parents' endearing habits and quirks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My father: wears a beret. Refers to men as fellows. Swears he's going to retire next year (he's 82).

My mom: Goes on my Amazon WishList and then calls me and runs down each item and asks me if I'm sure I want it. (Okay, this is actually pretty annoying). Keeps her clothes from the 60's because they are coming back in style.

refers to men as fellows. haha I love that

[Anonymous]

my dad is not a very adventurous eater. at all. but he wants everyone else to be. when we go out to eat, he encourages everyone else to order something that sounds interesting but then he orders the most basic/simple thing on the menu for himself. if others opt to get something basic too, he actually gets disappointed that 'no one got the _____, which is what this restaurant is famous for!" to which, of course, we reply, "dad, you could get it yourself" and he balks at that suggestion.

it's a fun little routine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK, I am very fortunate to have wonderful parents and in-laws. DH and I have just visited with both sets of our parents and we have noticed some of the funny things they do...what funny/endearing things do your parents do?

my dad: wears hats of all sorts for every occasion and just around the house, wears black socks with white tennis shoes, puts on CSPAN and takes a nap every afternoon, claims he "doesn't know how to order" and "no one ever helps him order" when we go to any restaurant that has a type of cuisine he's not familiar with (which is basically any non-American cuisine), going to get the mail is an event to be looked forward to and talked about on a daily basis

my mom: very-and I mean this sincerely, not in a sarcastic way-skilled at hunt and peck typing, has been known to watch an entire movie and then at the end if you ask her how she liked it she'll say "I'm not sure; I couldn't really hear anything they were saying," has to read every word of every single plaque, historical marker and signage of any type that she has ever come across in her life, never knows how to spell anything, including people's names and comes up w/ some very interesting spellings of her own

my MIL: adds extra letters and syllables to a lot of words, almost always calls with her comments after she sees a picture/status that my husband or I or another family member/friend posted on facebook instead of just writing a comment on facebook, if any place we are going is within a 5 mile radius, she will ask sincerely if we are going to walk or drive there and, if left to her own devices, would almost always just set out walking, even if she doesn't know how far a place is

my FIL: writes his entire e-mail in the subject line and then leaves the 'body' of the e-mail blank or just signs his name, will often just get up and leave the room while everyone else is having a conversation because he gets bored/wants to be alone/can't hear that well, he calls in advance of every holiday and my MIL's birthday to remind us to call her

haha that's what my parents do too! Anytime I post anything at all on facebook (which is probably about once a month, on average, so not too often), I know I can expect a call from my parents telling me 'what a nice picture!' or 'what do you mean by ______" in my status update.

they also will ask 'do you see so-and-so's posts on facebook?' or 'do you get so-and-so on facebook?' sometimes referring to people who I've never even heard of and I'll say 'who is that' and then they'll say 'she's really funny, you should put her on your facebook' or 'well, he is always posting the cutest things on facebook'

They are intrigued by facebook.

[Anonymous]

My mom and MIL make every store name possessive - Lord & Taylor's, Panera's, Subway's.

My mom can't pronounce or spell any word that is vaguely foreign; bistro, concierge, spells macaroni macorni and her next door neighbors' of 30 years last name. Neighbor has an easy to pronounce Italian name (think Rizzoli) but my mom says Rizzi- Allah. No, my mom's not foreign born, either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My mom does "the Google" begrudgingly, and refuses to shop online. She's so, so patient with everything else, but hates technology. She still doesn't even like her microwave. She calls Facebook "My Face," which actually seems a pretty apt name.

I have never seen my father not wear socks. We got him a pair of Keen's to wear in the summer, which he wears, but with white socks!

I adore them, but they drive me nuts.

My friend, who's in her 40s, calls it "The Facebook." It makes her sound ancient.

[Anonymous]

Upon retirement, my FIL decided he'd spend his days checking out as many movies per day as Blockbuster allowed and copying them for his home library.

