Old habits die hard, so they say. It seems particularly true with many of our most widely held customs, traditions, and even our opinions.
But now, with a new decade before us, perhaps now is the time to leave certain ideals in the past. Have a look as people share what outdated opinions they feel need to be trashed.
A woman changing her last name is a vastly outdated tradition that the majority of couples blindly follow without ever really asking why. And why in 2021 is the woman always the one expected to change her name; why don't any of the men offer to do the same?
"I divorced my mentally and emotionally abusive ex-husband after 2 years of marriage (we were very young) and now I have a beautiful family with a man who respects me and makes me laugh every day." - Reddit u/momma_bear_3
I happen to be living this right now. It's almost a year to the day until my wedding, but all anyone ever wants to ask Megan and me is "when are you having kids?"
Never mistake education for intelligence. Some of the dumbest people I ever met in my entire life were college peers. Conversely, some of the wisest people I've ever spoken to have never set foot inside a classroom.
I can totally relate to satori0320's point. I use to work in a call center for one of the big banks and the culture was downright manipulative. They'd feign sincerity over issues like mental health but would write you up if you ever dared to take a sick/personal day.
What if your wife's dad is a piece of [expletive]? What if he was never around and is so self-absorbed that he couldn't care less about his daughter getting married. And furthermore — why doesn't anyone ever ask the mother?
"My grandmother would not put anything on the dinner table with a label. Catsup, mustard, salt, pepper, salad dressing, etc. Everything was placed in a small bowl or other proper dispenser," Reddit user Birdapotamus said.
Redditor PianoManGidley says that people who believe others should struggle simply because you struggled and came out the other side — you most certainly did not turn out to be OK.
"She will insist when you come round that if you are a woman with a bottle of beer/soft drink, that it goes into a glass. Just women though. It isn't ladylike apparently!" - Reddit u/Tangtastictwosome
Reddit user Val-Wiggin says that when they first began seeking assistance for mental health issues, that their mother called them a "mental cripple." It's precisely this kind of toxic thinking that needs to be eradicated.
"There is a certain population of older men who literally cannot function domestically without their wives," Reddit user Patag0n1a explained. "They married young and their wives just did everything for them."
Reddit user ToyDingo thinks that it's high time we do away with the five-day workweek. Absolutely nothing productive gets done on a Friday anyway as people are just counting down the minutes until the weekend.
"That saying ‘no problem’ or something in a similar vein is somehow ruder than saying ‘you’re welcome’. This is something I’ve had elderly family members mention a few times and I genuinely do not understand it." - Reddit u/buriedclementines
There's a big difference between being a father and being a dad. And if you don't know where the distinction lies — you need to take a look at yourself in the mirror.
Kids — you don't owe your family anything.
