The funny and terrifying things our parents used to say

As a child, the things our parents would come out with were simply annoying and most likely embarrassing. But looking back now, it’s funny to think about those classic lines that would scare us silly – and many of them have even stood the test of time.

Without the help of the internet, kids in the ’50s and ’60s weren’t exactly able to fact check any old wives tales, so when your mother told you to stop making that face or the wind would change and it’ll be stuck like that forever, you most likely believed it. The same goes for mothers telling kids to eat their crusts or their hair would go curly. It was definitely enough to get kids to finish every last bit of their homemade sandwich.

God forbid you ever stepped a toe out of line, after all, getting in trouble seemed like the end of the world as a kid. Letting a curse word slip in front of your parents meant the threat of having your mouth washed out with soap and an unfair punishment was met with the sentence, “This hurts me more than it hurts you”.

But the worst threat of them all was when trouble happened in the absence of one parent. The sentence, “Just wait until your father gets home” was enough to stop any unruly tantrum.

Parents usually had a round about way of explaining things. For instance, if two items were exactly the same, your parents most likely would have described it as “six of one and half a dozen of the other” or if you failed to pay your parents enough appreciation or attention, they often came out with the phrase, “What am I, chopped liver?”

You might have heard your parents say, “You’re big enough and ugly enough” which generally meant “do it yourself” or if they weren’t in the best mood they would probably just enforce the, “I’m not asking, I’m telling” rule.

With not a lot of money to spare, parents tended to avoid spending by asking you, “Do you think money grows on trees?” or if you wanted something bigger they might sarcastically ask, “What do you think this is? Bush Week?”

And for those who are still wondering what Bush Week is, think of it as an imagined time when those from the Bush would head out to spend all their wages.

Whether you understood what your parents were saying or thought it was completely ridiculous, there’s no doubt plenty of sayings have stood the test of time and have most likely snuck into your vocabulary today!

Do you remember your parents saying any of these? What were your favourite sayings from when you were a kid?