People Are Sharing The Wild And Straight-Up Dangerous Habits Their Grandparents Refuse To Give Up
We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community about the wild or even dangerous habits their grandparents (or older relatives) refused to give up. Here's what people shared:
1."My grandmother, who lived until she was 92, used to get her toast out of the electric toaster using not one but two metal forks (used like tongs) no matter how many times her kids, grandkids, or great-grandkids tried to slap them out of her hands. She died of something else, btw."
2."None of my grandparents are still alive, but my paternal grandmother was a heavy, heavy smoker. She would light a cigarette in one room, puff on it a couple of times, set it in an ashtray, then go into another room and light another one, basically leaving a burning cigarette in every room. Of course, she developed emphysema and ended up on an oxygen tank, but it did not stop her from smoking. We would be terrified of getting a call that she had blown herself up or being in the house with her and getting blown up."
—Anonymous
3."My grandma would dip raw meat right into the flour container so she wouldn't waste flour. She saw my eyes get wide when she put a pork chop right into her flour container and said, 'I've been doing this for 60 years, and it hasn't killed us yet.'"
—Anonymous
4."My grandparents give everyone (friends and family) a nickname based on their appearance and say it to their faces. Example: My grandfather's brother was nicknamed 'rat man.' 🤣😳"
—Anonymous
5."My grandpa is wild. I've seen him digging in his ears with scissors, a knife, etc. I know doctors try to say Q-tips aren't for ears, but surely they're a safer alternative than what he goes for, lol."
6."My grandfather was the most reckless driver. He would drive 10 miles over the speed limit with his knees, his cellphone in one hand (for his job), and a cigarette in the other. With multiple unrestrained dogs in the back. They were well-behaved dogs. But, unrestrained, they were potential projectiles nonetheless. He thought I was a drama queen for being concerned that he would do that even if I was in the car. The real kicker is that he had cataract surgery in his late 70s and mentioned offhand to me afterward that he could now tell when one object was closer than another. A few clarifying questions later, I realized with horror that he'd spent decades of his life without depth perception. This is also the man who taught ME to drive."
7."My Mexican grandmother from Michoacán used to put Vicks Vapor Rub directly onto her throat when it was sore."
8."When I had a sore throat or cold, my grandma would try to make me swallow a finger full of Vicks Vaporub (the kind you rub on your chest). I would tell her, 'No, Grandma! No, it says not to ingest it on the bottle!' She would show me it was okay and swallow it. She lived to be a sassy 102-year-old, so I guess it was okay?!? I still think about it to this day."
—Anonymous
9."My grandmother does not flush the toilet after going number one. No matter where she is, whether it's a public bathroom or someone's house, she refuses to 'waste water' by flushing after going pee. She USUALLY flushes after going number two, but there have been many times that she's 'forgotten' to do that as well. I no longer live in the same state as her, but it's something that really bothered me as a child."
"My nana used to say, 'If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down!' Awful fright when you went to use her toilet!"
10."When my mother was in her 80s, she'd get speeding tickets about once a month. She was caught driving 90 to 100 miles per hour. I discovered a stack of unpaid tickets in her fruit bowl under some apples."
—Anonymous
11."Grandma doesn't believe in expiration dates — mayonnaise, sour cream, cheese. Nothing is thrown away unless there's visible mold or growth. Sometimes, she'll just scoop off the 'bad parts' and use the rest. I don't eat anything she makes!"
12."My grandma would eat a few pinches of raw ground beef whenever she made burgers or meatballs."
13."My mom always had to argue with my grandparents about wearing seatbelts when she would take them on errands. My mom would tell my grandpa she would get pulled over and get a ticket if he didn't put it on. So then he would tell her that he would just hold it across him so the police couldn't tell. She eventually got them to wear seatbelts, but as soon as she would turn off the busy street into their neighborhood, they would take their seatbelts off, like they couldn't stand to wear them another second."
14."Grandma's rule was that no seatbelt was needed if you were in the backseat. It kept me out of the front seat because, as a kid, I hated the seatbelt strap hitting my neck. There were not all the car seats they now have for kids of several ages."
—Anonymous
15."Our great-aunt grew up during the Great Depression. That means you do not waste food…ever! So whenever we went to a restaurant, she would pull her ziplock baggies out and start piling EVERYONE'S food into the bags. I'm talking fish, ice cream, potatoes, bread, etc. She would then take it and heat it up for her next few meals! We never teased her about this, as we couldn't imagine what it must have been like."
—Anonymous
16."Warming up the house 'a little extra' by turning the oven on and leaving the oven door open."
—Anonymous
17."My grandma was a hardcore smoker. Even with lung cancer, she continued to smoke. I lived one road over, so often in high school, after I got home, I would walk over with my dog to her house so I could do homework at her house since she had a computer with a printer. I would catch her smoking while on oxygen. She would just kink the hose. I told my dad because I was worried about the whole lung cancer part. I didn't realize she could have caused the house to go up in flames. My parents banned me from going back, worried she would end up killing me. Remember, kids, smoking kills."
18."Drinking raw milk from our cow."
—Anonymous
19."My mom's aunt would turn on the gas heater and go light a match on the stove. I would be across the street when she came back into the room. I was scared she was gonna blow the house up."
—Anonymous
20."Not my grandad, but my dad eats butter from the tub straight off a knife, cuts down hedges on a rickety ladder with a chainsaw, and rides his motorbike daily. He must be doing something right as he's 83 and has never been in hospital or had any health issues!"
—Anonymous
21."My grandpa had Post-it notes in his car that said, 'Remember to check rearview mirrors.'"
—Anonymous
22."My grandpa has drunk a case of Busch Light every day for like 50 years. The only other things he drinks are coffee and milk sometimes. Strangely enough, he's outliving everyone."
—Anonymous
23."My grandpa on my father's side (who died before I was born) never went to see a doctor, no matter what happened. He did stitches on himself like it was nothing. Once, while he was working on his car, it fell on him (we're talking about a heavy car from the 1940s). He had multiple fractures. He crawled from under it by himself and tended to his wounds by himself. Needless to say, he didn’t live past 50 years."
24.And: "My 95-year-old aunt reuses dental floss several days in a row. She has money but gives it to the church."
—Anonymous
Do your grandparents or other older relatives have any questionable habits? Tell us in the comments or share anonymously using this form.
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
