Crazy shit your parents did

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Military officer dad, mid-1970s. My parents threw "work" parties once a month at our house. Free flowing booze and mixed drinks served all night. Dad's single brother was hired as bartender and he'd work behind the built in bar all night long. No sitters, just all three of us kids in the downstairs bedroom with a black and white portable tv. Oldest sister was the babysitter who'd escort us to the bathroom and fetch us sodas from our uncle.

I never could go to sleep. House too smoky and loud and parties would run into the early morning hours. Coffee would begin brewing around 11 and doled out to "sober up" the drunks who'd soon be driving home. If you refused coffee, you'd be offered "one for the road."

The party was over once the last guest left and mom began dumping out ashtrays.

Oh my gosh. I am sure my parents were at your parties. I remember when my dad's entire squadron was in town. (He was a Navy pilot.) My mom would bring out the crystal, have plated dinners for 15 scotch soaked men. Cigars and cigarettes everywhere. Irish coffee at 2 am so people could drive home. What the hell?

She always hired a sitter, and one time they found me in a corner at age 6 with a black ring around my mouth. I had eaten the entire plate of caviar my mom put out.

This doesnt surprise me. My parents are in their 60s and say they used to drive drunk all the time, it wasnt "bad back then"

Don't you love that excuse? My dad says that all the time. It wasn't that it wasn't bad, but rather there were few, if any, penalties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My mom would take the phone off the hook while I was out at a friend's or at school. There were so many times I needed her, but I'd just get a busy signal for hours. I'd be stuck at school all alone without a ride home, or at a friends house awkwardly over staying my welcome because I couldn't get a hold of my mom to come get me. So strange to me that she was fine with being completely unreachable and disconnected from her kid.

So what was she doing - crawling into a gin bottle for the afternoon?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
You know, I was born in 1971. I had so many horrible sun burns and one time that I can remember, sun poisoning. I've been wondering, did they not HAVE sunscreen in like, 1980???

I have to admit I get really, really, really pissed when I think about all the times I got a HORRIBLE sunburn as a kid -- as in, bright red back and shoulders, screamed if you touched me, had to sleep on my tummy, giant patches of skin flaking off.

WHAT THE FUCK were my parents and grandparents thinking? SUNSCREEN EXISTED THEN. My kids today have NEVER had to suffer that.

Fucking dumbasses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You know, I was born in 1971. I had so many horrible sun burns and one time that I can remember, sun poisoning. I've been wondering, did they not HAVE sunscreen in like, 1980???

I have to admit I get really, really, really pissed when I think about all the times I got a HORRIBLE sunburn as a kid -- as in, bright red back and shoulders, screamed if you touched me, had to sleep on my tummy, giant patches of skin flaking off.

WHAT THE FUCK were my parents and grandparents thinking? SUNSCREEN EXISTED THEN. My kids today have NEVER had to suffer that.

Fucking dumbasses.

I agree. I remember many times as a very young child crying in my bed at night after a day on th beach because I felt like my skin was on fire and the sheets hurt. And now, as an adult, I'm paying the price. I've had several precancerous spots/moles excised. They say the most dangerous sunburns are the ones you get as a kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You know, I was born in 1971. I had so many horrible sun burns and one time that I can remember, sun poisoning. I've been wondering, did they not HAVE sunscreen in like, 1980???

I have to admit I get really, really, really pissed when I think about all the times I got a HORRIBLE sunburn as a kid -- as in, bright red back and shoulders, screamed if you touched me, had to sleep on my tummy, giant patches of skin flaking off.

WHAT THE FUCK were my parents and grandparents thinking? SUNSCREEN EXISTED THEN. My kids today have NEVER had to suffer that.

Fucking dumbasses.

I agree. I remember many times as a very young child crying in my bed at night after a day on th beach because I felt like my skin was on fire and the sheets hurt. And now, as an adult, I'm paying the price. I've had several precancerous spots/moles excised. They say the most dangerous sunburns are the ones you get as a kid.

It was not until around 1980 that the relationship between sun exposure and skin cancer was understood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Military officer dad, mid-1970s. My parents threw "work" parties once a month at our house. Free flowing booze and mixed drinks served all night. Dad's single brother was hired as bartender and he'd work behind the built in bar all night long. No sitters, just all three of us kids in the downstairs bedroom with a black and white portable tv. Oldest sister was the babysitter who'd escort us to the bathroom and fetch us sodas from our uncle.

I never could go to sleep. House too smoky and loud and parties would run into the early morning hours. Coffee would begin brewing around 11 and doled out to "sober up" the drunks who'd soon be driving home. If you refused coffee, you'd be offered "one for the road."

The party was over once the last guest left and mom began dumping out ashtrays.

Oh my gosh. I am sure my parents were at your parties. I remember when my dad's entire squadron was in town. (He was a Navy pilot.) My mom would bring out the crystal, have plated dinners for 15 scotch soaked men. Cigars and cigarettes everywhere. Irish coffee at 2 am so people could drive home. What the hell?

She always hired a sitter, and one time they found me in a corner at age 6 with a black ring around my mouth. I had eaten the entire plate of caviar my mom put out.

