Top Five Things You Thought Were Universal Experiences (But Weren’t)

Growing up, you assume everyone’s life looks roughly like yours. Same routines. Same rules. Same oddly specific experiences.

Then one day, someone casually says,

“Wait — you did what?”

And your entire understanding of reality shifts.

Here are five things you were convinced everyone experienced… but very much did not.

5. Having a “Good” Chair No One Else Was Allowed to Sit On

Every household had chairs.

But your house had The Chair.

It wasn’t the nicest one — just the one someone always sat in. Usually Dad. Sometimes Mum. Occasionally a grandparent with unquestioned authority.

You assumed every family silently agreed on this arrangement.

Turns out?

Some households were complete chair anarchy.

Shock realisation:

Other families let anyone sit anywhere.

4. Watching the Same Film Every Time It Was on TV (Regardless of the Point It Started)

If a film was on terrestrial TV, you watched it.

Even if it started halfway through.

Even if you’d seen the ending more times than the beginning.

You genuinely believed this was how films worked.

Then you met people who waited to watch things “properly”.

Shock realisation:

Some people changed the channel.

3. A Very Specific Family Rule That Made Perfect Sense to You

Things like:

No flushing the toilet after a certain time

No opening windows in winter, ever

Lights must be turned off immediately

Baths only on certain days

You thought these were universal laws.

They were not.

Shock realisation:

Your household was running on bespoke logic.

2. Thinking Everyone Had the Same Local Urban Legend

Every school had one.

A haunted toilet.

A dead body found behind the bins.

A teacher who mysteriously disappeared.

A kid who definitely lived in the woods now.

You assumed these stories were part of the national curriculum.

Shock realisation:

They were wildly regional — and probably invented by Year 6.

1. Believing Everyone Ate Dinner at the Same Time You Did

You assumed dinner happened at your time.

Anything else felt wrong.

Early dinners were weird.

Late dinners were suspicious.

Tea at 6pm? Normal.

Tea at 8pm? Unhinged behaviour.

Until you realised households were just… doing whatever they wanted.

Shock realisation:

There was no official dinner time agreement.