Ok!
Cartoon Yes GIF by SpongeBob SquarePantsGiphy"Breastfeeding, sure no problem. Changing diapers on the table/booth/chair, no freaking way. There's a reason most bathrooms have a change table."
- LuntiX
Be Clean
"As long as you don't leave your dirty flip-flops on the table that's disgusting."
"Last week I was at a cafe terrace and I saw a woman breastfeeding her baby and afterwards changing the diaper on the table (which was a tad odd since they have a nice changing room there). After she left I noticed she left the dirty diaper on her plate, didn't even bother to close it up."
- domin8r
Silence
"A baby can't scream with a mouthful, so I'd say it's a win-win."
"My son used to do the same. The thing is his twin would get right to feeding and would stimulate the let down on his boob too, so it would be 20 seconds of screaming and 30 seconds of vague drowning noises before he clicked that food was happening."
Who Cares?
"The baby's gotta eat. Plus I don't even pay enough attention to other people to even notice or give a crap either way."
- Jikal
"I agree lol!! I've noticed moms breastfeeding their babies at a restaurant maybe a grand total of TWO times in my whole life, and I go out to eat all the time. However, I ALWAYS notice when a baby is screeching so loud nobody can enjoy their meal."
"I don't even mean just crying, I mean that SCREECH they do sometimes where if you're anywhere close to them you can't even continue talking, you just have to stop and WAIT for the kid to finish. (I promise I don't hate kids LOL this is just my opinion)."
No Adults
Oh No You Didnt GIF by happydogGiphy"Acceptable if she's breastfeeding her baby, weird if she's doing so with her husband."
- maajyc
So far, so normal. Stay in your own conversation. If you're that interested about another person, you're sounding like a stalker.
Whateves
Let It Go Whatever GIF by Hannah Bronfman Giphy"The more it happens the less people will care."
Couple Issues
"I was once breastfeeding my daughter on the beach, aside from my boob being *kind of* out (mostly blocked by the baby) I was wearing shorts and a shirt, more covered than most of the people on the beach. Apparently a dude started watching me that I didn't notice and his girlfriend took offense to it."
"She started to approach me, but my mom was with us and gave her the stink eye to end all stink eyes. I have to think if they had been just a little more exposed to breast feeding this wouldn't have been anything. I'm also 99% sure that incident resulted in the couple fighting."
When in Public
"I walked with my head down the majority of my life because I felt like everyone was staring at me as I'm a very tall female. Started looking up a few years ago and realized how very wrong I was. I cared WAY more about this made up scenario in my head while assuming the worst and causing MYSELF to feel shame over it- than anyone else ever cared about my height. We're all busy doing our own thing and I don't think MOST people care about women breastfeeding in public as people think they do."
The Best Questions To Ask During A Job Interview | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
In the UK...
"I went to a mall in London, England once with a room dedicated for baby care. There were comfortable chairs and a microwave and sink. There were also little rooms with rocking chairs and low light floor lamps. Now, I would feed my baby wherever the hell I needed to, but this was luxury."
Free!
Mothers Day Mama GIF by reactionseditorGiphy"I'd rather a happy baby having a meal than a hungry miserable baby screaming and crying for nourishment. I am however against the restaurant charging an opening fee."
Didn't Notice
"You know, I don't think I've ever noticed anyone breast feeding. I'm sure I've seen it happen while I was out but I've never noticed. I think that says something about the people who do make a big deal out of it."
"So often it just looks like they're holding the baby. You usually can't see anything. There were a couple times random people struck up conversations with me while I was nursing in public, and I could tell they had absolutely no idea."
Cover Up
"As a woman, I think women should be able to feed their baby wherever. As a matter of personal preference though, I always cover up. I have had soo many creeps stare at me that I don't like to openly do it."
"I have breastfed in public before, and would continue to do so if I had children who were nursing. I always used the two-shirt method to keep myself as covered as possible, which was for my comfort as my breast was much larger than my baby's head."
In America...
"Just to add to this... In America, public breastfeeding is protected by federal law and state law - in all the states."
"In so many comment sections, I always come across the argument that the federal law only protects breastfeeding in public so women can't breastfeed in restaurants or stores because they're private property—the law must only apply to municipal parks and government buildings. I tell them to look at the text of the law because it doesn't say "public", it says "anywhere the mother is otherwise permitted to be", like a publicly-accessible-yet-privately-owned store. Idiots."
