parents' endearing habits and quirks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

well that is beyond quirky I'd say

[Anonymous]

I am trying to figure out how this thread was moved from off-topic to family relationships. Talking about your parent's and in-laws' quirkiness doesn't really have anything to do with your relationship to them. It's not commenting on parenting skills or family interactions, it's just observations.

[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.

PP , Give her a big hug from me!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mom always say "hey Danielle, it's your mom" on voicemails as though I wouldn't recognize her voice or caller ID

+1
My Dad would do this to me in college - shared answering machine..."Hello, this message is for {first name}{Last name} it's {first name} {last name}, your father....
Hilarious, as he's a totally informal guy..signs his cards to us with his full name, too..

I'd think up something about my mom - but I am becoming her in so many ways...

Ain't that the truth. Sometimes I hear my mom's voice come out of my mouth.

[Anonymous]

My dad sends me $2 bills in the mail. He gets them from doing National Family Opinion Surveys. He's been sending them to me since I left for college almost 20 years ago. I now have a daughter and not long after she was a born an envelope arrived, but it was addressed to her and it had the $2 bills in it. I was actually irrationally upset because a.) I was barely post partum and delusional from no sleep and b.) that was our thing! I called him crying and now he sends them to me again and sends her 50 cent pieces.

[Anonymous]

My dad eats spicy peppers with every meal. Breakfast: bite of egg, bite of jalepeno, bite of biscuit, bite of jalepeno.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

OMFG I'm dying laughing. Why are his pants on the coat rack?!

[Anonymous]

These are all so great. I'm giggling and getting teary all at the same time!

[Anonymous]

These posts are so great! Thanks for putting a smile on my face and showing the best side of this website.

Dad: prints out articles he finds online and files them, to be funny has always called sandwiches 'hamiches', his swear word of choice...'Judis', always has at least 2 gallons of vanilla ice cream on hand,

Mom: doesn't understand 'The Facebook' and asks if she is on it, never calls her kids by their given names always our nicknames, NEVER reads directions for any product or gadget but wants you to tell her how to operate it

MIL: cries when she laughs, calls everyone by their full/formal name, calls to remind her children of their siblings birthdays but has missed calling on one of her kids' birthdays

FIL: yells when talking at normal tone, must be part of the phone conversation when he is not the person on the phone...more yelling, won't touch a computer or have anything to do with email

[Anonymous]

Nothing they do is endearing: they are my parents.

[Anonymous]

if my mom is on the phone w/ me she frequently pauses in the middle of saying something and then I'll realize it's because my dad is talking to her. If I'm talking to her at the same time my dad is she will say hold on, Dad's saying something. Every single time! I always tell her 'just tell dad you are on the phone!' she'll say 'oh he knows!' And most of the time he's talking about things like 'what are we going to have for lunch today' or 'hey, did you see this in the paper?' not anything pressing.

Actually, now that I write it out I think maybe this is more annoying than endearing haha. But I originally thought of it to post on this thread because I think of it as my dad's way of including me in their lives, since it makes it feel like I am there with them and not on the phone 1000s of miles away.

[Anonymous]

This thread is hilarious.

My MIL is the most optimistic person on earth. If you say to her "Joe broke his leg, isn't that sad?" She will literally say "well now that crutch maker on Leland Avenue will have some work, finally!"

She also tells these long convoluted stories about people she thinks we should know, even after we tell her we don't know them. "[DH], remember Johnny from high school? He had that red hair?" DH: "nope" MIL: "well I ran into his mother at the store and she said he works at the bank now! Isn't that amazing?!"

She still sends DH a letter in the mail every week. She writes about FIL in it ("dad and I went to the mall...") then signs it "love, mom and dad." She's the best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

OMFG I'm dying laughing. Why are his pants on the coat rack?!

He started doing this after my Mom died in 2005. He keeps the slacks he's going to wear for the next few days sownstairs. I mean he's 78, so maybe it's tied in with saying whatever you want at a certain age. My best friend says I always look like a deer-in-headlights.

[Anonymous]

I love this thread.

My mom:

- I have to call her everyday, at 815am. If I don't, or if I'm late, she thinks something is wrong/I'm dead in a ditch. Despite my assurances that my DH would in fact call her if I died.
- tells me very detailed stories about all of her friends - most of whom I've never met, and will likely never meet.
- calls Facebook face-space.
- sends packages addressed to her grandson - the cat. Using his full name.
- she loves to tell jokes, but can't ever get to the punch line because she starts laughing too hard halfway through.

My dad:

- always answers the phone with "is this my daughter?" when I call. Weird, but I think it's sweet,
- will not make any technology related purchases without my input. Even though I live 4 hours away. And two of my siblings live within hollering distance. He waits for me.
- when it snows, he always calls to remind me to be careful if I have to drive. I'm 31, and have been driving in the snow for half if my life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love this thread.

My mom:

- I have to call her everyday, at 815am. If I don't, or if I'm late, she thinks something is wrong/I'm dead in a ditch. Despite my assurances that my DH would in fact call her if I died.
- tells me very detailed stories about all of her friends - most of whom I've never met, and will likely never meet.
- calls Facebook face-space.
- sends packages addressed to her grandson - the cat. Using his full name.
- she loves to tell jokes, but can't ever get to the punch line because she starts laughing too hard halfway through.

My dad:

- always answers the phone with "is this my daughter?" when I call. Weird, but I think it's sweet,
- will not make any technology related purchases without my input. Even though I live 4 hours away. And two of my siblings live within hollering distance. He waits for me.
- when it snows, he always calls to remind me to be careful if I have to drive. I'm 31, and have been driving in the snow for half if my life.

Oh my gosh your parents are adorable! Face-space!!