When should children get a smartphone? Support my science, concerned parents now have the answer.

In our house we have a rule called “I have a cat.” If one of our two cats is sitting on your lap, you are automatically exempt from doing anything. Everyone else in the house must serve you until the cat decides to leave.

This rule isn’t written anywhere, and we never actively decided it was a rule, it just became one because no one would dare disturb Princess Nala when she’s nice and cuddly.

Apparently we are not the only family with such a rule. Most families have unwritten household rules that others might see as strange or “enforced,” which is why when someone on Reddit asked, “What’s an unwritten rule in your household that seems strange to outsiders?” provided people with some delightful, hilarious and sometimes even useful examples.

Here are some of the best:

The ‘loud loud’ and ‘I’m ok’ rules

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​upon you know that you are going to make a lot of noise, when you drop a heavy bag down the stairs, to warn everyone that the noise was coming and was planned

If you made an unplanned loud noise, you had to shout ‘I’m OK’, so no one came running or came running, I would NOT be OK. Side note this rule was made when grandpa dropped a toilet on his finger.

“Any loud noise coming from the shower/tub should be quickly followed by an audible ‘oh sh_t’/’dammit’/’heck!’ and change to the shower spray sound, prove movement.

Failure to acknowledge it will result in a ‘are you okay?’ from the outside party.”

Rules for removing the dishes

“This is at my mom’s place: if you wear long-sleeved shirts, you’re exempt from doing the dishes.”

“We just had a rule that once the dishwasher (one of our kids – the actual dishwasher was used as go-cup storage because mom was convinced they were crap at cleaning dishes) was done with all the dishes who were off the table and shut off the water, all the extra dishes were not their responsibility.This lead to the designated dishwasher running through the dishwasher to finish their food was often heard growing up.”

“If we don’t feel like cleaning the kitchen at all after dinner or if we leave clutter in the living room, whatever, we’re obliged to declare ‘who’s closed tonight!?’ And then we give it to the baby.”

The empty paper towel roll goes to the doggo – appropriately announced

“When you use the last paper towel from the roll you have to take the cardboard tube and roll ‘do-ta-do’ in it and then give it to the dog when he runs up so he can shred it!”

“We call these cardboard bones and they also need some kind of announcement before they give it to the dog.”

“Growing up we would blow into it like trying to blow a trumpet because it made the dog go apeshit. Then you ‘slap’ the dog on the back with it, which gets them more excited, then you give it to them destruction.”

Have to pay the dog tax.Photo by Karolina Kaboompics/Pexels

Dog tax must be paid

“If for any reason you get ice out of the freezer, you have to pay the ice tax to the dogs.”

“We have to pay the ice cream tax AND cheese tax. Brutal.”

“It’s the peanut butter tax and the cheese tax in my house. My dog ​​is so psyched about the cheese tax that she comes running pretty much anywhere in the house when she hears something that sounds like crinkling plastic in the refrigerator.”

“We have ice cream tax, cheese tax, popcorn tax, paprika tax. These puppies are unforgettable!”

Meow back, always

“When a cat meows at you, you meow back. It’s impolite not to answer.”

“I have lots of conversations with my friends cat and you can tell by the tones he uses that he’s actually talking to you lol it’s hilarious and I never get tired of it. I just keep meowing back and forth until I can tell he had enough talk 😆”

“This is the only way to stop my cat from meowing. If I ignore him he will continue. When I get up to see what he wants, he just looks at me. If I meow a few times back, he come into the room I’m in and chill with me.”

If I have to come find it for you when I just told you where it is…

“If you tell me you can’t find something after I tell you EXACTLY WHERE IT IS, and I walk over and find it EXACTLY where I told you it was, I’ll get you hit with it.”

“This is also a rule in my house, which led to this exchange –

‘Mom, I need help finding something!’

‘Okay, but if I find it right away, I’ll hit you with it!’

‘NEVER, I’LL FIND THE SCISSORS MYSELF.'”

“I started charging my kids a $5 finder’s fee every time.”

Winner cleans!Photo by Pixabay/Pexels

Game winner does the cleaning

“Winner of a board game is charged with putting said game away.”

“My family did this too! It’s a great way to minimize competition drama because the winner gets to clean up the wound and the rest don’t have to clean up.”

“This is so much better than the tradition my siblings and I got into of actively making messes while singing ‘Loser picks it up!’

We grew up to be civilized people, but this rule would have put us on the path sooner.”

“The real competition would make it clear that you COULD win, but instead forced the cleanup on someone else.”

You complain or give unsolicited advice, the job is yours

“If someone volunteers to do a chore, no one will tell them how to do it differently unless harm is done. As unsolicited advice is given without the intention of actively rolling up their sleeves and helping, the task then belongs to the giver of the unsolicited advice.”

“If more people tried to adopt even a fraction of this thought, so many families would be so much happier. Yes, armed incompetence is a thing and resentful when people do it, but many times it’s just priorities and preferences are different. My spouse folds the towels differently than I do.

The Cat Lap Rule is universal, it seems.Photo by Andrew Kota/Pexels

Sorry, can’t. I have a cat.

“If you have a cat on your lap and want something from the kitchen, someone else must get it for you. Cat must not be disturbed.”

“I would add that we had as many as 7 cats growing up at the same time so often everyone had a cat on their lap so that the youngest cat would be the one chosen to be moved. Senior cats had great privileges.”

“We call this ‘Cat Rule’ and over the years it has had sub-rules. For example, one cannot invoke Cat Rule more than three times in one sitting 😂”

“We call it being ‘cat-atonic’.”

“We call that ‘the prime directive’ – a sleeping cat should not be disturbed.”

“We call that, ‘the sacred law’ 😂 Our cat is only lovable on her terms, so when she hugs us, it’s a very special moment.”

“We call this feline paralysis, love to see everyone’s names for this rule!”

And these extras, just for funsies…

“Bandit, our old Great Dane, gets the pillow right on the orange couch. No exceptions, no asking to move, that’s his place.”

“Sometimes my cat will carry a ball toy across the room and meow loudly. As soon as she drops the ball, every human in the house has to clap and go ‘Yaaayy!!’ It’s law.”

“​​​​If you are going to use kitchen tongs, you must perform an OSHA-approved test click to ensure they are functional.”

“In our household, the unwritten rule is that you have to perform a full interpretive dance routine to earn the right to use the TV remote. It keeps the peace and provides nightly entertainment.”

“You should choose the topic of your fortune cookie before you read it. “this is about my new job” many a big life decision is made this way.

Indoor spiders are called Franklin. Outside spiders are called Fronklin. They’re all good guys.”