Who cares?
mind it talk show GIF by iOne DigitalGiphy"I try not to think about other people's business. Especially stuff that doesn't affect me in any way."
Gotta Eat
"I think everyone, including babies, should be able to eat in restaurants."
"Restaurants should also set policies though. I'm cool with those that allow everyone, but it's fair as well to have adults-only restaurants. Kids can be quite disturbing. As long as policies are disclosed, s'aulgood, man!"
- Bytewave
Drink Up
"It's pretty much the same as any customer. Don't disturb the other guests and you are fine. So drink up little human. At least you are silent."
"This is the most reasonable. As long as you aren't making a scene while doing it, it's not a problem. If you take your boob out and then wait for someone to look and then decide to throw a fit, then you should be thrown out just like any other unruly customer."
Summer in the South, fun!
"My thoughts are that I hope she doesn't give a crap what anybody else thinks when she breastfeeds her child in a restaurant."
- MRS300
"I am extremely self conscious about it because I've had people make nasty comments to me while feeding my baby in a restaurant (and elsewhere). If my baby gets hungry, I don't give a f**k about anyone else. I will always feed my hungry baby no matter what, no matter where."
"I even wear specific nursing tops so no boob is visibly exposed. For this reason, and the fact that the baby gets hot and uncomfortable (Summer in the South, fun!), I also refuse to cover with a blanket. However, I always feel judged and frowned upon for doing so. It's just hard not to."
be clean...
Sick Black And White GIF by Fleischer StudiosGiphy"Breastfeeding = fine. Not washing your hands in the bathrooms? Not cool."
On Display
"If we look at high fashion we see women with stickers covering their breasts. In high street fashion it is acceptable to expose any part of the breast as cleavage, sideboob, underboob. Basically the only part of the woman's breast we've censored is the nipple, which I find especially odd given that's the bit men have as well. Regardless, in this case the baby's mouth covers the nipple so the breast on display isn't anything out of the norm really, and even if the nipple were out, get over it."
It is what it is. Be free ladies. Whatever keeps the kid quiet, works for most of us. Do as you need.
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One mom went to Reddit's popular AITA ("Am I The A$$hole?") subReddit to get people's opinions on her experience with a schedule-loving parent of a child with ADHD.
What started with a tense invitation ended with the ADHD child's parent taking her very upset child and leaving the party. The party thrower really wanted to know, was she the bad guy for refusing to force the entire party to adhere to a down-to-the-minute schedule that the other parent brought along?
Let's let her explain it:
"AITA for letting my son invite a friend to his birthday, even knowing the boy didn't go to parties?"
"My 10 (just turned 11) year old son has a friend who's left out of a lot of activities. Not for lack of invitations, his parents would just decline. I didn't know why until recently, figured it wasn't really my business."
"My son was having a sleepover and wanted to invite the kid. I figured no reason not to invite him, so even if he didn't go, he'd know he was welcome."
"My son was with him after school and asked if he wanted to come and he said definitely and he was free."
Ok, so far things sound great!
Her son invited a little boy to his birthday party, even though the little boy almost never goes. Kids inviting one another to birthday parties happens all the time.
Nothing to be upset about... right?
Apparently the other boy's mom felt differently:
"He told me his friend could make it so I emailed her and said the boys talked and sent the info about the sleepover. She responded and said she was really upset my son had approached her son about it instead of me writing to her before calling it to her son's attention."
"I apologized and said I understood if her son couldn't go. She said now that her son knew about it, she had no choice but to let him go or he'd be crushed, but I needed to help manage his condition. I figured that meant supervising his taking some medication or not letting things get too loud or whatever."
Oof.
Welp, looks like we're starting out on the wrong foot. The other child's mother seemed to feel like boundaries were crossed because the two boys spoke directly about the party rather than just leave that to the parents.
That's okay—this can be redeemed.
Apologies were made and we're good to move forward.
Maybe.
"She said he was extremely routine oriented and needed routine to thrive and stay on course so I had to go by his routine, and that she noticed the invite said 3:00 but he couldn't start the sleepover until 5:30. I said that was fine (taking it to mean he wouldn't be over until 5:30.)"
