# Things you do just because that’s how your parents did it **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 18, 2024, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-just-because-that-s-how-your-parents-did-it/1000474 "2024-04-18T20:53:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2024, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-just-because-that-s-how-your-parents-did-it/1000474/41 "2024-04-21T07:19:03Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Heh, I fold towels in thirds because that’s how my dad thought it should be done. I have no idea why he preferred that. My mother-in-law did it that way partly because she liked that the end was folded inside the middle, so you didn’t see a towel end. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2024, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-just-because-that-s-how-your-parents-did-it/1000474/42 "2024-04-21T09:45:52Z")
Table manners. you don’t put food on your plate and you certain don’t start eating before everyone is seated and the person who made the food gives their approval. It doesn’t matter how informal the meal is. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2024, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-just-because-that-s-how-your-parents-did-it/1000474/43 "2024-04-21T10:14:14Z")
My dad always kept batteries in the refrigerator, and so do I. I know that it doesn’t make them last longer, but it’s as good a place to keep them as anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2024, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-just-because-that-s-how-your-parents-did-it/1000474/44 "2024-04-21T11:29:44Z")
DH and I do that. He’s actually run tests that support refrigerating batteries to improve their shelf life. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2024, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-just-because-that-s-how-your-parents-did-it/1000474/45 "2024-04-21T13:07:19Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > That’s why I store glasses mouth down, to avoid such contamination. Am I the only one? Cups and glasses in cabinets can be stored mouth up, but cups and glasses out in the open are stored mouth down. That’s just common sense. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2024, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-just-because-that-s-how-your-parents-did-it/1000474/46 "2024-04-21T13:17:34Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > DH and I do that. He’s actually run tests that support refrigerating batteries to improve their shelf life. One cool perk of storing batteries in the fridge is, if you’re changing batteries in some device and the new batteries get mixed up with the old, you can know which batteries are the new ones, because they’re colder. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2024, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-just-because-that-s-how-your-parents-did-it/1000474/47 "2024-04-21T21:25:46Z")
> **[Peanuts by Charles Schulz for November 27, 1977 | GoComics.com](https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1977/11/27)** > > "Charlie Brown stands in front of a sign that holds an arrow and reads,'Need Psychiatric Help? Last Chance' He walks off in the direction of the arrow. He sits on a stool outside of Lucy's psychiatric booth; the latter is sitting with her feet... ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2024, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-just-because-that-s-how-your-parents-did-it/1000474/48 "2024-04-21T23:32:18Z")
> **[Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for March 13, 1993 | GoComics.com](https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1993/03/13)** > > Calvin: When you're a kid, you don't have much variety of experience. You live with your parents and that's all you know. You grow up thinking whatever they do is "normal." Dad: Aah, what a day! Up at 6:00, a 10-mile run in the sleet, and now a big... ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2024, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-just-because-that-s-how-your-parents-did-it/1000474/49 "2024-04-21T23:52:55Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Heh, I fold towels in thirds because that’s how my dad thought it should be done. I have no idea why he preferred that. I probably should have asked. We moved a couple of time. The cupboard for the towels was a different shape each time. So the way they folded the towels (or the way they wanted us to fold them) changed to fit the cupboard. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveroptic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiveroptic/32/8257_2.png) [@Fiveroptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveroptic)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2024, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-just-because-that-s-how-your-parents-did-it/1000474/50 "2024-04-22T01:12:07Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > “Look up…wayyyyyy up.” Is this a Friendly Giant reference? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2024, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-just-because-that-s-how-your-parents-did-it/1000474/51 "2024-04-22T01:56:12Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > When the subway train is leaving the stop before your stop, get up and make your way to the doors. You don’t want to have to negotiate sardine-packed crowds when you have only a little time to get to the subway car’s exit. I started doing that without being taught by anyone. However, on very sparsely populated trains I only get up as we are approaching the station (still before actually arriving, though), and on some very crowded trains, if it is even possible to move at all, it sometimes would still be too awkward to maneuver yourself to the doors only to be right in someone’s face for a minute or more afterward. But on sort-of-light-to-fairly-crowded trains, I definitely try to get to the exit early. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2024, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-just-because-that-s-how-your-parents-did-it/1000474/52 "2024-04-22T16:33:57Z")
