Parental Embarrassment

djacq75 · 02-10-2006, 04:27 PM

Some parents seem to positively delight in embarrassing their kids, and my mom was the greatest at it! What was the most embarrassing thing your parents did when you were a kid?

(I have too many to name, but one that I especially recall is that whenever I was grounded, if friends came around asking for me, I had to come down from my room, in my pajamas and bare feet, and explain to them myself why I couldn't come out. That included what misbehavior had prompted me to get grounded.)

seakdivers · 02-11-2006, 12:41 PM

Hmm... I would have to say one of the highlights was when I was in junior high (you know, the age when EVERYTHING your parents do is embarrasing).
So my mom was supposed to be picking me up from school, which was embarrasing enough because she drove a giant ugly 70's model Pontiac Grand Prix that made funny noises. Normally I could hear her coming, and I would run up closer to the road so she wouldn't pull into the parking lot and nobody would see me.... Anyway, so there is a "school zone" on the main road where you can't go over 20 miles per hour, and evidently she was going faster than that. As luck would have it, there happened to be a cop monitoring the zone.
Of course the only place she could pull over in that area was right into my school parking lot.... and naturally she would have to pull up right in front of the door where EVERYBODY was standing.
Oh yeah. Loud ugly car, police vehicle with flashing lights, my little sister who was a baby at the time screaming bloody murder in the back seat, angry mom behind the wheel. You get the idea.
I tried to hide in the laughing/ pointing crowd, but my mom spotted me. She rolled down her window and yelled out not only my first name, but my middle name too, and told me to get in the car.
I had to sit in the car while the officer took his time calling in the info, wrote the ticket..etc. All in plain view of the other students.

I still get embarrased just thinking about it.

wolf · 02-11-2006, 03:34 PM

One of the most unusual parental talents is that in the midst of mortally embarrassing you, any comment you make in response is seen as an affront to them, personally, and you are later treated to an hour long lecture on "why must you repeatedly embarrass me in front of my friends."

SteveDallas · 02-11-2006, 05:26 PM

Well, just the fact that my mom taught at the same elementary school I went to was a guarantee for a lifetime's worth of embarassment.

wolf · 02-11-2006, 05:29 PM

See you and raise you.

My mother worked as a secretary in the Guidance Office of my high school. Confidentiality? What's that?

SteveDallas · 02-11-2006, 06:29 PM

You poor thing. Did you ever feed something to a guidance counselor just to see how long it took your mom to get hold of it?

wolf · 02-11-2006, 08:08 PM

I never talked to my guidance counsellor about anything more complex than scheduling. I have a lot of unresolved issues.

monster · 02-11-2006, 08:21 PM

But whatever parents do, they're going to embarass their kids because it's just not cool/hip/phat/whateeeveeeerrrr to be old. and nobody wants to be like their parents.

If your parents are ageing hippies/goths. you'll be a straight-A preppie (We're trying this approach with our kids

)

If your parents are super-straight you'll do drugs and drop out

If your parents are republicans you'll be gay and join PETA/Greenpeace

If your parents are divorced you'll be a born again Christian/member of virginity-until-marriage-youth-group

If your parents are rich you'll shop at Walmart and the Salvation Army (and order $30 pizza when you're done); if your parents are poor, only designer will do....(McDonalds is designer, right?)

If your parents are pop stars, you might as well give up now, Delusionella Grumpypuss Hyundai.

My mum tried so hard to be cool, I ran out of levels of embarassment and decided to play the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" school of thought. The height of the embarrassment came when, in the 80s, she grew a long curl of hair on one cheek and dyed it bright pink, then brought my forgotten lunch into my classromm, wearing one red and one blue stiletto shoe. Now I have children, I dye my hair bright purple, blue and red ALL OVER, and wear grotty black t-shirt, jeans and trainers all the time

Aliantha · 02-11-2006, 08:29 PM

I don't think I ever really got embarrassed about anything my Mum did. She used to drive a very unsightly car which is difficult to explain and probably best described as 'a toolshed on wheels'. My father had converted a long wheel based landcruiser into a sort of campervan. This was the car of my childhood. It actually was quite legendary at both the primary and high schools that I went to along with my brother.

The embarrassing story I have is actually my brothers, but i think it deserves telling here.

My mum (who was a two pot screamer) had been at her squash club christmas party when she recieved a call saying that my brother had broken his leg and could she please come down to the school. I didn't actually see the next bit, but this is how my brother tells it.

He was lying on the oval with a mask on his face feeling ok - thanks to the drugs - even though he'd broken both bones just above his ankle when they all heard another vehicle heading towards them! As they turned, they saw to their surprise, shock and amazement that my mother had driven the toolshed through the school and down onto the oval and parked it right next to the ambulance. I'm sure she violated several rules of the road, not the least of which was being under the influence of alcohol while driving.