"She drops him off and is irate to find we'd already started and everyone else was there. She told me she was upset I had already not adhered to the schedule and I explained the miscommunication. She said to avoid further miscommunications she'd brought his schedule along."
"It was very precise. 6:00-7:05, dinner time. 7:06-8:29, quiet indoor play. 8:30-8:44, brush teeth, etc. To her credit, she had written in suggestions of where the birthday activities could fit (e.g., she wrote "or present opening" next to quiet indoor play.)"
"I took one look at the list and explained the party wasn't really running on a set schedule, the boys were just hanging out."
The other boy's mom thought her child's schedule would be changing the time of the birthday boy's party? Birthday boy's mom thought that was just the time this particular child would show up.
As awkward as that exchange must have been, it was only about to get worse. Birthday boy's mom was shocked to find that the other child's mother had brought along a down-to-the-minute schedule that she expected the party to adhere to.
Mind you, if you've spent any time with ten or eleven year old boys, you know that sort of regimented schedule is nearly impossible when you've got them in a group. Birthday boy's mom was honest and explained that the schedule wasn't really likely to work in that scenario.
Most ten year old children at parties:
We get that "cats in a mosh pit" is probably exactly what the other child's mom is trying to avoid, so routine and schedules are probably quite helpful.
But down-to-the-minute? With no flexibility? Surely there has to be a compromise.
Let's keep reading.
"She became very flustered and said if that was the case her son would become overwhelmed and she'd have to take him home and he'd be devastated. I apologized but said I definitely couldn't guarantee adherence to this schedule so didn't want to assume responsibility for her son if it was of critical importance."
"Unsurprisingly, her son was very very sad to have to leave. I suggested to the mom that he join the boys in the yard where they were playing basketball, but she said it wasn't time for basketball right then."
"So he ended up leaving and I feel bad because he was so upset. I keep thinking back and wondering if I should've just not invited him and saved everyone all this trouble? She said he needed this schedule because he has ADHD." - dropclassic
OK, so that whole compromise thing really went down in flames, huh?
The other boy's mom was all-or-nothing about this extremely tight schedule. So much so that she wouldn't even allow her son to play basketball with the other children before she left with him.
That left birthday boy's mom with some serious questions. Was the schedule really that critical? If so, was she a jerk for even inviting the child in the first place? Upsetting him was obviously not her intent and how could she possibly have known anything about his schedule beforehand?
There were a few moments there where it seemed like the other boy's mom was trying to guilt birthday boy and birthday mom for her child's negative reactions. It was their fault her son would be devastated. If they would just abide by her schedule ... you get where we're going with this.
Did she mean it that way or was it just poorly worded, misunderstood, or possibly care-taker fatigue talking?
We don't really have any solid answers for you - and neither did the birthday boy's mother. Which is why he turned to the collective Reddit mind to ask - was she the a$hole?
Reddit, as expected, did not hold back.
"Don't overthink how the invites went out. This is how normal kids birthday parties are thrown."
"I was thinking maybe the kid had a condition with OCD or was maybe autistic. But when I saw the edit and the mom told you he had ADHD, it makes me think the mom has an issue with OCD or she has one major control problem, which is very concerning as well."
"Also, she is putting a lot of blame on you and trying to guilt you with how badly her son feels by being told he can't go to the party. She's not taking any responsibility or helping her kid see why he may struggle participating in those types of activities and it may be better if he doesn't attend (if he really does have a problem like you described.)"
"If that kid doesn't have issues now, they will as an adult." - madbeckster
"I actually get the other mom. My step-son has ADHD and thrives on schedules, but for special times we just have to bite the bullet and realize he's gonna suck for a couple of days until we can get him back on his inner schedule."
"By 'schedule' I mean nothing as strict as what the Mom put down lol. Just more order to the day if anything" - 76KHww
"Wtf? I would bet 10x my yearly salary that if that kid stayed at that party and did not adhere to this foolish schedule that he would have been perfectly fine. His mother's neuroses are preventing her child from having a normal life."- 1028
"My kid also has ASD/ADHD, and she has had to adapt to uncertainty BECAUSE LIFE IS UNCERTAIN. How are these kids ever going to survive if they're never challenged?"
"How will they manage when things go sideways and mom isn't there to be their coping skills? What if mom got sick?"
