40 Strange Unwritten Household Rules People Grew Up With

While growing up we have to abide by the unwritten rules of our respective households. We don’t often think about them and follow them mindlessly to a point where even the most absurd rules become normalized. However, when we get older and find out how others operate within their own homes, we realize that maybe those rules are a little strange and outsiders would consider them quite bizarre. Redditors have recently been sharing their own odd little household rules that would make no sense to outsiders. We’ve gathered the most amusing ones to share with you in the gallery below.

#1 If someone is voluntarily doing a chore, no one shall tell them how to do it differently unless damage is going to be incurred. If unsolicited advice is given without the intent to actively roll up sleeves and help, the task then belongs to the giver of the unsolicited advice.

#2 If a cat meows at you, you meow back. It’s impolite not to answer.

#3 We mute all tv commercials.

#4 Do not touch the cat. If she comes to you, fine. But do not walk over to her or chase her. She’s old and the cat has enough trauma from just existing.

Not that anything bad has happened to her. She’s just one if those cats that’s extremely slow to trust and moving too fast gives her Vietnam flashbacks. .

#5 If you get ice from the freezer for whatever reason, you must pay the ice tax to the dogs.

#6 The loud noise and I’m ok rules.

If you know you’re going to make a loud noise, say dropping a heavy bag down the stairs you had to yell “loud noise” to warn everyone that the noise was coming and planned

If you made a loud noise unplanned you had to yell “I’m OK” so no one came running or did come running I’d you were NOT ok. Side note this rule was created when grandpa dropped a toilet on his finger.

#7 When you’re sitting down and you’ve misplaced something small (phone, remote control, etc.) you must get up and check under your butt before asking anyone else if they’ve seen the thing.

#8 REPLENISH!! Chilled drinks- if you take the last of a drink category from the fridge (soda, beer, snapple, sparking water), you must add more. Demonstrate courtesy for those who come after you.

#9 Replacing the trash bag IS PART OF taking out the trash.

#10 If you are going to use the kitchen tongs you must perform an OSHA approved test click to ensure that they are functional.

#11 When someone shows you the eggs the chickens laid today, you mist admire them and say ‘eggknowledged’.

#12 When I was a kid, we had the “Bernie” rule. Whoever had the worst manners at dinner was “Bernie” (short for St. Bernard like the big messy dog) and had to do the dishes.

One time my brother farted at the table and my dad proclaimed, “You are Bernie. Nobody can take that from you tonight.” So I decided to test that proclamation. I proceeded to put my feet on the table, and that night I learned that there could actually be two Bernies and we both had to clean the kitchen.

#13 When you use the last paper towel from the roll you have to take the cardboard tube and yell “do-ta-do” in it and then give it to the dog when he comes running so he can shred it!

#14 When removing eggs from the carton, all remaining eggs must be arranged symmetrically. A pattern is preferred.

#15 No big light.

#16 Pet the bunny and give him a treat before you proceed.

Its his rule actually. He’s very old so I let him go.

#17 If you have a cat on your lap and want something from the kitchen someone else has to get it for you. Cat must not be disturbed.

#18 Either my wife or I can do any chore when noticed. We thank each other for routine chores as we appreciate each other.

#19 Where do you want to go for dinner? How about place A? If you say no, then you have to suggest another place. You can’t just shoot down all the ideas.

#20 Toilet lid ALWAYS CLOSED. (Except in use of course). Keeps the dogs and cats from drinking out of it.

#21 If the cat stretches or yawns, you must say “ohhh big stretch/yawn”.

#23 You have to choose the topic of your fortune cookie before you read it. “this is about my new job” many a big life decision has been made this way.

Inside spiders are named Franklin. Outside spiders are named Fronklin. They are all good boys.

#24 If anyone arrives home from an evening out later than they said they would, that person has to come in bearing snacks.

#25 If you tell me you can’t find something after I’ve told you EXACTLY WHERE IT IS, and I walk over there and find it EXACTLY WHERE I TOLD YOU IT WAS, I get to hit you with it.

#26 Bandit, our aged Great Dane, gets the cushion on the far right of the orange couch. No exceptions, no asking him to move, that’s his spot.

#27 Wash your hands upon getting home. The outside world be nasty.

#28 Everyone at home must instantly drop what they are doing and run to the kitchen when groceries arrive. One person to help empty the car and everyone else starts putting stuff away. A text will be sent when the driver is close to home- all hands on deck!

