30 Bizarre House Rules People Had To Follow At A Friend's Or Relative's House

"I was once forbidden from correctly pronouncing 'tortilla chips' because 'in this house we say our Ls.'"

Chelsi

• Published in Interesting
• July 8, 2024

"They had toilet paper outside the bathroom. If you had to pee you could take 1 piece. If you had to poop you got 5. Nothing more." This was one of the 4.2k responses to a r/AskReddit question.

The curious user wanted to know what strange rules people had to follow at a friend's or relative's house. While some responses had me itching to dial the authorities, most were simply bizarre.

As kids, it was typical for some of us to visit each other's houses. Those visits to our friend's or cousin's homes were our introduction to people's different ways of running their households.

It was where I learned that some people only drank room-temperature water, while our family favored chilled beverages. We were taught to be polite and respect the homeowner's rules as long as we were under their roof.

However, if a rule seemed unfair or ridiculous, we were warned not to return to the house again. The answers to, "What was the strangest rule you had to follow when at a friend’s house?" fell solidly into the ridiculous rule category.

Some of these rules were so far from the norm that even kids questioned their validity. Warning: some of these answers are stomach-turning due to their abusive themes and outright grossness.

1. The dad who forced his family and his children's friends to be night owls because he worked nights.

2. He who controls dinner time wields power, or something more patriarchal.

3. Does the obsession extend to their lawn mower?

4. That's how you attract bears.

5. If only they helped Mom clean, they could have been upstairs people, too.

6. "I'm whispering, 'coz I'm a singer." -Sabrina Carpenter, probably.

7. Math? Before I've had my coffee? Rude!

8. At no cost should this dad and that other dad meet. Their evil would create a rift in the universe.

9. Another contender for the patriarch of the dinner table. Does this title come with a crown or something?

10. Finally, a wholesome rule to break all the bleak sexist energy!

11. What happened for them to make that a rule?

12. Why did "kerplunk" have to be too onomatopoeic?

13. A former fire squid turned Good Place architect designed the house.

14. She did say nice, not kind.

15. They were reserved for a religious leader or a monarch, weren't they?

16. Maybe your mom was also scared of her.

17. Pretty sure this was a TV show. Only it was set in a random high school.

18. People have strong feelings about their beverages.

19. I'll take a thin blanket anytime over this.

20. What a way to end this anecdote.

21. What was the reason? Did they ever have soup?

22. That's one way to get a break from your kids.

23. Was the girlfriend as frugal as her father?

24. They were workshopping their cult.

25. "MIL, def not a friend." LMAO

26. Family traditions do make holidays special.

27. Ah, the rule was racism.

28. They were THE hangout spot.

29. Too many feelings over a remote. Sorry. "Thingamajig."

30. You can never be too vigilant, they say.

Not all homes are built equally as some are more... quirky than others. The abuela who made her grandkids' friends food and talked to them as they ate before they played was the story I chose to remember.

Some of the other answers were too horrifying to even think about. If you had to stay overnight in any of those homes, apart from the abuela's house, the Glee alternate universe, or the magical snack closet, which house would you choose?

Chelsi