parents' endearing habits and quirks

[Anonymous]

Dad: forwards chain email, prints out joke emails and stores them in a manila folder to read aloud to us at family gathering, pens most email exclusively in ALL CAPS

Mom: engages in detailed discussions about recipes she'll likely never make, reads out ingredient lists, earmarks Southern Living, etc... "1/4 olive oil, 1 TBSP cilantro, 1/2 tsp grapefruit zest, 1 avocado... doesn't this sound delicious!"

I know I will cry like a baby when either of them depart and I am rummaging through their beloved joke & recipe keepsakes.

[Anonymous]

Whenever my dad sees a marching band, he calls out to them to play "Rockytop." He lives in New Orleans, so he sees a LOT of marching bands. And he's never quite grasped the fact that marching bands don't take requests!

He also doesn't believe in valet parking and is uncomfortable with the concept of restaurant reservations (he's kind of a pinko).

At restaurants, he generally leaves a fake name. At least he remembers what it is, so we don't loose our table when the hostess calls us.

My mother loves to read and go to the movies, but she never remembers much about them once she's done. It works well if you want to go see a movie she's already seen - she's probably forgotten much of the plot.

She also went through a phase where she was obsessed with "Law and Order." She had dozens of videotapes full of episodes she'd recorded. A few years ago, we finally pointed out that they no longer owned a VCR, and maybe she could get rid of the tapes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dad: forwards chain email, prints out joke emails and stores them in a manila folder to read aloud to us at family gathering, pens most email exclusively in ALL CAPS

Mom: engages in detailed discussions about recipes she'll likely never make, reads out ingredient lists, earmarks Southern Living, etc... "1/4 olive oil, 1 TBSP cilantro, 1/2 tsp grapefruit zest, 1 avocado... doesn't this sound delicious!"

I know I will cry like a baby when either of them depart and I am rummaging through their beloved joke & recipe keepsakes.

Haha! My dad used to call me & when I'd answer he wouldn't even say hi or anything, but he'd just tell me a joke. Usually a pun or something along those lines. Sometimes I wouldnt even realize I was hearing a joke until he got to the punchline. Now I'm in a habit of telling my ds jokes all the time. Every time I hear a good joke I think of my dad!

[Anonymous]

My dad calls people "turkeys" if they do something foolish. That always makes me giggle.

My mom is gone now, but she always reminded me of my brothers' birthdays (I never forgot anyway, our family is like that). She never left the house without lipstick on. She babytalked to me for pretty much my whole life. Rest in peace, Mom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

+1

WORD. I feel your pain. If I have to hear about who has what ailments (including strangers), I am going to scream.

My dad: would pretend he was asleep after dinner, in front of the t.v., and surprise me with a headlock as I walked past. So many "dadisms". Thanks for the post, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My mom only buys drug store glasses instead of taking her butt to the optometrist.

MIL buys DS the most cluttered and gaudiest clothes (of course she still wears them). Sweet and thoughtful but what the heck is wrong with solid color shirt?

FIL gets mad that our visits are short but when we visit he leaves or stays in another room. He just wants us in his vicinity but doesn't want to talk to us .

I buy drug store glasses, too. It was actually my optometrist who suggested it since my prescription is simple. Wish I'd known earlier - was used to paying $200+ for a pair.

Speaking of gaudy...my MIL once bought my husband a huge lime green recliner and had it delivered to his condo as a surprise. He was horrified and so glad when it broke down.

[Anonymous]

whenever we have a party, my dad comes downstairs in just his underwear (boxers and a white t) and then proceeds to put his pants on in front of everyone, because he leaves them on the coat rack.

[Anonymous]

Whenever my grandmother or my Mom got angry at me or my sister, it would take them like 5 minutes going through the names of everyone in the family and all the pets before they got to my name. By then they'd forget what they were angry at me for...

[Anonymous]

After the Taco Bell commercial where the chihuahua said "Correctemundo"...my Mom added -mundo to everything: yesemundi, no-emundo, cutemundo, whyemundo... I really miss her

[Anonymous]

My FIL sends an updated picture of himself every year in his Christmas card and signs his full name.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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).

Your FIL will probably live to be a hundred! Good brain exercise to constantly be taking on new and various projects.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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).

Your FIL will probably live to be a hundred! Good brain exercise to constantly be taking on new and various projects.

+1

My dad would have, too. I love this. I loved how my parents used to actually do Sunday drives and errands together on the weekends. (Does that count?)

[Anonymous]

My Dad calls jeans "dungarees", shopping carts are "buggies"

My mom passed away two years ago. He calls me by her name all the time. He has dementia so I feel bad about correcting him. I just go with it now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My Dad calls jeans "dungarees", shopping carts are "buggies"

My mom passed away two years ago. He calls me by her name all the time. He has dementia so I feel bad about correcting him. I just go with it now.

My grandmother called shopping carts Wagons

[Anonymous]

My mom knows and remembers every single detail about every person in her social circle (family, friends, neighbors, in laws + their relatives, grandchildren, grandchildren's friends, her mailman, her handyman, her landscaper, her physician) and sends cards and genuinely cares about all of these people in her life.

I get weekly phone calls when she'll rattle off her neighbor's travel schedule and their weekend plans and then move onto what each of my sibling's families have going on...her capacity to get it all straight and recall it all amazes me.

Everyone loves her and she truly cares about everyone in her life. I traveled to my high school reunion last summer and all my classmates asked about my mom!