This doesnt surprise me. My parents are in their 60s and say they used to drive drunk all the time, it wasnt "bad back then"

Don't you love that excuse? My dad says that all the time. It wasn't that it wasn't bad, but rather there were few, if any, penalties.

I am in my Mid 50's. The crackdown on drunk driving began in the late 70's. I remember it. It used to be if you were pulled over and too drunk to drive, the police might just drive you home (if there was not an accident). That was in the late 70's. MADD began in 1980. That was what accelerated the crackdown on drunk driving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So wait, I can't leave my 8 yo in the car for a quick errand? I'm seriously asking. Will I get arrested? Say CVS to pick a filled prescription or toilet paper (not shopping just one thing) or to the ATM? What about at the gas pump to pay for gas with cash when the window doesn't work? I do this and honestly didn't think it was wrong. It's not when it's hot out and not more than a few minutes.

I think you're fine. I've totally done that with my 8 and 5yo. Run into the post office to drop off a package, etc.

[Anonymous]

Hired a redneck high schooler as our full-time babysitter that became our longtime nanny. She was a heavy smoker, moonlighted at a strip club (ONLY as a waitress mind you), was the first person I got high with and then did so on a regular basis starting when I was 15. Used to sneak me out of my house to go to the diner at 2-3am. That was the "cool" stuff.

But in the early years her redneck boyfriend at the time sexually abused me regularly for at least a year. Possibly my sister too but I can't even bear to think about that.

Aside from the nanny- my dad had a stroke but refused to let me call 911. He instead made me call his "friend" (mistress...?) and I had to give her directions to our house from way across town so she could come get him and take him to the hospital. I was 9.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Now that I'm a parent, I can't believe the stuff my parents used to do. I know people say that when you have your own kids, you appreciate your parents more. Not me. Becoming a parent has made me realize the stuff my parents used to do to us was bordering on abuse. Some examples:

"Spanking" us with wire hangers, sticks, shoes, etc.
Making all three children share one bath towel so that the last person to take a shower had to use a sopping wet towel.
Making us all share clothes, including underwear, and wear shoes that were too small and/or full of holes.
Constantly telling us that we could go ahead and kill each other whenever we fought.
These are just some that stick out in my mind.

We were not poor, in fact, my mom regularly bought me gold jewelry for my birthday, etc. instead of toys (and would immediately take them back for safe keeping after I opened the present).

What crazy thing(s) do your parents do?

I tell my kids they can kill each other when they fight. So sick of trying to make them stop.

[Anonymous]

We weren't poor, but my mother served us crap like Spam.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mid teens and mom let me date guy in his 20s. WTF mom???

Similar. Dated at 19 at age 15. He also took me to a pub and bought me my first beer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You know, I was born in 1971. I had so many horrible sun burns and one time that I can remember, sun poisoning. I've been wondering, did they not HAVE sunscreen in like, 1980???

I have to admit I get really, really, really pissed when I think about all the times I got a HORRIBLE sunburn as a kid -- as in, bright red back and shoulders, screamed if you touched me, had to sleep on my tummy, giant patches of skin flaking off.

WHAT THE FUCK were my parents and grandparents thinking? SUNSCREEN EXISTED THEN. My kids today have NEVER had to suffer that.

Fucking dumbasses.

I have scars from sunburn on my face. I am 44, and went to a dermatologist to have everything checked. I am an absolute mess from childhood sun damage. Just had two procedures, and need one more. We grew up near a beach, and my parents never applied sunblock or put us in the shade. Still trying not to be pissed with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mom would take the phone off the hook while I was out at a friend's or at school. There were so many times I needed her, but I'd just get a busy signal for hours. I'd be stuck at school all alone without a ride home, or at a friends house awkwardly over staying my welcome because I couldn't get a hold of my mom to come get me. So strange to me that she was fine with being completely unreachable and disconnected from her kid.

So what was she doing - crawling into a gin bottle for the afternoon?

I've mentioned it to her more recently and she says maybe she was talking a nap, or had a migraine. It's so bizarre that she just checked out without making any arrangements for me to get home. I recall a period of time, many years, when she was extremely moody, screaming at me a lot, just generally always wanted me to leave her alone...in a mean, erratic, crazy way. I suspect maybe she was hooked on pills for her migraines (or "migraines"). Just a guess, based on a couple moms I know today addicted to narcotic pain pills, and their behavior.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I remember the day care/pre school I used to go to used to scream at kids, spank them, and wash their mouths out with soap if anyone was bad. All of us were between the ages of 3-5. Can't believe my parents sent me there.

Yes! I remember my babysitter (really in-home daycare, but I would go after preschool so I think I was 4?) having kids stand in the bathroom with a soap bar in their mouth. One time a kid bit me, and as punishment she tried to get me to bite him back. She'd also swat kids on the hands with a wooden spoon as punishment. During "nap time" we all had to lay down wherever (no beds or anything I don't think) and she'd watch the Young and the Restless. We'd get in big trouble if we got caught looking at the tv. We were supposed to face away from it while "sleeping".

I always make my mom feel bad about how mean that lady was. My mom thought she was fantastic because she didn't take any sh*t. I learned a healthy fear of authority under her care, that's for sure.

[Anonymous]

My dad (divorced) brought hookers and other women over while we "slept". he and his friends always did coke too.