"No one else is likely going to follow through, and she's just guaranteed that her kid will have no experience in managing discomfort."
"Life is hard. Kids need to get used to that." - epi_introvert
"As some one who has been diagnosed with severe ADHD and two other disabilities, this is key. My parents raised me to never be the victim of my disabilities—that means I gotta role with the punches."
"There will come a point where your schedule will change suddenly and you have to adapt, especially once your parental support system isn't as there/is less than what it was.
"And also it gives us the taste of what 'normal' life is like without all our disabilities. If I were to strictly adhere to a schedule I would no doubt feel even more different from my peers." - LolzDogs
"I've had ADHD my whole life and my case is fairly severe. A fairly strict routine can be helpful for us, but holy Jesus, not anywhere near that strict!"
"When people say routines help for people with ADHD, they mean with regular daily tasks, like doing chores at the same time every day to help us remember to do them. Sometimes having unscheduled events/time can be stressful and overwhelming for me in the sense that if I wake up and I have X amount of things to do today, getting those things done can be really hard without a set plan because I might lose track of time, get distracted, etc."
"Sometimes unexpected events get me flustered and overwhelmed, like a last minute appointment out of the blue. A birthday party doesn't meet any of that criteria; in fact, it's scheduled recreation time so it should be 100% fine in that regard!"
"Regimenting the activities during the party has no benefit because the kid has no reason to worry about forgetting anything or losing track of time. It sounds like the mom has misinterpreted advice from a doctor, and has gotten really, really neurotic with it."
"Knowing how issues run in families I wouldn't be surprised if she had some form of OCD/anxiety or autism." - pahobee
"Even with ADHD or autism the mother didn't handle it right. Expectations needed to be clearer upfront of needs are this specific."
"She can't get upset at the boy being invited getting his hopes up when she literally takes him to the party only to take him back away. That's very disruptive and probably more problematic than letting him go to the party, or just saying no in the first place."
"Routines are definitely helpful, but even just knowing the plan can help mitigate some of the struggle. Asking for a schedule/order of events and reviewing it with the son rather than demanding a routine down to the minute would have been a more reasonable accommodation that may have been enough."
"And if that wasn't enough it was on them to ask ahead of time or choose not to participate." - qqweertyy
"I mean, I don't know what health conditions this child is living with, why it takes him 14 minutes to brush his teeth, or what the one and only correct time for casually shooting hoops with friends is. I am also mystified as to how any group of ten year-olds engages in "quiet indoor play" - last time I had more than one ten year-old at my house, I had to make and enforce brand new rules about not having conversations by yelling at each other through open windows, and then about not painting light bulbs."
"This woman is going to have a tougher and tougher time maintaining this level of control as her son gets older, and kids more and more take their social lives into their own hands. I hope that she and her son can find a way to meet his needs." - eaca02124
"I've had ADHD since I was diagnosed at 3. I'm in my 30s now."
"I'll be blunt. Kid would've been fine if mom was not a control freak that tried to force the world to adhere to what she wants."
"What kinda psycho shows up at a birthday party with her kid and is like 'All of you aren't adhering to my son's schedule, how dare you!' That is some next level entitled bull."
"That's like your kid having diabetes and forcing all the kids at the party to eat like a diabetic. Insanity."
"Oh and the cherry on top is psycho woman puts all the blame on you and the other kids at the end, as she makes her kid get in the car. Just wow." - thesneakness
Many of the people who chimed in have experience with ADHD. They felt the other mom's schedule and entitlement to it were overkill—and possibly indicative of something deeper going on.
Emma Gale was diagnosed with polycystic ovaries aged 18, with doctors delivering the "mortifying" news to her and husband Spencer that they were unlikely ever to have kids.
Emma Page / SWNS
But just two years later Emma, who had started to look into fostering or adopting with her hubby, fell so ill that she "couldn't even stand up."
After rushing to hospital, it was revealed that Emma was two months pregnant - to the astonishment of both her and her husband.
SWNS
The proud mom, now 42, went on to have a whopping TEN successful pregnancies, giving her one of the biggest broods in Britain.
Now the walls of the couple's five-bedroom house in Whitstable, Kent, England, are adorned with over 100 family photos showing their army of kids - the eldest of whom is 20, with the youngest aged just one.
