Embarrassing things our parents did when we were growing up

[Anonymous]

My mother wears dentures. As do her siblings. When she was growing up and they stayed out too late my grandmother would take their teeth away. So they'd stay home.

But my embarrassing moments would be when my mother would talk without her partial. Her gums flapping. I do think she is on the spectrum, with some of the outrageous things she'd do. (No filter. Insulting my friends, etc)

[Anonymous]

Definately found it embarrassing that I had to answer my parents with
yes sir, no sir, or yes ma'am or no ma'am when answering them and all other adults.

When my friends came over they always teased me about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wanted my 1st bra. She took me to Woolworths and held the cup of the bra to my chest to see if it would fit. I was so embarrassed.

When it was time for my first bra the sales lady said “I’m not sure she needs one yet” and my mom said “you can’t tell under her bulky clothes” and reached over and pulled up my sweatshirt / shirt and FLASHED the sales lady with my 9 or 10 yr old buds in the dept store.

When I was 13 or so at the library with her she asked the librarian where she could find books on erectile disfunction.

In my early 20s we were leaving a parking garage on Christmas Eve. She said to the parking attendant “Feliz navidad!” If I were to guess, the parking attendant was probably of south Asian ancestry and probably spoke English and probably didn’t speak Spanish. It was mortifying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wanted my 1st bra. She took me to Woolworths and held the cup of the bra to my chest to see if it would fit. I was so embarrassed.

When it was time for my first bra the sales lady said “I’m not sure she needs one yet” and my mom said “you can’t tell under her bulky clothes” and reached over and pulled up my sweatshirt / shirt and FLASHED the sales lady with my 9 or 10 yr old buds in the dept store.

When I was 13 or so at the library with her she asked the librarian where she could find books on erectile disfunction.

In my early 20s we were leaving a parking garage on Christmas Eve. She said to the parking attendant “Feliz navidad!” If I were to guess, the parking attendant was probably of south Asian ancestry and probably spoke English and probably didn’t speak Spanish. It was mortifying.

Flashing a salesperson is not ok! Who wouldn’t be embarrassed by that?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We took a family picture in front of the entrance sign for every national park we visited.

My mom made our clothes (bad enough) and had us model them in local fashion shows hosted by the fabric store.

You were embarrassed because your mother loved you enough to sew clothes for you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My dad got a hideous Hawaiian shirt to wear on special occasions. It had hula girls and triceratops trying to eat them up. My little brothers thought it was the greatest.

That sounds amazing

It really was. I wish he still had it. But triceratops is a vegetarian and the obvious incorrectness of it embarrassed me when I was 7.

Cheer up because most of us had no idea triceratops was vegetarian. I would love to see that shirt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not parents, but one day DW and I were in Costco in the area near the pharmacy. I was at one end of the aisle and she was towards the other end. I held a Costco-sized box of Depends above my head and asked her, in a slightly raised voice, if these were the right Depends she needed.

A black guy in the aisle couldn't help but snicker.

Plot twist: She doesn't use Depends.

Hilarious story, but very weird to mention that the other guy in the aisle was Black…

Oh, please. Give it a blinking break!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mom used to wear an umbrella hat to soccer games in the 80s.


https://www.walmart.com/ip/4-Pack-Rainbow-Umbrella-Hat-Cap-Hands-Free-with-Head-Strap-for-Sun-Rain/845548740

Do you see this now as a sweet memory? My dad wrore that hat with a straw and hung 2 soda cans on it. It was hot and my games were long. He also probably did it just because he knew it would embarrass me. Now I think back so fondly. He died of skin cancer a few years back, all those years sitting in the sun watching me play. Whenever the guilt starts to creep in, I look at his stupid hat and smile. My dad loved me.

I don’t see it as a sweet memory. It’s embarrassing stuff like this my mom did that made my siblings and I outcasts at our school. I’m sorry about your dad.

The only thing embarrassing is your poor grammar.

No. Eff off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When my Dad was moving me into my freshman dorm we were in the elevator with a boy who was carrying an electric piano. Dad said, "Oh - this is my daughter - she's a musician too! Maybe you two can make beautiful music together!" Mortified. (It was usually my Mom who did the embarrassing; this was rare.)

Recently my son met a cute Kindergarten girl on the playground and when I overheard him telling her he was was "almost five" I reflexively called out, "NO YOU'RE NOT, YOU'RE ONLY THREE!" and he was like, "MOOOOOOOOM STOP IT!" Oops.

This is the cutest!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think we were one of the only families where the kids had to answer all adults with yes sir, no sir and yes maam, no maam. I hated it but my parents were really strict about it. We would get in so much trouble if we did not comply.

I was taught this and also taught my children the same. It is a sign of respect to older people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Definately found it embarrassing that I had to answer my parents with
yes sir, no sir, or yes ma'am or no ma'am when answering them and all other adults.

When my friends came over they always teased me about it.

Your friends had no manners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not parents, but one day DW and I were in Costco in the area near the pharmacy. I was at one end of the aisle and she was towards the other end. I held a Costco-sized box of Depends above my head and asked her, in a slightly raised voice, if these were the right Depends she needed.

A black guy in the aisle couldn't help but snicker.

Plot twist: She doesn't use Depends.

You're massive jerk...and a loser.

A). Why does it matter if the guy was black?
B). Way to shame anyone who might need Depends--maybe you will too one day
C). How original and funny. I'm sure you have all the 9 yr olds cracking up. Or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think we were one of the only families where the kids had to answer all adults with yes sir, no sir and yes maam, no maam. I hated it but my parents were really strict about it. We would get in so much trouble if we did not comply.

I was taught this and also taught my children the same. It is a sign of respect to older people.

No, it's cultural. I'm in my mid 50s, and the only place I ever encountered this was in the deep/rural south. I was always taught to say "Yes Mrs Jones, No Dr. Smith". Same for my kids. I find the sir/ma'am weirdly obsequious and servile. YMMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:White New Balances. Enough said

Those are cool now

All of my kids have white leather Nike shoes and I call them grandpa shoes. I just can’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:White New Balances. Enough said

Those are cool now

All of my kids have white leather Nike shoes and I call them grandpa shoes. I just can’t.

Yeah. My dad wore the big white New Balance type shoes with his black dress socks and shorts. When I was around 2nd grade my mom convinced him to at least wear white athletic tube socks. He only wore shorts when he was helping coach my softball team. He was so awkward physically. He could barely run (although he was good at playing catch and he knew the game well, so he was good at instruction). But I was embarrassed that he just had no coordination in running after the ball and he also made terrible dad jokes. Softball was K-8th with mostly the same group of girls.

But I could always tell my teammates liked him. And when I was a senior in HS a couple of my old teammates told me they liked him because he was kind and encouraging where the main coach was stern a kind of a jerk.