The Phrases Lubbock Parents Said That Still Live Rent-Free in Our Heads

Parents have a special way of saying things that stick with you forever. Sometimes it’s advice. Sometimes it’s a threat. Sometimes it’s just something bizarre that they said so many times that it’s permanently etched into your brain, lasting until the end of time.

"Hold onto your banana panties, it's time to fly." - My father, pulling out of the driveway each morning.

We asked locals to reveal the phrases they can still hear their parents saying in their heads today, and a lot of these explain exactly why we are the way we are now.

Phrases We'll Never Forget

Some parents leaned into life lessons. One guy said his parents always told him, “To be aware is to be alive.” He says it’s a phrase that’s actually saved his life more than once. Other parental advice was a little more…colorful. One man shared that his father often said, “Get up, rub dirt on it. That don’t hurt.” Apparently, every childhood injury could be solved with dirt. (He was not the only person with an answer like this.)

One woman grew up with several classics, including “That’ll make your babies be born nekkid!” and “Can’t never could do anything.”

Then there were the phrases that sounded suspiciously like threats.

One local said his dad would say, “I’ll give you something to cry about!” And of course, MANY of us grew up hearing the legendary warning: “Don’t make me get the chancla.”

Some parents focused on manners. Several people said that dinner was serious business in their house, and that “Get your elbows off the table!” was a big one at their place.

Others went straight for sarcasm. A friend of mine remembered the brutal classic for his father: “You want sympathy? It’s in the dictionary between shit and syphilis.”

Read More: Commonly Stolen Cars In Texas: What You Should Know

And some parental sayings were just...well...kind of confusing.

One woman said her parents would tell her, “If I believed that, I’d stand on my head and stack BBs.” Which...honestly raises more questions than answers.

One thing’s clear: growing up in Lubbock meant hearing a lot of ruckus from the older folk trying to slow us down! And whether it was meant to teach a lesson, scare you straight, or just make you laugh, those words somehow stick around long after childhood.

Even now, half of us still hear them in our heads when we’re about to do something dumb.

And if we’re being honest…a lot of us have caught ourselves saying them too.

Keep scrolling for more ridiculous fun in the galleries below!