SWNS
Emma works at the local Tesco supermarket to support the family, often getting home from her shift at 1:30 in the morning - giving her only a few hours of respite before an especially hectic school run begins.
All the children apart from 20-year-old Oliver - who works in Michelin-starred restaurants in France and Ibiza - still live with their parents.
One-year-old Isaac, Eli, two, Noah, four, Sidney, five, Teddy, eight, Freddie 13, Daisy, 14, Charlie, 17, and Emily, 19, are all crammed into the family home.
Emma Page / SWNS
But while life for the Gales can be hectic, they say they "wouldn't change it for the world."
Emma said:
"We always mix up names. Especially when they are being hooligans."
Although the couple insist they have no favorites, Spencer has a "special bond" with Sidney and Isaac, as he delivered them himself at home, with the help of a midwife over the phone.
The couple say they work hard as a team to provide for the children - with Spencer working seven days a week at the Harbor Garage and Emma up to four night shifts during the week.
Emma Page / SWNS
Emma added:
"Because we have ten children, people automatically assume we get benefits - but we don't."
Spencer, 47, said:
"What is nice is our own work ethics have reflected on our children. Oliver works an awful lot of hours; he works all the overtime he can possibly get."
"Emily is full-time at Canterbury Christ Church in Medway and works a lot of hours. I think it is nice for us as parents and is really reflective of us."
Emma Page / SWNS
After Isaac's birth - and a warning from doctors - Emma and Spencer have decided not to have more children.
She said:
"I was told I could hemorrhage or get blood clots. But I have always been lucky and I have never had any complications."
The couple admit money is very tight, so they work extra hard to make sure their children do not go without - and saved £100 (~$130) a week to cover the expensive festive season.
SWNS
Emma said:
"Don't get me wrong, they aren't spoiled children and don't have anything during the year, except for birthdays and Christmas."
"We make sure they do their club. They don't get pocket money, but if they want to go out with friends we try to give them some - everything has to be scheduled so we know what we are budgeting for."
Emma does just one big grocery shop a month and doesn't "beat around the bush" when it comes to cooking.
She added:
"They don't have a choice - they all have the same, and it is easier for me."
SWNS
Despite admitting there is some tension in the house, everyone sticks together and supports each other.
The mom said:
"There is always going to be some sibling rivalry - but they are all pretty good and pull together when they need to."
"Five years ago, my dad had a massive brain aneurysm and it was quite tricky. I had to be at the hospital for six months everyday and they all just pulled together."
The family do not go out on many trips together but, when they do, Emma likes everyone to look the part.
She said:
"Two years ago, Spencer's dad got remarried so all the children dressed the same. I think it is really special when you have a big family to dress all of them the same."
Emma Page / SWNS
The family's French bulldog, Buster, and cat, Jess, add to the mayhem, but the pair are adamant that they prefer the mayhem to a quiet house.
In the future they hope to build a log cabin and a conservatory in the garden to give the kids more space as they get older.
But, for now, Isaac sleeps in his parents' room, five of the younger boys share, while Emily, Charlie and Daisy each have their own bedroom.
SWNS
Emma said:
"We don't ever regret having ten children, but we just hate people who judge us."
Husband Spencer added:
"I wouldn't change it for the world. At the end of the day, it was our choice to have this many children and we are very lucky to have them."
I can remember a vivid day when my babysitter took me to the park to those long-necked ducks.
She gave me the whole loaf and I didn't have the tools of self-preservation to drop the thing and run.
To this day I shutter around ostriches. Zoos are a problem.
Redditor En-tre-pre-neur had some thoughts.
So they asked:
"Redditors, what is your earliest memory?"
Flipper
Happy Brain GIFGiphy"Walking up to a stranger on a ferry that was wearing the same (very obscure) jumper as my dad, hugging him and loudly proclaiming "daddy I saw a dolphin!'"
trustmeimweird
Flocks
"My parents took my to the park. Now, my mum is terrified of birds, including ducks. As in, she will scream if they come near her. I remember suddenly a flock of ducks, swans, geese, all of those water birds, suddenly coming towards us. My mum? She let go of my hand and ran off screaming. My dad? Went after my mum. Me? Well, I became duck food."
holipops
Just Sleep
"Being told to go for a nap (I was around 2-3 at the time), and I refused because I wanted to keep playing & was being defiant. My Dad repeatedly put me in my bed and said that I'll feel better if I lied down for a bit. I fell asleep and he woke me up 2 hours later. And shocker, I felt better. Lol."
zariaah
Daddy Help!
