer/dryer and oven. I can wash things and make frozen things in the oven. That’s all I can do.
I’m still scared of the stove.
And now I can’t get my mom to show me anything because she’s been dead for 11 years.
Traveling Lady Railfan 2 weeks ago
I can understand this one. I never learned how to do laundry until I was living on my own in my twenties either. My mom didn't want us to ruin her machine or do the laundry wrong and possibly damage the clothes, so we weren't taught how to do it. Which of course, doesn't set you up well when you have your own machine and your own laundry to do but you know what, that's what Google is for. I know someone who when she moved out of her parents house in her mid twenties, had no idea where to buy milk. She had to ask her mom where do you get milk? Like for your cereal? She had no idea that you went to the grocery store. I mean, that's really something isn't it? And this was around the year 2010 in america, not like 70 years ago in an extremely rural area ..
#22
We weren’t allowed to talk during meals. My parents said it was to teach us discipline, but it just made dinners really awkward.
#23
I wasn't allowed to do anything near windows. My mom was convinced that our neighbors were always watching us so I had to crouch down whenever I went by a window.
#24
We weren’t allowed outside if an adult wasn’t home. Even into high school.
Got off the bus with a group of kids and stood outside chatting with them for a few minutes before going home. Neighbor tattled on me. Grounded for 2 weeks.
Decided okay - if I can’t stay outside for a few minutes, I’ll invite them into the house (since no one said I couldn’t)… yep. Grounded for a month.
No wonder I have problems making friends mom 😑🤦♀️.
TribbleThinking 2 weeks ago
What kind of collaborative abusive neighbour would find *anything* to tattle about on a group of children chatting?
#25
There were false accusations that I was taking too many of the good pieces of food shared with my sibling. For example, the buttery popcorn pieces, the nacho with the most toppings, the chunkiest puppy chow pieces, etc. So I wasn't allowed to look at the food while we ate it. I had to look straight ahead at the TV and eat without looking.
UncleJohn3000 2 weeks ago
I live alone and to this day, my fingertips will seek out all the M&Ms in a snack mix first. They're rarely miss one.
#26
My parents were hoarders. We were not allowed to “mess with their stuff” (ie clean) in any capacity. It was a nightmare to live in. My dad died when I was younger but after my mom died, we had the house and it’s contents condemmed, razed, and sold the land. To this day, mess makes me anxious.
#27
We weren't allow to whistle, because my grandma and mom believe it would conjure snakes, because they saw it in a movie from their home country when they were young. Also no shadow puppets either because they would come alive, once again because of a movie they saw.
Kirsti-Tina Thompson 2 weeks ago (edited)
I wasn't allowed to whistle because it was uncouth, unbecoming of a lady and the domain of men. Id get full blown punched in the mouth..Meanwhile, she's whistling up a storm cause shes a sheep header.
#28
My mother was in a constant war with the deer that constantly ate her garden and was willing to try every trick she could find to keep them away from her beloved plants. One article she read was that the smell of human urine deters deer. So, for about 6 months, the 3 boys/men in the house were not allowed to pee in the toilet. We had to go outside and pee somewhere around the perimeter of her garden. At night, we had to pee in jugs next to the toilet so she could sprinkle it around her garden the next day.
It wasn't as successful as she hoped. The final solution was an 8 ft tall fence around the entire garden a few years later.
Donkey boi 2 weeks ago
I'm shocked!!! Amazing that a 6ft fence worked better than a sprinkling of p**s(!)
#29
During the summers when my brother and I were home alone we were only allowed to watch Andy Griffith, Leave it to Beaver, or Barney. We had to write essays everyday detailing what happened in the episodes to prove we watched it. This continued until I was SIXTEEN.
UncleJohn3000 2 weeks ago
I watched a 24-hour Andy Griffith marathon once and got so much moral fiber that I crapped metaphors for weeks.
#30
We weren't allowed to chew gum after 4:30 because we wouldn't be "getting enough use out of it" before we had dinner at 6:00.
What do you think ?
Fat Harry (Oi / You) 2 weeks ago
I guarantee all the parents in these stories voted for Trump yesterday. Apart from the dead ones.
Greenmantle 2 weeks ago
Wasn't allowed to be off school sick or allowed to be at home in bed sick until I was literally, sick. Mum used to insist on me eating until I physically vomited as proof I was actually sick. Horrible to be pretty much forced fed when you were already sick or being taken out to dinner with a migraine until you threw up on yourself.
Traveling Lady Railfan 2 weeks ago
As someone who has had migraines with vomiting (many times) I'm so sorry for what you went through.
