Uniquely Odd: 12 Family Quirks That Make You Roll Your Eyes
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Let’s be honest. We all have weird quirks that we either have always done or learned from our family. These quirks can sometimes stay with us forever, or we quickly realize growing up that people look at us a little strangely when we mention the quirk or do it. Some people and families have stranger quirks than others. What weird quirk does your family have?
“They Get That From Me!”
One Redditor wrote, “My grandad was a very forceful character and also a very bright man. Whenever anyone did anything smart, he’d say, “He/she got that from me.” He died ten years ago, but we still reference that when something good happens, but through osmosis, it now has spread to non-blood relatives and inanimate objects. My cousin’s kid does a good drawing? Yup, got that from Opa Herman. My cousin’s wife gets promoted? Clearly, thanks to Opa Herman. My car goes through the MoT with no problem. Opa Herman!”
Another Redditor added, “This is hilarious, I do this too. I adopted my oldest daughter, she has 2 kids, and every time they do something smart or cool, I always say “they get that from me.”
Unneeded Accents
A user replied, “My little brother used to watch a lot of tv, but we didn’t realize what an impact it was having on him until he sincerely called a grocery cart a trolley. For some reason, he’d been watching the BBC almost exclusively.”
A second user responded, “Didn’t realize the impact Peppa Pig and Ben and Holly were having on my kids until I heard the terms “ice lolly” And “zebra” with a short e.”
Light Signals
A popular comment was, “Whenever we drop someone off at their house at night, we have them flicker on and off the front porch light to signal they are okay (in case of an intruder).”
Another comment read, “I do this too! I want to make sure they aren’t locked out or something. I hate when people just drop off and leave without checking that they made it in!”
Present Traditions
A Redditor replied, “Once my younger sister stopped believing in Santa (around 15 years ago) my parents started making our Christmas presents from dogs that we knew – our dog, our cousin’s dog, our neighbor’s dog.”
A second Redditor responded, “My family does this too. I get a present from all three of my cats, and even my fish.”
Jeopardy Nightly
One popular comment read, “Jeopardy every night. We always set it to record because sometimes we don’t have time to watch it when it airs. Now we don’t give the answer in the form of a question or keep score, it’s not that extreme, but the person that gets final jeopardy gets high fives. When I’m away at school, my mom texts me the final jeopardy question, so I still get to play a little when I’m away.”
A second user added, “We play psychic Jeopardy. When the category for final jeopardy is announced, you have to give your response during the commercial break before the answer/question is revealed. Winning psychic jeopardy is amazing.”
Code Words
One Redditor replied, “When more guests arrive than expected, mom uses a secret code for dad and me, that is- FHB (Family Hold Back). This is done so that we eat less, and the extra unexpected guests don’t run out of food.”
Another Redditor added, “My family does something similar! When we have guests, there’s normal food and MIK food (more in kitchen), which is the signal that it’s ok to take more since we aren’t going to run out.”
Say Goodnight
One confused user wrote, “You have to say goodnight to everyone in the house before you go to bed. If they’re already asleep, you have to say it outside of their door just in case they may still be awake to hear it. I never thought anything of this until I spent the night at my ex’s house, and I wanted to say goodnight to his roommates. I seriously thought everyone did this.”
Another user replied, “My family does this, too! Not when people are asleep, but otherwise, you go around the house saying goodnight. Also, if you weren’t the only one home, you would always tell others where you were going (even as adults). When I started dating my fiancé, I thought it was so rude that he’d just leave the house and not say goodbye to his parents.”
Birthday Songs
A popular comment was, “Any time it is someone’s birthday, we purposefully sing as badly as we can. It is hilarious. My mom usually ends up aggressively coughing because she thinks that is funnier than singing.”
Another most-liked comment read, “Oh god. My family goes to great lengths to sing happy birthday as loudly and dramatically as possible, and it’s always the best part of anyone’s birthday.”
Weird Noises
One Redditor wrote, “We have a distinct whistle to locate ourselves in places like stores or supermarkets. Mostly useful when we’re traveling outside the country and have no phone service.”
Another Redditor replied, “My family too!! I have a specific whistle call that I respond to, and my mom and Dad each have their own as well. It gets us a few funny looks in stores, but we always find each other!”
Goodbye Signals
A user commented, “Whenever you go to leave the driveway after a big event at our house, you ALWAYS give 2 quick little honks, kind of a last goodbye to the people in the house.”
A second user responded, “When I was younger, and my dad used to leave for work, I’d wait at the window, and he’d put on his hazard lights for a couple of flashes as he drove up the road to ‘wave’ bye at me.”
Pacing
A funny comment was, “We all pace like caged tigers when we talk on the phone, especially me and my brother. A long phone conversation is practically exercise.”
Another Redditor continued with, “Yes! I seriously thought I was the only one. However, it’s become limited where I currently live because some rooms have bad service. If I’m not aggressively pacing, I’m at least wandering around into rooms we rarely use.”
Nicknames
A Redditor wrote, “Wierd nicknames that have just stuck there. We all know what they mean but never want to use the proper word. Guacamole = guacamuck. Dad = Papa Rambo. Felethone = telephone.”
A second Redditor replied, “Until I was 23, I thought Tupperware was called “Mctainers” instead of containers. My parents still have never justified why they have always only called them that to the point I still slip up and call them Mctainers regularly.”
Redditor families sure have a lot of funny and weird family quirks. More from Motherhood Life Balance:
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