"When I was little, my dad used to trim the elderly neighbors trees whenever they needed. One day I was there, just sitting on the garden of this old lady while my dad was up in the tree cutting some limbs and the old lady's husband was holding his ladder. Both of them were wearing very similar plaid lumberjack-ish shirts and baseball caps. Then another neighbor's dog, a black and white pit bull of which I was always terrified, came running out of their house and in my direction."
"I ran to the old guy certain that he was my dad, legit screaming 'Daddy, daddy, protect me!' He handled it very well, got me up from the ground and shooed the dog away. When I said thank you, I noticed my mistake and this is the very first instance of morbid shame I remember."
LeftSeater777
She didn't care...
"Can't remember the age this happened, but I remember feeling really sick for some unspecific reason. I told my mom and she went out to grab medicine for me at the local pharmacy. I really can't remember what symptoms I was feeling or what she intended to grab to help me."
"While she was out, I started feeling much better and felt bad that I made her go out and get medicine. I remember waiting for what felt like an eternity, sitting at the bottom of our stairs by our front door waiting for her to get home. When she got home I apologized because I told her I felt okay again and felt bad she ran out just to get something to help me."
"She didn't care. She was just happy that I didn't feel sick anymore."
NeutyBooty
She Bounced
Falls Down Dean Winters GIF by MayhemGiphy"My sister headdiving down the stairs when I was 2. Watched her from the bottom. She was fine, though."
Interferonno2fan
Nipped
"I was 3 years old and playing with a toy cow in the living room of my old house. My grandma’s poodle was there and I have no idea why, but I remember putting the cow down and sticking my pinky in the dog’s mouth. He lightly nipped me and I remember feeling how pointy his teeth were. I wasn’t hurt, just startled enough to learn not to do dumb crap like that again."
sherrykathryn
out of body experience...
"I would have between between 2-3 years old."
"I had always remembered it as an out of body experience. I was at my grandma's house walking around the pool alone (I know, it didn't take long for mum to find out and ban unsupervised visits with grandma) and I fell in, I remember it as if I was reaching in and saving myself from drowning somehow. It's really hard to explain."
"I told mum about this in the last few years and it turns out I was actually saving my brother from drowning, but it had also happened to me and she thinks I must have merged the memories somehow."
OlympicSpider
Drive
"This is kinda depressing, but my first clear memory is of my dad beating my mom until she fell on the kitchen floor. Then she got up and told me to get my doll and we got in the car and drove away from him. I was 3 at the most."
Molly_dog88888888
"As messed up as it is to say, I'm glad that I'm not the only one with an early memory of their dad beating their mom. Makes me feel like I wasn't as alone as I felt"
methylenebluestains
Calm Down
"When I was little I guess I got pink eye. My mother was trying to get me to calm down to have eye drops but I think I took it as a game for her to chase me."
"The only thing I really remember is my mother grabbing me and slam-dunking me onto the carpet; she held me down with her forearm and forced some eye drops in my eye while I just was still laughing and screaming."
"I would like to believe that my mom RKO’d so hard I gained consciousness."
ImReallyDrowsy
Get Out
new kids on the block dancing GIF by Jacob ShwirtzGiphy"I was in my crib and my brother was talking to me, but I couldn’t speak well enough to understand him. I remember being mad because he could climb in and out of the crib and I couldn’t."
Sethrial
My Bestie
"My 1-year-younger-than-me cousin was watching me eat a lollipop and got so confused when it was inside my mouth. She kept asking where it went! Then I took it out and showed her. Then I put it back in my mouth and she asked me again where it went. I was 3. She still my best friend 39 years later."
omgwhatisleft
The Drop
"My mom was spoon-feeding my infant brother and she dropped the spoon in a bowl of soup. I thought it was gone forever in an infinite ocean of soup, and I was amazed when she got it back out. I think that was me learning object permanence."
cointelpro_shill
On the Wall
"Siiiigh... alright one of my best friends tells this story to anyone that will listen, but my earliest memory Is of sitting on the bathroom floor while my mom was changing her tampon. My dad came in and yelled 'What are you doing?!' And she said, 'He’s not going to remember.' **earliest clear memory.** I think the earliest was of a drawing of a goat on a wall."