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BeesEelsAndPups 2 weeks ago
I had a friend "D" growing up whose father was in the Navy. D had a younger brother, we'll call "A". The rule around the house was A got whatever he wanted, and D had to show respect to A at all times. D had to call his father sir and his mother ma'am. If he didn't, his dad would beat him unconscious. I really felt bad for D and didn't know how to help him, but eventually the dad got relocated to another city. It wasn't until years later that I realized that "D" was very obviously gay (back in the 80s it wasn't a thing we'd have thought about). But D's parents almost certainly knew. And from the way his father acted with his friends, and his own mannerisms, I would guess that he was also gay. I suspect that he was very much ashamed of who he was and took it out on D. I really hope he is okay.
Misterscooter 2 weeks ago
Change the title on this one to: Home Rules Enacted by Abusive Parents
Bob Brooce 2 weeks ago (edited)
I haven't gotten through the entire list of things, but I'm pretty sure this is about having at least one parent that has a significant mental illness.
DC 2 weeks ago
Not always, and no way as a blanket excuse. Many of them may just have been horrible people, but without any clinically relevant defect. Those of these who never learned, never looked back, never regretted anything, hopefully, are in for a round of revenge when they are old, weak, leaky and sleepy. Like their kids were, just due to disintegration of their bodies, not unfinished development.
Load More Replies... 
arthbach 2 weeks ago
Bored Panda, I'm rather concerned you think is is good to be making content where half of the stories are about child abuse. Please, rethink this approach to creating content.
Traveling Lady Railfan 2 weeks ago
I agree. Although some of these were kind of funny and a few of these a little on the fence in terms of quirkiness, most of them were just downright abusive. Abuse is not entertainment. It's eye opening, and sometimes we do need to be aware of what other people are going through, that's part of why I read the AITA posts even though I don't like them... To see what kind of abnormal relationship situations people find themselves in so that I can be more empathetic or observant to abuse (if you're lucky enough not to be abused you don't always see the warning signs) but seriously? Some of this is really dark stuff.
Load More Replies...
Magical StudySpace 2 weeks ago
the poll at the end assumes you are allowed to discuss or ignore rules, something difficult to do in abusive families. Sometimes the advice is to discuss it with outside authorities (the post where the dad gave concussion to the kids for exemple)
E A M 2 weeks ago
My Mom would record and edit the edited-for-tv movies. I was well into my 20s before I discovered Dirty Dancing had a plot...
Lyoness 2 weeks ago
My Dad sent me to "grab something" for him every time we got to the scene in Wrath of Khan where the crawlies are put in Chekov's ear. I was in my 20s before I saw it.
Load More Replies...
shankShaw deReemer 2 weeks ago
I wasn't allowed to cut grass or even be in the yard when it was cut. I wasn't allowed to go to a new movie theatre because there was a local airport nearby and a plane might crash on the theatre. I couldn't check the mail because it was at the end of the driveway, of course, close to a "dangerous" road. I couldn't leave the dryer running when not home, even if only for a few minutes. I couldn't do so many things that are normal for children. As an adult, however, I value some of the things my strict father wouldn't let me do because I'm much more safety conscious than I likely would have been. Thanks, Dad! Too bad you didn't live longer to give me more odd "rules!"
Branwyn Kimble 2 weeks ago
The poll at the end of this article is the only thing funny about the entire thing. So many stories of abuse, but the poll completely ignores that many of these kids had literally no choice but to obey, or risk being beaten to death. I was abused horribly by my father, so I know this all too well.
DC 2 weeks ago
Remember that you are, one day, gonna be adult and they are gonna be old. The power imbalance shifts - people who horribly abused you for 20 years will expect effort, care, mercy and your savings. No. Oh, Mum, you're tired? I was never allowed to sleep before bedtime, remember? And those soap operas you like to watch? Only invites Satan into your dreams. Had to go to school in peestained pants for a little accident? Well, bladders aren't meant to seal tight past 100 years, are they? Remember, revenge is stupid, but people who only stopped being evil, cruel, unfair because they lost their means to force their ways on you, haven't learned when they had the chance. I'm ok with revenge for this. I think that a father who spanked you for any minor deviance can totally soak in his p**s for a week. Oh, Daddy, you're not feeling comfortable? That's unfair, eh? Too bad, the world isn't fair, and it's not about your pathetic äss! - not directed at my Dad...
Fat Harry (Oi / You) 2 weeks ago
I guarantee all the parents in these stories voted for Trump yesterday. Apart from the dead ones.
Greenmantle 2 weeks ago
Wasn't allowed to be off school sick or allowed to be at home in bed sick until I was literally, sick. Mum used to insist on me eating until I physically vomited as proof I was actually sick. Horrible to be pretty much forced fed when you were already sick or being taken out to dinner with a migraine until you threw up on yourself.