> [@moes\_lotion](#): > > I have a small notebook that I faithfully record the date, mileage, number of liters and price per liter every time I buy gasoline for the car, thanks to my father’s habit of doing the same. That’s exactly what I was coming to this thread to say. My dad always kept a little notepad and a calculator in his car. Every time he filled up he’d record the mileage, gallons purchased, and the fuel economy. I used to do it that way as well, but now I record that information in an app on my phone. But even though I’m using a different technology, in spirit I’m recording my fuel economy at every fill up just because that’s what my dad does. Or did; I think he actually realized it’s pretty pointless and stopped doing it, but I’m still in the habit of doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2024, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-just-because-that-s-how-your-parents-did-it/1000474/53 "2024-04-22T16:42:38Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > My father kept his wallet in his back pocket. So I did the same for decades. And then I discovered it’s not a good place for it, for a couple reasons: 1) it makes it easy for someone to steal it, and 2) it puts a bending stress on credit cards when I sit. 1. it can cause [“credit card sciatica”](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6039217/). I once cured a colleague’s leg / back pain when I noticed he was sitting on his wallet. He’d been complaining of the pain, I told him to take his wallet out; he said it helped. I told him he owed me 50 bucks for the consult. Deadbeat never paid! 😠 . As far as the OP’s topic: honestly, the only thing I can think of is something someone else cited: I buy Crest toothpaste! Same original flavor etc. OK, I don’t usually use a cup to rinse my mouth after brushing. For whatever reason, we didn’t have a drinking vessel in our bathroom growing up, and we kids all got in the habit of cupping our hands under the faucet to get water to rinse. I do so to this day. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2024, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-just-because-that-s-how-your-parents-did-it/1000474/54 "2024-04-22T16:57:42Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > OK, I don’t usually use a cup to rinse my mouth after brushing. For whatever reason, we didn’t have a drinking vessel in our bathroom growing up, and we kids all got in the habit of cupping our hands under the faucet to get water to rinse. I do so to this day. Hehehe, I do this too. I also do it if I’m just grabbing a quick sip of water from the sink. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2024, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-just-because-that-s-how-your-parents-did-it/1000474/55 "2024-04-22T20:23:59Z")
> [@moes\_lotion](#): > > I have a small notebook that I faithfully record the date, mileage, number of liters and price per liter every time I buy gasoline for the car, thanks to my father’s habit of doing the same. I even occasionally enter this into a spreadsheet and calculate the miles per gallon (actually the liters per 100 kilometers) My husband does this, including the spreadsheet. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2024, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-just-because-that-s-how-your-parents-did-it/1000474/56 "2024-04-22T20:48:16Z")
The computer in my 2013 Opel Corsa is not very sophisticated, but it always tells me my average mileage (in liters/100 km) on its tiny amber screen, so I don’t have any need to calculate it myself after every filling. I used to do that with a handy logarithmic scale which I still have in the car, but I only did it to spot unusual high gas consumption that might indicate an urgent problem, I never put it into notebooks or spreadsheets. What’s the point of that? ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2024, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-just-because-that-s-how-your-parents-did-it/1000474/57 "2024-04-22T21:06:27Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > What’s the point of that? I suppose by calculating it every time you have a baseline so you’ll notice if it starts getting worse that usual, which could indicate some problem which needs to be addressed. But I think it’s mostly just so you can say “Hey, look at the great mileage I’m getting on this trip!” ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2024, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-just-because-that-s-how-your-parents-did-it/1000474/58 "2024-04-22T21:13:51Z")
I can’t think of much of anything in particular. I went through a long period of living out of a backpack, never brushing my teeth, moving to a new part of the country every three to six months, and I think it sort of cleaned out any habits I might have carried from home. Attitudes and values, to a degree, but not habits. I am extremely different from both my parents. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2024, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-just-because-that-s-how-your-parents-did-it/1000474/59 "2024-04-22T22:19:37Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > I suppose by calculating it every time you have a baseline so you’ll notice if it starts getting worse that usual, which could indicate some problem which needs to be addressed. But I think it’s mostly just so you can say “Hey, look at the great mileage I’m getting on this trip!” On my last vacation, it was useful to have an _automated_ mileage tracker since my low air pressure light came on and wouldn’t come off for hours after I started the car, but I was still getting good mileage so I was pretty sure it was just the cold morning air. If I had had to stop and get gas, and then do manual calculations, I’m not sure if I would have gone through with that. (It turns out I didn’t need to urgently fill my tires, and the lights came off when the temperature rose during the day. I would have tried to fill them, also, except that the only places I could find were $3 and didn’t take the credit cards types I had. While I did have 12 quarters on me, I didn’t feel like messing with putting them all into a machine to get air I might not even need.) ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2024, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-just-because-that-s-how-your-parents-did-it/1000474/60 "2024-04-22T22:34:49Z")
> [@moes\_lotion](#): > > I have a small notebook that I faithfully record the date, mileage, number of liters and price per liter every time I buy gasoline for the car, thanks to my father’s habit of doing the same. I even occasionally enter this into a spreadsheet and calculate the miles per gallon (actually the liters per 100 kilometers) We did this for our first few cars - ok, not a spreadsheet, but a notepad. It was entertaining, when we had one that we took on a cross-country drive, 40+ years ago. I think I quit doing it some time about halfway through owning the minivan, or maybe the first CRV; at some point after that, I got an app for the same purpose (which will product mileage figures etc.). Gas prices haven’t been too insane lately, but I could easily document the per-gallon prices, at least since we bought this new car (I no longer have the data from the old app, which had quit working). Note that this is NOT something my parents ever did. A car we rented a few weeks ago had a mileage calculator built into its trip odometer etc. 19 mpg (it was a huge SUV). Entertainment value, honestly, though if I looked carefully at our records, I might notice anomalies. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-just-because-that-s-how-your-parents-did-it/1000474.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-just-because-that-s-how-your-parents-did-it/1000474.md?page=4)