poonpeenpoon
All In
"I remember my grandfather letting me sit on his lap while he played poker with a bunch of other grandpas - and they let me eat all of the cookies I wanted. They smoked cigars and made faces at me. I remember thinking it was hilarious. All of my earliest memories are of him. He was always happy to see me and would pick me up and laugh. He died when I was 4."
dainty_flower
SMILE
"Sitting in one of those chairs where they feed you. I remember just being happy, and pure. My mom was feeding me, and my dad was sitting on a couch across me. I remember them smiling, and I remember being filled with love, no actual thoughts, just pure love for my parents. I think about that once in a while."
that-bass-guy
Trailer Houses
"Mine is so embarrassing! I remember running down the hall to the bathroom because I had wet my moms bed. I can distinctly see the hallway and the light was on at the end of the hall in the bathroom.We only lived there between me being 3 to 4 so it was sometime around that age."
"Then my next one is sneaking out of my uncle's house (where we were staying temporarily after leaving the place mentioned above) sneaking into my grandparent's house and trying to turn the tv on in the living room. The houses were like 20 feet apart, two trailer houses."
_fly-on-the-wall_
Out of Focus
"I was 2 years old and having kidney surgery, and I woke up half way through my surgery because the epidural came out of my spine (they had snapped the needle in my spine on the first go, which was great). I remember seeing them working on me, freaking out (as you do), and I managed to rip the line out of my hand which was pissing out with blood."
"I remember the excruciating pain that came with all of it as the epidural wore off. I remember pretty much my entire hospital stay, and damn near everything since then."
StaceyLades
huey764 asked, People who grew up with strict parents: what was the most unreasonable rule?
Submissions have been edited for clarity, context, and profanity.
My sister used to call farts "tushy talk"
GiphyMy Dad once heard my sister say "fart" and got really angry because it was not "ladylike" so he prohibited us using it. Instead we were to say "noise that came from behind" which made it even funnier to me.
These overbearing parents.
My (now) wife's parents wanted an itinerary of where we would be on every date (she was 19 at the time but still living at home).
I thought they were asking in a more general way so I answered "well we're headed to a show, then probably dinner. Maybe a coffee after."
Unacceptable.
Which show? What time would we be physically inside the venue? When did the show end? Which restaurant? What time will you be eating? Which coffee shop?
I was just like "ehhhh... hasn't really thought that far ahead. We'll let you know."
"she can't leave till we know."
I just made some sh*t up. Seemed to placate them. From that point on I would just rattle off some bullsh*t and do whatever we wanted.
Very weird people.
What grandma says, goes.
My grandma had a "no leaving the table until you eat your food" rule. Pretty reasonable, except she would prepare your plate, often with more food than you wanted.
One time she made me a chicken salad sandwich but the chicken salad had turned. She wouldn't let me leave, she just sat across from me to make sure I didn't get up until I ate it. This went on for hours, until my mom got off work and picked me up.
It wasn't even that strict a household, I think she liked control and this was one if the few arenas where she could exercise it.
Oh, the horror.
Listening to non-Christian music was punishable by being grounded for weeks.
This is... weird. No naps?!
GiphyI wasn't allowed to be in my room for an extended period of time except to go to bed at night. Also, no naps.
My laptop was required to stay in the living room at all times.
When I started commuting to college because dorms were expensive, I was required to report to my father and step-mother's room every day as soon as I came home, and they would yell at me if I didn't come up without being told every day.
Texts must be responded to immediately. My father threatened to report me as a missing person because he called me while I was on a shift that ended at 3AM and didn't text him back until the next morning.
One time, my step-mother asked for the full name, race, drug and crime history of a coworker whose house I was going to to play D&D. It was only a one-off event, but still super weird.
I'm sure there are more that I can't think of right now, but I've been No Contact with them for going on 8 months now and so it's been a while since I interacted with their craziness.
Wow. Yikes.
I was an unwanted child that my parents decided to keep out of pity as I was always told growing up. I wasn't allowed out of the house for anything other then school or family events. I couldn't see friends ever, wasn't allowed a phone until 16 which was only for emergencies and checking in when I got to school and when I left. I would get beat occasionally the worst was for a bit of poop not flushing. Everything had to be spotless, my bed had to be made by 7am. If I did something that didn't like I would never hear the end of how terrible I was.