Traveling Lady Railfan 2 weeks ago
As someone who has had migraines with vomiting (many times) I'm so sorry for what you went through.
Load More Replies... BeesEelsAndPups 2 weeks ago
I had a friend "D" growing up whose father was in the Navy. D had a younger brother, we'll call "A". The rule around the house was A got whatever he wanted, and D had to show respect to A at all times. D had to call his father sir and his mother ma'am. If he didn't, his dad would beat him unconscious. I really felt bad for D and didn't know how to help him, but eventually the dad got relocated to another city. It wasn't until years later that I realized that "D" was very obviously gay (back in the 80s it wasn't a thing we'd have thought about). But D's parents almost certainly knew. And from the way his father acted with his friends, and his own mannerisms, I would guess that he was also gay. I suspect that he was very much ashamed of who he was and took it out on D. I really hope he is okay.
Misterscooter 2 weeks ago
Change the title on this one to: Home Rules Enacted by Abusive Parents
Bob Brooce 2 weeks ago (edited)
I haven't gotten through the entire list of things, but I'm pretty sure this is about having at least one parent that has a significant mental illness.
DC 2 weeks ago
Not always, and no way as a blanket excuse. Many of them may just have been horrible people, but without any clinically relevant defect. Those of these who never learned, never looked back, never regretted anything, hopefully, are in for a round of revenge when they are old, weak, leaky and sleepy. Like their kids were, just due to disintegration of their bodies, not unfinished development.
Load More Replies... arthbach 2 weeks ago
Bored Panda, I'm rather concerned you think is is good to be making content where half of the stories are about child abuse. Please, rethink this approach to creating content.
Traveling Lady Railfan 2 weeks ago
I agree. Although some of these were kind of funny and a few of these a little on the fence in terms of quirkiness, most of them were just downright abusive. Abuse is not entertainment. It's eye opening, and sometimes we do need to be aware of what other people are going through, that's part of why I read the AITA posts even though I don't like them... To see what kind of abnormal relationship situations people find themselves in so that I can be more empathetic or observant to abuse (if you're lucky enough not to be abused you don't always see the warning signs) but seriously? Some of this is really dark stuff.
Load More Replies... Magical StudySpace 2 weeks ago
the poll at the end assumes you are allowed to discuss or ignore rules, something difficult to do in abusive families. Sometimes the advice is to discuss it with outside authorities (the post where the dad gave concussion to the kids for exemple)
E A M 2 weeks ago
My Mom would record and edit the edited-for-tv movies. I was well into my 20s before I discovered Dirty Dancing had a plot...
Lyoness 2 weeks ago
My Dad sent me to "grab something" for him every time we got to the scene in Wrath of Khan where the crawlies are put in Chekov's ear. I was in my 20s before I saw it.
Load More Replies... shankShaw deReemer 2 weeks ago
I wasn't allowed to cut grass or even be in the yard when it was cut. I wasn't allowed to go to a new movie theatre because there was a local airport nearby and a plane might crash on the theatre. I couldn't check the mail because it was at the end of the driveway, of course, close to a "dangerous" road. I couldn't leave the dryer running when not home, even if only for a few minutes. I couldn't do so many things that are normal for children. As an adult, however, I value some of the things my strict father wouldn't let me do because I'm much more safety conscious than I likely would have been. Thanks, Dad! Too bad you didn't live longer to give me more odd "rules!"
Branwyn Kimble 2 weeks ago
The poll at the end of this article is the only thing funny about the entire thing. So many stories of abuse, but the poll completely ignores that many of these kids had literally no choice but to obey, or risk being beaten to death. I was abused horribly by my father, so I know this all too well.
DC 2 weeks ago
Remember that you are, one day, gonna be adult and they are gonna be old. The power imbalance shifts - people who horribly abused you for 20 years will expect effort, care, mercy and your savings. No. Oh, Mum, you're tired? I was never allowed to sleep before bedtime, remember? And those soap operas you like to watch? Only invites Satan into your dreams. Had to go to school in peestained pants for a little accident? Well, bladders aren't meant to seal tight past 100 years, are they? Remember, revenge is stupid, but people who only stopped being evil, cruel, unfair because they lost their means to force their ways on you, haven't learned when they had the chance. I'm ok with revenge for this. I think that a father who spanked you for any minor deviance can totally soak in his p**s for a week. Oh, Daddy, you're not feeling comfortable? That's unfair, eh? Too bad, the world isn't fair, and it's not about your pathetic äss! - not directed at my Dad...
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