#29 I guess ours is everyone eats. If it’s meal or snack time, and we have visitors, they’re offered a plate. We don’t ask them to leave or eat in front of them. When I was growing up, my dad went to the mountains to work M-F. My mother then left M-F as well (to the bar, d**g den or whatever). I was so lonely, I’d try to hang at the neighbors. They would send me home at meal time knowing I had no food, and no parents. This was the late 70s- early 80s. If we don’t have enough, everyone eats less.

#30 For us, the dog gets greeted before any human. no exceptions.

#31 So growing up, there were the “better” seats in the living room. And if you had one, and got up, someone would likely grab it. So my siblings and I used to do this thing where we would say “X Save” and even draw out the imaginary X on the seat. But one day my brother pretended he had a fake eraser and erased the fake X. And took the comfy seat. So now we say, “X Save No Erase.” And til this day, it’s just very natural thing to do/say, when we are together

It has also passed on to the youngest generation. But oddly, we only do it at my moms house. And we have longtime friends who even do it when they come over. I know it is funny, especially to outsiders. But it seems just so natural to all of us now that we hardly even notice we do it.

Here we are, we’ll into adulthood. And on holidays, we are watching like hawks to see if someone gets up and forgets to say it. Which rarely happens. And there are plenty of seats. At this point, it’s more of a game.

#32 The dog gets a seat at the table. After my grandad died, it was hard to see it empty. She saw her chance and took it, and now it’s officially her seat.

#33 The dinner table “Dumb Joke of the Day” rule.

When I was a child my father would tell a dumb joke at dinner every night. It was probably one of my best memories from an otherwise plain vanilla WASP suburbs childhood.

I did the same with my kids. Then when the internet was becoming more of a popular resource, I tasked each of my kids to take turns bringing a really dumb joke. It truly made dinner fun, because jokes are like potatoe chips – You can’t have just one. :-) And dumb jokes are frequently very funny in their own unique way.

Now many decades later these jokes have become a highlight of family gatherings as my adult children recall their favorites from the past 35 years. They too do it with their kids!

They also still text me stupid jokes when they find them. It keeps them in touch in a nice way.

Goofy, but it really worked well in a huge way for us.

#33 I (29f) live with three grown men (my partner and two roomies) and I guess ours is that no matter what happens the ship shall not sink. WiFi bill is due, who has the most money rn/is available to pay it. Dishes need to be done, who has the day off or has the energy to manage it. We all feed each other’s pets, water each others plants ? and there’s a huge amount of emotional permanence. We can confront one another about any issue cordially and have discussion. There’s almost never any yelling or hostility or pettiness.

#34 Sometimes, my cat will carry a ball toy into the room and meow loudly. As soon as she drops the ball, every human in the house must clap and go “Yaaayy!!” It is law.

#35 Cleaning the kitchen means you wash the counters and stove too as well as washing the dishes that don’t fit in the dishwasher. Loading the dishwasher is not a “clean kitchen”.

#36 My husband and I have a large mug that says “as I suspected I was right all along”. When one of us has an “I told you so moment” the other says “you get the mug tonight”. We love the laughs we have when one of us turns the corner with that big a*s mug lookin smug while the other has a regular “pity” mug haha.

#37 I don’t allow anyone, family or friends to wash dishes if I invite them to dinner. Best believe it’s because I’m gonna not wash a thing at their homes. Too many times the women are cleaning up while the men hang out.

#38 If you fail to check for toilet paper before sitting down to number two, I will get it for you, but it will be thrown through the door as hard as humanly possible. Multiple rolls, Ideally at your head.

My kids now do this to each other too. I smile inside every time I hear screams from the toilet downstairs.

I hope it becomes a tradition handed down over many generations.

#39 In our household, the unwritten rule is that you must perform a full interpretive dance routine to earn the right to use the TV remote. It keeps the peace and provides nightly entertainment.

#40 No sound on when using a device, phone / iPad etc, in the living room.

No exceptions. Visitors included. Both of our Mum’s are the most flagrant breakers of the rule and get a lot of stick from our kids (teens and older) when they do.

Shanilou Perera

Shanilou has always loved reading and learning about the world we live in. While she enjoys fictional books and stories just as much, since childhood she was especially fascinated by encyclopaedias and strangely enough, self-help books. As a kid, she spent most of her time consuming as much knowledge as she could get her hands on and could always be found at the library. Now, she still enjoys finding out about all the amazing things that surround us in our day-to-day lives and is blessed to be able to write about them to share with the whole world as a profession.