My brother was loaded into the ambulance shortly after everyone regained their composure after this momentous event and Mum was asked to follow to the hospital in her car - slowly! On the way to the hospital she had to stop off and pick me and my b/f up from home and then continue on to the hospital. After a breakneck ride, we arrived at the hospital and there was no sign of the ambulance. Mum assumed that they'd already dropped my brother off and left. This was not the case. She actually beat the ambulance there!

A brief description of my mother. She was 5 foot nothing and quite slight in build. She was fairly observant of her catholic faith and rarely had a drink except at special occasions (like the xmas party). She was quiet and softly spoken.

On the day of my brothers accident, I thought she had been possessed!

So the ambulance arrived and my brother was all smiles when he got out - till the gas wore off. Mum continued to panick for the next 8 weeks or so till his leg was healed, but the story goes down in history, and was in fact a part of the eulogy my brother gave at her funeral just over 2 years ago.

zippyt · 02-11-2006, 09:37 PM

CLASSIC !!!!!!

footfootfoot · 02-11-2006, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aliantha

snip... She used to drive a very unsightly car which is difficult to explain and probably best described as 'a toolshed on wheels'...

I just caught a few minutes of "Mad Max" while at MIL's. I'm thinking post wrap prop sale.

¿"a two pot screamer"?

Griff · 02-12-2006, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aliantha

Mum continued to panick for the next 8 weeks or so till his leg was healed, but the story goes down in history, and was in fact a part of the eulogy my brother gave at her funeral just over 2 years ago.

Great story!

seakdivers · 02-12-2006, 12:35 PM

Ok Aliantha - you've got to do some translating for us. I've been to Australia once already, and I'm going back in April, so I need a refresher course in 'Stralia Speak.

Two pot screamer?

xoxoxoBruce · 02-12-2006, 03:26 PM

Non drinker...two drinks and they're plastered........and screaming.

elSicomoro · 02-12-2006, 03:41 PM

At Xmas time, I was coming out of the bathroom, and my Mom asked if I had sprayed air freshener, because she thought I had taken a number 2. She asked this in front of 10 or so relatives. My mom didn't think it was a big deal, but my my one aunt and I thought otherwise.

02-10-2006, 04:27 PM	#1
djacq75 Rational Anarchist Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Michigan Posts: 79	Parental Embarrassment Some parents seem to positively delight in embarrassing their kids, and my mom was the greatest at it! What was the most embarrassing thing your parents did when you were a kid? (I have too many to name, but one that I especially recall is that whenever I was grounded, if friends came around asking for me, I had to come down from my room, in my pajamas and bare feet, and explain to them myself why I couldn't come out. That included what misbehavior had prompted me to get grounded.)

02-11-2006, 03:34 PM	#3
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	One of the most unusual parental talents is that in the midst of mortally embarrassing you, any comment you make in response is seen as an affront to them, personally, and you are later treated to an hour long lecture on "why must you repeatedly embarrass me in front of my friends." __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

02-11-2006, 05:29 PM	#5
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	See you and raise you. My mother worked as a secretary in the Guidance Office of my high school. Confidentiality? What's that? __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

02-11-2006, 08:08 PM	#7
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	I never talked to my guidance counsellor about anything more complex than scheduling. I have a lot of unresolved issues. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

02-11-2006, 08:21 PM	#8
monster I hear them call the tide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Perpetual Chaos Posts: 30,852	But whatever parents do, they're going to embarass their kids because it's just not cool/hip/phat/whateeeveeeerrrr to be old. and nobody wants to be like their parents. If your parents are ageing hippies/goths. you'll be a straight-A preppie (We're trying this approach with our kids ) If your parents are super-straight you'll do drugs and drop out If your parents are republicans you'll be gay and join PETA/Greenpeace If your parents are divorced you'll be a born again Christian/member of virginity-until-marriage-youth-group If your parents are rich you'll shop at Walmart and the Salvation Army (and order $30 pizza when you're done); if your parents are poor, only designer will do....(McDonalds is designer, right?) If your parents are pop stars, you might as well give up now, Delusionella Grumpypuss Hyundai. My mum tried so hard to be cool, I ran out of levels of embarassment and decided to play the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" school of thought. The height of the embarrassment came when, in the 80s, she grew a long curl of hair on one cheek and dyed it bright pink, then brought my forgotten lunch into my classromm, wearing one red and one blue stiletto shoe. Now I have children, I dye my hair bright purple, blue and red ALL OVER, and wear grotty black t-shirt, jeans and trainers all the time __________________ The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart

02-11-2006, 12:41 PM	#2
seakdivers Icy Queen Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Southeast Alaska Posts: 700	Hmm... I would have to say one of the highlights was when I was in junior high (you know, the age when EVERYTHING your parents do is embarrasing). So my mom was supposed to be picking me up from school, which was embarrasing enough because she drove a giant ugly 70's model Pontiac Grand Prix that made funny noises. Normally I could hear her coming, and I would run up closer to the road so she wouldn't pull into the parking lot and nobody would see me.... Anyway, so there is a "school zone" on the main road where you can't go over 20 miles per hour, and evidently she was going faster than that. As luck would have it, there happened to be a cop monitoring the zone. Of course the only place she could pull over in that area was right into my school parking lot.... and naturally she would have to pull up right in front of the door where EVERYBODY was standing. Oh yeah. Loud ugly car, police vehicle with flashing lights, my little sister who was a baby at the time screaming bloody murder in the back seat, angry mom behind the wheel. You get the idea. I tried to hide in the laughing/ pointing crowd, but my mom spotted me. She rolled down her window and yelled out not only my first name, but my middle name too, and told me to get in the car. I had to sit in the car while the officer took his time calling in the info, wrote the ticket..etc. All in plain view of the other students. I still get embarrased just thinking about it.

02-11-2006, 05:26 PM	#4
SteveDallas Your Bartender Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Philly Burbs, PA Posts: 7,651	Well, just the fact that my mom taught at the same elementary school I went to was a guarantee for a lifetime's worth of embarassment.

02-11-2006, 06:29 PM	#6
SteveDallas Your Bartender Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Philly Burbs, PA Posts: 7,651	You poor thing. Did you ever feed something to a guidance counselor just to see how long it took your mom to get hold of it?

02-11-2006, 08:29 PM	#9
Aliantha trying hard to be a better person Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 16,493	I don't think I ever really got embarrassed about anything my Mum did. She used to drive a very unsightly car which is difficult to explain and probably best described as 'a toolshed on wheels'. My father had converted a long wheel based landcruiser into a sort of campervan. This was the car of my childhood. It actually was quite legendary at both the primary and high schools that I went to along with my brother. The embarrassing story I have is actually my brothers, but i think it deserves telling here. My mum (who was a two pot screamer) had been at her squash club christmas party when she recieved a call saying that my brother had broken his leg and could she please come down to the school. I didn't actually see the next bit, but this is how my brother tells it. He was lying on the oval with a mask on his face feeling ok - thanks to the drugs - even though he'd broken both bones just above his ankle when they all heard another vehicle heading towards them! As they turned, they saw to their surprise, shock and amazement that my mother had driven the toolshed through the school and down onto the oval and parked it right next to the ambulance. I'm sure she violated several rules of the road, not the least of which was being under the influence of alcohol while driving. My brother was loaded into the ambulance shortly after everyone regained their composure after this momentous event and Mum was asked to follow to the hospital in her car - slowly! On the way to the hospital she had to stop off and pick me and my b/f up from home and then continue on to the hospital. After a breakneck ride, we arrived at the hospital and there was no sign of the ambulance. Mum assumed that they'd already dropped my brother off and left. This was not the case. She actually beat the ambulance there! A brief description of my mother. She was 5 foot nothing and quite slight in build. She was fairly observant of her catholic faith and rarely had a drink except at special occasions (like the xmas party). She was quiet and softly spoken. On the day of my brothers accident, I thought she had been possessed! So the ambulance arrived and my brother was all smiles when he got out - till the gas wore off. Mum continued to panick for the next 8 weeks or so till his leg was healed, but the story goes down in history, and was in fact a part of the eulogy my brother gave at her funeral just over 2 years ago. __________________ Kind words are the music of the world. F. W. Faber

02-11-2006, 09:37 PM	#10
zippyt LONG LIVE KING ZIPPY! per Feetz Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Arkansas Posts: 7,661	CLASSIC !!!!!! __________________ "Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get. " Brother Dave Gardner

02-12-2006, 12:35 PM	#13
seakdivers Icy Queen Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Southeast Alaska Posts: 700	Ok Aliantha - you've got to do some translating for us. I've been to Australia once already, and I'm going back in April, so I need a refresher course in 'Stralia Speak. Two pot screamer?

02-12-2006, 03:26 PM	#14
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Non drinker...two drinks and they're plastered........and screaming. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

02-12-2006, 03:41 PM	#15
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	At Xmas time, I was coming out of the bathroom, and my Mom asked if I had sprayed air freshener, because she thought I had taken a number 2. She asked this in front of 10 or so relatives. My mom didn't think it was a big deal, but my my one aunt and I thought otherwise.

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