What in your view is common ?

My Mum was in “service” from the age of 14 in the early 1930s until she married my Dad, she was well thought of by the families in the “big houses”, but worked hard as it was hard work. I can only assume that this was where she acquired so much of her peculiar knowledge of what was and wasn’t correct. Delusions of Grandieur? Maybe. Dad was privately educated and could be as “common as muck” when he felt like it though. I blame Hitler he was responsible for a lot that ailed my family?

It doesn’t apply now, but in our inner city years ago, there was an area where the women wore shawls and used the wash house. This was of course, exceedingly common and when the fashion came in for ponchos, mother looked on in disgust and said “Well now you look a right Mary Ellen”.

Storynanny
My dad worked in an office, most of the men on the estate worked in factories, or for the council, so my mother managed to elevate us to a different level, which was odd because they all seemed to have more money than us.

Our house was minimalist in the extreme, nothing to add to comfort, nothing that wasn’t 100% functional, our neighbor had lots of ornaments I liked looking at, yes, of course, they were common.

Sara1954, the most ridiculous thing about my mother and “ common” is that she she came from a working class background , grew up in a series of rented flats, houses etc and my very very lovely nana, her mum, was the very epitome of “ common” in my mothers view! My mother was always talking about how common it was that her mother never made the beds, bleached her hair, and…… “ had to get married”!!!
Goodness knows how my mother acquired her superiority over common folk!
One of her favourite phases re “ the common people” was “ I bet she will anticipate the marriage as she is so common”
My poor lovely dad. He must have loved her very much to put up with so much rudeness

Storynanny
I grew up on a council estate, and I’m sure that a lot of people thought we were common, but that didn’t stop my mother looking down her nose at everyone, the long list of children I wasn’t allowed to play with was endless, everyone looks down on somebody else.

Shouting and swearing in public, especially at or in front of children.
Dropping litter.

Forgot council houses! I can remember her giving a physical shudder and making a face when a school friend told her where she lived.

Sago, I had a very similar mother who was an unpleasant woman. Basically everyone in the world was common unless they were white, British, Protestant and at least middle class. The only exceptions were professions such as senior medical people who, if not in her non common categories were “ marvellous, —- considering”
She also considered these things as common ( not an exhaustive list)
Pierced ears
Painted toenails
Anyone with a cockney or Liverpudlian accent ( unless they were senior medical staff)
Nurses ( bizarrely)
Eating anywhere except at the designated dining table
People laughing loudly
Girls doing handstands and showing their knickers
Acts of affection in public, like hugging or a kiss
Anyone who had sex before marriage ( probably her main definition of common)
Anyone with a manual job
Caravans
Mugs ( as opposed to cups)
Hair dye of any colour
Anyone who had more than 2 children

And so on
I was such a disappointment to her as I’m common on account of so many on that list!

My cousin married a girl whose father had been an important man . Eventually my cousin played away and her mother's remarked " well what do you expect marrying someone from a council house " How is that for snobbery ?

When I was a child I lived on the edge of a council estate which meant that most of the children I played with lived in council houses and were by definition common. Eating or drinking outside was common, unless it was a proper picnic. Wearing summer clothes in winter was common - it didn't seem to occur to my mother that people who dressed like this probably couldn't afford any other clothes.

Saying "aint" or "woz you" or dropping aitches were all very common. Also "making an exhibition of yourself" in the street!

In the recession in the 90s my house was repossessed and we were rehoused by the council. Shock Horror! My mother went to great lengths to cover up the fact that I was living in a council house although her efforts were wasted because I didn't care who I told. I mean, we had central heating and everything!

I hire a hot tub in the summer holidays for the enjoyment of my grandchildren and their friends, but I keep very quiet about it, because I can’t help feeling it’s a very common thing to do.

Some of my extended family come from a culture where piercing small girls, babies even, ears is the norm, my point of view is it is something that shouldn't be imposed. I had my ears pierced when I was around 12 I asked to have them done.

Going back to common. Pigeons! they sit on trees beyond my back fence making their interminable never varying communications with other pigeons which start at God knows what time in the early morning, definitely dead common among the bird world makes me long for the squawking parakeets where I used to live, noisy they might have been, but they'd fly in and fly off again and so vividly green, seems they don't want to venture beyond the M25. Occasionally in the deep dark winter we hear owls, not common at all!

Was it at the hairdresser’s in Quarry Bank High Street Jane?

FannyCornforth

giulia my grandmother had her ears pierced for the first time aged 72!
I was allowed to when I was 12.
My mom had hers done at the same time.

we really are the same person, although I think I had to wait until I was 13. My Mum made me go first!

giulia my grandmother had her ears pierced for the first time aged 72!
I was allowed to when I was 12.
My mom had hers done at the same time.

Question:

When is the right age to have pierced ears, according to the rules of what's common?

My Italian in-laws' first gift to both my litle girls was a pair of gold sleepers for pierced ears.

What are the working classes then? People who work for a living? Sounds better than idle rich to me!

Esmay and Sara, .

Esmay
I know now that no one would have been right.
Basically she could have found fault with anyone, and did.

Hi Sara ,
Your post rang a bell with me.
My heart used to sink as hardly anyone was on the approved list .
I think that two girls were tolerated because they came from the right family .
One was three years younger than me and the other older .
I didn't find either of them much fun to be with .
I look back and I realise that every single aspect of my life was controlled .

My mother didn’t actually like or approve of anyone, so finding friends who weren’t too common or too stuck up was tricky.

hcw1, our lovely Mum had the gentlest, kindest nature, she certainly was not crabbit!

Granmarie, ahaha, hahaha ?.

My Mom set my standards for common: females chewing gum in public, tattoos, using 'ain't', using the 'n' word (not necessarily in that order).

Sago, your 10.18 post made me laugh, and reminisce!
In our Diocese, that organisation was called The Union of Catholic Mothers... our dear Mum would attend some Wednesday evenings. She was very seldom out in the evenings, having five children and a man on shifts in the steelworks... so if she was out, we would complain to our Dad, asking where she was. He had a great West of Scotland sense of humour, so he'd tell us,
" Yir Mammy's away tae The Union of Crabbit Mothers!",
crabbit being Scots for bad tempered, grumpy!