People have been sharing the weird things their family did that they thought was normal – 17 tales that left people stunned
10.
‘Whenever my dad did something wrong, like coming home drunk. Me, my little siblings, and my mom would have to go out in the streets in the middle of the night BAREFOOT to go to my cousin’s house for the night. I used to think it was normal somehow? No idea on how honestly. This was years ago I was around 8 or 9.’
-AnimeGrandmaNini
11.
‘I was telling the story about how the steel market dropped out of Pennsylvania and there was no work.
‘After unemployment ran out my Dad and his best friend got on motorcycles (to leave the car with us) and drove “until they found work”. No destination. 1 loaf of bread, a roll of bologna, and gas money. No idea where they would even stay.
‘They wound up in North Carolina. When they saved up enough for one used RV between two families they sent for us and we followed them. Lived on a campground until they got enough money up for rent.
‘As I’m telling this story someone was like – “so you were homeless as a child?” I just stammered… “No, no. I mean, we didn’t have a home, we weren’t homeless.” And just stood there as I realized I’d been homeless as a child. We were fine. Just no home.
‘He even stole chickens from a nextdoor farmer because we hadn’t had meat in a month. When he got paid he stuffed an envelope with cash and put it in that guy’s mailbox with just a note. “For chickens.”
‘Turns out there was a whole set of “poverty rules” I hadn’t learned that I’d internalized. If you’re invited for dinner, NEVER ask for a second helping. You didn’t know if you were eating their meal plan for the next day.’
-samtresler
12.
‘Whenever we did something bad, my dad would punish us by making us do these physical things like holding our ears, squatting, and jumping around. Squatting while leaned against a wall. And just random as things. Turns out they were punishments he endured while in the Korean army. My friends looked horrified when I told them.’
-Appropriate_Sky_6571
13.
‘Put the kids in the hatchback.
‘My father had a 2-seat sport car. He and his girlfriend got the seats. Me and my friend got the trunk.
‘My friends were horrified then. I am horrified now.’
-cleanhouz
14.
‘A lot of people tend to reuse their bath towels for a few days before they put it in the dirty clothes. My mom thought that was disgusting and decided that bath towels would get washed after every single use. It was my job to do the laundry every day, so I was told I needed to be doing three loads of laundry every single day – a Lights load, a Darks load, and a load of towels.
‘My parents also insisted that it was normal that the oldest kid in residence was basically the family servant. They were both the youngest “oopsie” kids in bigger families that had money and hired household help – I truly think they didn’t know how to parent through any other way than delegation.
‘My parents also thought that if we went to any kind of a family event like a wedding or a funeral, the oldest girl (usually me) had to take care of every child present even if that kid had no real connection to me so the adults could relax and talk. Not sure if that’s just a Boomer thing or if it’s because I grew up in a super religious community where treating older girl children like that was encouraged. Even though my parents aren’t religious, they were more than happy to buy into that mindset.
‘I feel like I spent my life being told I was a lazy useless piece of shit anytime I wasn’t cleaning or taking care of somebody else’s kids. I even got in trouble for doing my own homework instead of helping my brother and sisters with theirs. I’m almost 50 and I still have issues with feeling selfish or bad if I am not cleaning or doing something for other people.’
-cant_be_me
15.
‘I didn’t realize it was uncommon to need to run out of your home and hide in a treehouse when your brother “acts up”.
I was an adult talking to a therapist about my brother’s “antics” when she said, “Hey, it’s nice you have empathy for your brother, but he was/is quite mentally unwell, not to mention extremely abusive and cruel.”
I haven’t spoken to my brother in over a decade, but am aware he’s been nicknamed “the benevolent sociopath” in his town because he’s so polite and friendly until he’s very much not. Those who know him well are all a bit shocked he hasn’t ended up in prison or a mental hospital.’
-radarsteddybear4077
16.
‘Ate sautéed stinging nettles. I realized city people didn’t eat them, but even country folks think they’re just a weed.
They’re so tasty! And the stalks have a fibre inside them that’s as fine as linen.’
-brydeswhale
17.
‘My mom was uber-healthy, and raised us to be as such. But she took it to a whole other level. Birthday cakes weren’t even immune. We weren’t allowed sugar additives. And I mean that.
‘She would form mashed dates into a cake-shaped block, wrap it with plastic wrap, and then decorate the block with real frosting so it would look nice and normal for pictures. Then, after pictures, she would peel the frosting off without even allowing us a lick of it. The first/every time I explained that, I got/get a horrified look.’
-littlehappyfeets
READ MORE