Strange Rituals

[Celluloidgal]

do you have any?

On the way home today, our family vehicle passed a cemetery. I said to the kids "Hold your breath!" My minions and I held our breath until we had passed the plots. My DH just looked at me and stared. I told him, "It's not polite to breathe in front of those who can't."



As a child, my friends & I would play this game whenever our bus passed a cemetery. Did anyone else do this? Or am I again..."unique" Do you have any rituals you do (that you thought everyone did) that seem odd to others?

Maybe it's just a Texas thing...

 

[AprilShowers]

since we own a monument business, DH and I would both be dead if we held our breath whenever we went to the cemetery!! We haven't been able to hold our breath for that long yet!

I can't think of any right now, but I'm sure we do weird stuff.

 

[C.Ann]

Whenever I'm in my car and I see a funeral procession going by I turn my car radio off.. Don't know why - but it just doesn't seem "right" to have music on as the mourners are passing by..

 

[Keli]

We did the hold our breath thing too! My dad was fully aware of what we were all doing in the back seat and since he's just a little onery he would drive slowllllllllyyyyyy past all grave yards, lol. We'd all be gasping for breath by the time we passed it! Dad thought he was just too funny.

 

[Cool-Beans]

We always held our breath! And raised our feet going over train tracks...no clue why. And of course, we did the "punch bug" thing.

Anytime we see an ambulance with siren going or Lifeflight up in the sky, we say a quickie prayer for the person and their family.

 

[cteddiesgirl]

We never held our breath when I was a kid. We picked up our feet instead.
Don't know why, we just did.

I don't do that any more though.


I'm sure I have rituals that may seem strange to other, I just can't think of any right now.

 

[buckylarue]

We hold our breath when taking light rail thru the half-block-long tunnel here, because we used to worry about what would happen when taking the BART train between San Francisco and Oakland, under the bay. (THAT was a long time to hold your breath; don't think I could still do it!)

When going past a cemetery, one of us generally says, "Don't get up!" Guess we've seen too many zombie movies, huh?

 

[DISUNC]

I always have & still do the list below...and really dont know why? Probably my Mom passed this stuff down to me...And I passed it down too!

Pick my feet up while driving over train tracks!
Always rub lottery tickets on a babys behind!
Always throw loose change in the backseat of someones New Car.
For each car at attendance in a funeral possesion, count one of my blessings! (this is hard to do...especially for the more popular dead people)

 

[Scutapipig]

We quickly unroll our windows and MOO whenever we pass a cow pasture. I have no idea when it started or why we do it, but the kids think its hysterically funny.

 

[Celluloidgal]

Always rub lottery tickets on a babys behind!

Well thats an interesting visual!

We did "Slug Bug / Punch Buggie" when we were little too (maybe last week) and our family started a new one, "Bruiser Cruiser" when we spot a PT Cruiser.

 

[goofygirl]

I did the holding breath/cemetary thing as a kid too.

I cross myself when I see a funeral procession. I guess its not that strange though.

 

[cynsaun]

I did the holding breath/cemetary thing as a kid too.

I cross myself when I see a funeral procession. I guess its not that strange though.

My girls do the cemetery thing, but I never did. So, I will slow down and go veeerrryyy sllloooowwwwlllyyy by it. I will also ask them questions and tell them if they don't answer, that means yes.

I cross myself when I see a funeral procession as well. I thought I was the only one that did that. I'm not sure when or why I started that.

 

[gris gris]

I add flight numbers up to see if they equal 13. If they do, I won't book the flight and I look for a different one. Even though 13 is one of my favorite & luckiest numbers. And I get really nervous if the airline changes my flight to a different number after I've booked it.

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

We quickly unroll our windows and MOO whenever we pass a cow pasture. I have no idea when it started or why we do it, but the kids think its hysterically funny.

My ex-husband and I used to do that.

 

[Becky2005]

do you have any?

On the way home today, our family vehicle passed a cemetery. I said to the kids "Hold your breath!" My minions and I held our breath until we had passed the plots. My DH just looked at me and stared. I told him, "It's not polite to breathe in front of those who can't."



As a child, my friends & I would play this game whenever our bus passed a cemetery. Did anyone else do this? Or am I again..."unique" Do you have any rituals you do (that you thought everyone did) that seem odd to others?

Maybe it's just a Texas thing...

It's so funny you said this...in March I was taking DD and 2 friends out bowling for her birthday. We passed by a cemetery, I didn't think twice about it and the girl freaked out about holding your breathe.

I was so confused and couldn't figure out why would you do that? She thought we were so rude for not even having it register in our brain. I think she just thought I was a dimwitted old mom because I couldn't understand her reasonings of WHY would you hold your breathe.

I guess the fact that I grew up living near a cemetery (actually to get to our town pool there was a shortcut through the cemetery). There is a baseball field literally next to the cemetery, that the concept of holding your breathe when you pass a cementery -- just had visions passing through my head of kids passing out and visions of my childhood while walking through the cemetery talking to my friends on the paths, etc...

I had not ever heard of this before this girl mentioned it and no body I know of has either. Probably because we all grew up around that cemetery and it would be impossible to do such a thing.

Of course, I do have a quirky thing that my mom taught me that the first word out of your mouth when you wake up at the first day of a new month is supposed to be "Rabbit" -- I have NO IDEA where that came from and it's supposed to bring you good luck. I usually forget though...sometimes I remember but it's usually after I've been woken up by a child and have said something to them. It's just a fun type of thing.

 

[LBAK]

I can't wait to show DH this thread. Maybe he'll believe I'm not that weird! I hold my breath going past cemeteries, I lift my feet going over tracks (except when I'm driving) and we always did the "punch buggy no backsies" thing when I was growing up. Now he thinks I'm teaching my children to be weird. Like being weird is a learned thing!

 

[wdwgirl03]

do you have any?

On the way home today, our family vehicle passed a cemetery. I said to the kids "Hold your breath!" My minions and I held our breath until we had passed the plots. My DH just looked at me and stared. I told him, "It's not polite to breathe in front of those who can't."



As a child, my friends & I would play this game whenever our bus passed a cemetery. Did anyone else do this? Or am I again..."unique" Do you have any rituals you do (that you thought everyone did) that seem odd to others?

Maybe it's just a Texas thing...

Me and my sisters used to do this too. We'd also hold our breath when we drove under this long tunnel. We were strange children.

 

[L107ANGEL]

Note to self, don't take baby around DisUNC when he buys lottery tickets

 

[punkin712]

DH and I still hold our breath when going past a cemetary. I thought you were supposed to do that so you couldn't have your breath stolen. Whenever I see a dead or injured animal, I always say "God bless the animals".

I also have to put my shoes on right foot first then left, but my pants left leg first then right. If I do it the opposite way, it feels weird and I have to redo it. Gotta go...the nice people from the looney bin are here to pick me up.

 

[mickeyboat]

We lift our feet when we pass railroad tracks.

We kiss our hands and slap the ceiling of the car when we are passing through a yellow light.

We say "rabbit, rabbit rabbit" when we are sitting around the campfire and smoke drifts into our faces.

When stopped at red lights, the kids holler "alacazoo, alacazam, turn to green when I clap my hands." You know what, it always works - my kids think they are magic. If the light doesn't change right away, it must be a stubborn one. Usually mom can get it to change right away after she does it (because I watch for the light to turn red going the other direction ).

Denae