# Pick a bad habit for my daughter **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 20, 2006, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-bad-habit-for-my-daughter/353506 "2006-04-20T18:58:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-bad-habit-for-my-daughter/353506/21 "2006-04-21T06:31:55Z")
> [@Sal Ammoniac](#): > > If anybody can offer anything in the latter category that I can steer my daughter to, I’d be endlessly grateful. Steer her to? How exactly do you plan to do that? I’d love to hear a tape of _that_ conversation. ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-bad-habit-for-my-daughter/353506/22 "2006-04-21T13:15:34Z")
> [@Sal Ammoniac](#): > > Currently she’s cracking her knuckles, which I don’t mind so much myself, but it drives my wife crazy. Ha. Hallboy cracks his knuckles, back, toes, ankles and his NECK. I’ll trade you a full body cracker for a knuckles anyday. ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-bad-habit-for-my-daughter/353506/23 "2006-04-21T14:05:55Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > Steer her to? How exactly do you plan to do that? I’d love to hear a tape of _that_ conversation. I actually find bad habits more or less interchangeable. And highly learnable from the environment. Think of it this way – if you sat down to develop one of the bad habits mentioned in this thread, you could be hooked within days. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-bad-habit-for-my-daughter/353506/24 "2006-04-24T03:55:43Z")
> [@Sal Ammoniac](#): > > I actually find bad habits more or less interchangeable. And highly learnable from the environment. Think of it this way – if you sat down to develop one of the bad habits mentioned in this thread, you could be hooked within days. Yes but what daughter is going to listen to her father’s suggestion that she, for instance, start chewing her nails? “Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew gross, you’re disgusting Dad!” would be at the tame end of the spectrum, I’m thinking. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-bad-habit-for-my-daughter/353506/25 "2006-04-24T04:01:19Z")
> [@Sal Ammoniac](#): > > I actually find bad habits more or less interchangeable. And highly learnable from the environment. Think of it this way – if you sat down to develop one of the bad habits mentioned in this thread, you could be hooked within days. Yes but what daughter is going to listen to her father’s suggestion that she, for instance, start chewing her nails? “Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew gross, you’re disgusting Dad!” would be at the tame end of the spectrum, I’m thinking. ---
**Author:** ![myskepticsight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@myskepticsight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myskepticsight)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-bad-habit-for-my-daughter/353506/26 "2006-04-24T04:04:38Z")
I’m currently bouncing my right leg at high speed. I find myself doing it very often. Every once in awhile one of my friends will slam their hand down on my knee so I stop. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-bad-habit-for-my-daughter/353506/27 "2006-04-24T04:22:43Z")
My bad habit (which I think, and hope, is mostly unnoticed) is sucking my teeth. I’m always sucking them to try to keep the in-between spaces clean, so it’s got an up side! I’m also a cuticle-pusher, another habit with an up side. ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-bad-habit-for-my-daughter/353506/28 "2006-04-24T08:07:24Z")
> [@Daithi Lacha](#): > > How about doodling? For some reason, I initially read this as “How about yodelling?” ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-bad-habit-for-my-daughter/353506/29 "2006-04-24T09:45:52Z")
How ‘bout pickin’ your boogies an’ eatin’ 'em? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-bad-habit-for-my-daughter/353506/30 "2006-04-24T13:43:02Z")
That’s a different daughter, but her excuse is that she’s only two. ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-bad-habit-for-my-daughter/353506/31 "2006-04-24T15:13:32Z")
-Clicking her long fingernails together or against a hard surface. -Prolonged sighs… without provocation or explanation. -Crunching ice with teeth bared, so as to make it as loud as possible. -Whistling so that it’s barely audible -Incessantly humming the same annoying tune. -Applying moisturizer to her hands. and, of course… -Chap Stick (or some other of the same i ilk) ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-bad-habit-for-my-daughter/353506/32 "2006-04-24T15:37:47Z")
My daughter was forever pulling out her hair, strand by strand. Now that she’s a mature 21, she picks her nose. Doesn’t eat it, as far as I can tell, but it’s still revolting. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-bad-habit-for-my-daughter/353506/33 "2006-04-24T15:51:19Z")
Ah Hell! Just buy her a pack of cigarettes & get it over with! 😉 😛 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-bad-habit-for-my-daughter/353506/34 "2006-04-24T16:27:35Z")
> [@GrizzRich](#): > > -Clicking her long fingernails together or against a hard surface. > > -Prolonged sighs… without provocation or explanation. > > -Crunching ice with teeth bared, so as to make it as loud as possible. > > -Whistling so that it’s barely audible > > -Incessantly humming the same annoying tune. > > -Applying moisturizer to her hands. > > and, of course… > > -Chap Stick (or some other of the same i ilk) Now, there’s a person who’s been through the wars… And **Bosda** , your suggestion is frighteningly close to being sensible. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-bad-habit-for-my-daughter/353506.md?page=1)