FIL also spends an enormous amount of time doing major projects that are unbelievably complicated; installing replacement windows solo, repainting his car (in his garage with rented equipment), hoisting his home up to replace a sill plate (again with rented equipment), towing his own car (MIL drove lead very slowly while FIL steered the broken down auto).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They sound funny. Let's see...
my mom: goes to Costco or the grocery store about every day, stays up late watching television thinking my dad is still awake when he went to bed early, obsessed with yard work and dog hair
my dad: doesn't know how to go to the grocery store, doesn't know cars have buttons to open the gas tank lid, spends all his time acting as if he still has a career but he's been retired for a decade, sings the theme song to Cops
FIL: has the same taste in movies as a 5 yo boy, likes balloons
MIL: sorry, can't think of anything endearing

Best line ever. Seriously.

[Anonymous]

My MIL calls a handbag/purse of any shape and size 'a pocketbook'. Not sure where that comes from.

[Anonymous]

MIL: brings groceries with her every single time she visits (we live in DC, which does have grocery stores). She once brought us a giant ham that stayed in our fridge for ages until we realized we had no idea what to do with it. Only makes one cup of coffee at a time in our 12 pot coffee maker, drives my husband insane. Cleans our kitchen, but puts every item away someplace new. It's a little scavenger hunt after they leave.

FIL: Plays basketball in a Senior league, keeps trying to get the neighbor kids to play with him when he visits. Strictly a Coke drinker. Says to grandson, "Have I hugged you yet today? Give me a hug!" about a hundred times a day.

I adore them.

[Anonymous]

OP, my mom is just like your dad when it comes to ordering food at a restaurant. She "doesn't understand" what things are even though the menus are written in English. I'm not talking about food that is really out there--I'm talking mainstream/chain Mexican and Chinese restaurants. Which is why we always end up at Chili's...

[Anonymous]

My mom: So many to choose from.

She reads every piece of her mail word for word, including bills. It's great because she is on any rate hikes or utility changes like a hawk. Not so great is how she often reads "quietly" out loud to herself, which is actually quite audible for everyone else.

She does the daily jumble every day (the word bubble puzzle in the paper).

She leaves long pauses on her voicemail messages for me to respond. "Hi, how are you?" Long pause. "I was just checking to see if you wanted me to babysit for your anniversary." Long pause. Her messages take ages to get through.

She prints out every picture of the kids that we email her on her grainy color printer so she can stick them up in her kitchen. She loves them. If I get a bunch of photos printed, she will send them to all the other elderly relatives and keep her printouts.

She is 77 years old, and I love her so, so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My mom: So many to choose from.

She reads every piece of her mail word for word, including bills. It's great because she is on any rate hikes or utility changes like a hawk. Not so great is how she often reads "quietly" out loud to herself, which is actually quite audible for everyone else.

She does the daily jumble every day (the word bubble puzzle in the paper).

She leaves long pauses on her voicemail messages for me to respond. "Hi, how are you?" Long pause. "I was just checking to see if you wanted me to babysit for your anniversary." Long pause. Her messages take ages to get through.

She prints out every picture of the kids that we email her on her grainy color printer so she can stick them up in her kitchen. She loves them. If I get a bunch of photos printed, she will send them to all the other elderly relatives and keep her printouts.

She is 77 years old, and I love her so, so much.

Love this. What an amazing, awesome grandmother.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My father still think I am 12 even though I am 42. It used to bother me but now I just accept it.

Like bringing me candy when he comes over. Holding my hand when we walk anywhere there is traffic/cars. Stuff like that.

Its sweet.

SO cute! You are so fortunate to have such a nice dad!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My father still think I am 12 even though I am 42. It used to bother me but now I just accept it.

Like bringing me candy when he comes over. Holding my hand when we walk anywhere there is traffic/cars. Stuff like that.

Its sweet.

Aww, that is sweet!

+1. In his heart, you will always be his little girl. Those kind of fathers always have this special way of looking (sweet, loving) at their daughters. I know because my dad looks at my sisters and me that way (but not my brother) and my DH looks at my DD that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My MIL calls a handbag/purse of any shape and size 'a pocketbook'. Not sure where that comes from.

Must be a regional thing. I grew up calling it that. I'm from Philly; mom is from New York. She carried a "pocketbook" or a "purse" but never a "handbag."