What were you not allowed to do as a child because it 'wasn't nice'?

So I would fill myself up with water ! Ok. Who knew ? We had water at school though in those little duralex glasses. I bought some on Amazon to use at home and to remind me.
Thanks Callistemon and Miss A.

I wasn't allowed to eat in the street - and still feel a bit 'naughty' if I need to do that as I rush from one place to another. I wanted to learn the cello, but was not allowed due to the unfeminine way you have to sit. I am now learning in retirement, and absolutely loving it! Makeup was considered utterly tarty. Wearing red was out of the question as I had carroty hair. Blue and green should never be seen without a colour in between! Goodness the list of unacceptable behaviour was long and incomprehensible.

Me too!

and tea, but not until 3 o'clock

Me too.
These days I'm more interested in filling myself up with dinner.

"You'll fill yourself up with water" I was told

We weren't allowed a drink with our meals, and I didn't allow my daughter until she was a bit older.

Yes, we were not allowed water until half an hour after a meal. I never put water on the table but DD always puts a jug out.

We weren’t allowed to drink at mealtimes. We had to wait till the main course was finished and then my mother made a pot of tea.
I’ve no idea why. Anyone else share this odd rule ?

Grandma70s I think my parents were quite laissez-faire too, apart from manners!

I wasn't allowed to say rotten.

Or mention what to do with sanitary towels when my dad was around????

“Think loudly”

Look mother in the face

Sit on the furniture

Eat if mother had chosen not to eat that day

Use the bathroom except first thing in the morning and last thing at night

Own a bra

Use deodorant

Goodness, some of you had such strict upbringings!

I did what I liked on Sundays, though bad behaviour would not have been tolerated on any day of the week.

We were expected to join in the grown-up conversation at mealtimes, and when there were visitors. No hint of ‘children should be seen and not heard’. I suspect we weren’t expected to dominate or lead the conversation, though.

It was taken as read that school work was the most important thing.

We had to ask permission to leave the table, but it was always given, even between courses. I remember gabbling “Please may I leave the table till the pudding comes?” I obviously thought pudding just “came” - descended from heaven, and was nothing to do with my mother’s hard work.

No playing out on a Sunday - straight to Sunday School and straight back home again.
No showing off.
'Children should be seen - and not heard' in company.
Don't speak with your mouth full.
Chew every mouthful 20 times before swallowing.
Sit quietly for 10 minutes after a meal had finished - to let your meal 'settle'.
Always had to have a slice of bread and butter with dessert (ie tinned fruit or jelly with evap)
No friends allowed in the house to play.
Had to finish 'my jobs' before going out to play on a Saturday.
In the summer, had to finish homework before playing out.
In the winter, it was play out / in when dark / do homework.
Only allowed to play with 'suitably approved' children in the neighbourhood.
If not well - had to remain in bed for the duration.
Not allowed to have long hair - lived with my Nan who had brought up my Dad and Uncle, so she didn't know what to do with 'girlie hair'.
Jobs to earn weekly pocket money were 'running errands', brushing the stairs, scrubbing the doorsteps, polishing any brass ornaments.
NEVER accept money for going to the shops for neighbours - that was considered 'begging'.
Extra pocket money could be earned by cleaning shoes for my uncle and polishing the chrome bits on his bikes (eg spokes on the wheels/gear levers/brakes) with Duraglit Chrome.
Don't talk in our local accent/dialect - even when grandad tried to teach me!

At my convent school we had to curtsey when the headmistress or the Mother Superior came into the classroom.
One of the buses was notorious for girls behaving badly: taking off hats and gloves, eating sweets, “loud behaviour” and talking to boys. I wasn’t allowed to go on it, but how I envied those who did, despite their frequent detentions!

My Catholic best friend was not allowed patent shoes. Her mother said that boys might see her underwear reflected in them!

janipat the curves of your shoulders resemble the curves of your bust and are therefore seductive

Well, I've learnt something today! I never knew that was the reason. I thought that, perhaps, it related to body hair and implied that we were adults!

extremely common petra
Had they won the Pools?

I have a vision of Bet Lynch

Callistomon
I think your mother would have had a touch of the vapours if she'd seen our next door neighbour and her boyfriend.

She had the classic terrible peroxide hair and a real Ocelot coat. Her boyfriend would come to pick her up in his convertible Vauxhall.

LilyLaundry you have given me the best laugh of the day.

In my Mother’s Day girls who went out with boys were told to keep their hand on their halfpenny or to keep one leg on the floor if they were lying prone ?

oh Squiffy you've reminded me of the no sleeveless dresses rule in sixth form. I asked a teacher why and was informed "the curves of your shoulders resemble the curves of your bust and are therefore seductive" Apparently God would have been most offended if I'd gone to the Church service without a cardigan covering them up!

Or rather, if I am going to be pedantic with myself, that should simply have been 'to clap myself', without the 'not'!

Not to clap myself!

(I am reminded of this whenever I watch a gameshow and see contestants doing it.)

My mother was not in the slightest bit bonkers storynanny..

I think common would have been someone rather flash, large earrings, too much red lipstick and a fag hanging out of their mouth, the male being rather a spiv type. They wouldn't have had a clue about table manners.
They would show off a lot in public.

Our neighbours were like that and he made a fortune in the war on the black market so they moved to a large house at the posh end of town.
They were still common though, apparently.

Girls have twinkles, boys have dinkles.

BUT never say those words out loud! They refer to rude parts.

That joyous piece of 1950s sex education helped my two sisters and I enormously along the rocky path of life .

So many of these apply to me, but I've just remembered a couple of school 'Don'ts'.

We weren't allowed to wear long white socks because, apparently, girls who frequented coffee bars wore them!! Long fawn or navy were OK - not sure where we girls who wore them were supposed to frequent!

In the Sixth Form we were allowed to wear non-uniform dresses, but not sleeveless as that was considered very unseemly!