No music while cleaning? Who's in charge, Ms. Hannigan?
No music allowed when cleaning the house, because it would "distract" us.
Also, not allowed to do anything with friends on a Sunday because it was "family day" (even though we never did anything as a family and just stayed shut in our rooms).
More fart restrictions. "Fluffs?" Really?
Among other stupid, non-sensical rules.... until I moved out at 17, I wasn't allowed to say "fart" because it's a "swear word". If I needed to talk about farts, I had to call them "fluffs". My best friend and I would kill ourselves over how silly this was.
Im 26 now and as much as my parents are proud of me for my life accomplishments so far, I know they're not proud of me for having a VERY extensive, dirty vocabulary. Feels good to prove to them I can talk like a degenerate and be successful.
This is how the best Redditors are made.
I was never allowed out with my friends, after school, the weekends, the holidays etc. I stopped being invited out after a while and internet became my friend, might explain why i prefer online company.
No snacks, no freedom.
GiphyLocks on the fridge and pantry. Bars on the windows. Wasn't allowed to have the computer password.
Evolution - bad.
There were a lot of TV shows I wasn't allowed to watch. Mainly things like Pokemon because it obviously promotes evolution. The big one though is I wasn't allowed to get my driver's license. I had to learn how to operate a car and drive in case of emergencies but was not allowed to get my license. There were extreme amounts of bitching and whining when I needed to be picked up late due to my after school activities or be dropped off at a Saturday competition. Then I was the ungrateful one if I complained about them yelling at me for having to go to an event, for a school activity they signed me up for, that I didn't want to do in the first place.
No longer a prisoner.
16 year old me: "Can I go to the coffee shop with some friends? I'm done with all homework and I promise to be back by bed time."
Dad: "No. You already went out once this week."
That was actually the last straw, because he made that rule up on the spot and doubtlessly had every intention of enforcing it. I snuck out my window and left home. He found me a couple days later and it turned out, after talking to his cop buddies, that he couldn't have them arrest me unless I was found breaking laws. I agreed to talk to him and my stepmother, whereupon they told me I could either live by their rules or not live there again. No brained for me - packed a couple bags of favorite clothes and got the f out.
This stepmother from Hell.
Step mother tried to boot myself (14 female) and my bro (12 male) out because she didn't want us living with her. Dad realised if that happened, he would end up dealing with child services etc. So he "compromised".
As the female, I was allowed to still be living in the house but had to remain in my bedroom unless asked to come out for dinner. I had to ask to use the bathroom. My door had to be open at all times and no phone allowed. I was never allowed to be given cash so all of my stuff (school bus tickets, sanitary products etc) were bought for me. I often went without lunch as she wouldn't make it for us (only her son) and we weren't allowed in the kitchen. A teacher at school worked this out pretty quick and started bringing me food each day.
My bro was not allowed in the house. He lived in a van (I mean a literal work van) around the side and had allocated shower and bathroom times. He had to eat outside. He thought it was cool.
One day when I was 15, the police came to my school and said I couldn't go home as my bro had done something to set her off and she had chased him up the street with a broom, then come back in and trashed my room and the van with an axe.
EDIT: lots of comments have asked what happened next. No consequences for her but we weren't allowed back in the house and she obtained restraining orders on us coming to the house...I'm still not quite sure how as I did nothing! Dad paid for an apartment and we both lived in that - he would visit once a week to take us food shopping. This lasted until I was 16 and someone tried to break in while I was home alone and I rang my 17yo BF in a panic. He came over with his dad who sussed things out pretty quickly and I went home with them where I stayed for the rest of high school and uni as his girlfriend initially and then as a boarder.
I am now a teacher who works with disadvantaged youth and use my experiences to inform my support for them. My bro has not coped as well (partly due to personality and also being younger than I was) and is a drug addict who I have very little contact with after he stole from me repeatedly as an adult.
Dad and step mother stayed married for 20 years. He left her last year, they are divorced now and he's about to marry a Chinese lady I've never met.
What's up with all this lack of privacy?
Not allowed to close the door of my room from my 15 to my 18?
