10 most POPULAR phrases Soviet moms told their kids
Modern parents are afraid of inflicting psychological traumas on their children, but this was not always the case. In the USSR, no one was so reverent.
We asked our Russian readers what phrases from their Soviet childhood they particularly remembered. And, it turned out that many mothers said the same thing! Today, psychologists would definitely call these phrases abusive or toxic. But, as our readers fairly mention, they “grew up to be normal people” anyway!
1. Don't mommy!
Не мамкай! / Ne mamkai!
If a child calls his mom too often and for issues that are trivial, she may well have irritatedly barked: “Don't mommy!” (“Не мамкай!”/“Ne mamkai!”). In translation, this basically means: “Stop repeating the word ‘mom’!”
2. What would people say!?
Что скажут люди? / Chto skazhut lyudi?
Dependence on public opinion was in the blood of a Soviet person. Therefore, many parents were very worried about what neighbors, relatives or people on the street would think about their child. So, mothers advised their children not to dress too brightly, not to behave too provocatively and, generally, keep a low profile.
3. I tell him a word and he replies with ten!
Я ему слово, он мне 10! / Ya yemu slovo, on mne desyat!
Too talkative children, who had their own opinions, as well, of course, usually annoyed adults. You had to obey all your mother's instructions without question and, if you were told off, you had to keep silent, not find dozens of excuses.
4. Like a pea against the wall!
Как об стенку горох / Kak ob stenku gorokh
It’s an idiom, and we’ve already explained the history behind this phrase here. Simply saying, when you throw peas against the wall, nothing happens to the wall. So, mothers say words to the child… and the child doesn’t react. This is what moms used to angrily say, when their lectures seemed not to reach the addressee and the child did not obey. “Whom did I speak to?” or “How many times do I have to repeat it to you?” are phrases from the same series.
5. Did you do your homework? Have you eaten? Did you wash the dishes?
Уроки сделал? Поел? Посуду помыл?/ Uroki sdelal? Poyel? Posudu pomyl?
The questions could vary, but, most often, there was just such a standard set and it could be often heard instead of a greeting! Children not only could, but had to heat and prepare their own food for lunch after school. Plus, they had chores to do around the house. And they could be punished for not doing them.
6. If you don’t study well, you’ll work as a janitor!
Будешь плохо учиться – пойдешь работать дворником! / Budesh plokho uchitsya – poidesh rabotat dvornikom!
The profession of a janitor in late Soviet times was considered to be extremely unprestigious. They were paid little, wore dirty work clothes and were often drunk. That’s why they were a vivid anti-example of how not to build one's life path. And most Soviet children were simply frightened of janitors anyway!
7. And if everyone jumps off the roof, will you jump, too?
А если все прыгнут с крыши, ты тоже прыгнешь? / Ah esli vse prygnut s kryshi, ty tozhe prygnesh?
Comparison with other children was a frequent principle of upbringing. For example, if a child brought a bad grade from school, the mother could ask: "What grade does Petya/Vasya/Katya have? Five [the highest one]? So, it was possible!" Hence came the meme about “mom's friend's son”, who allegedly always did everything better. However, the comparison only worked in a positive way and if the child did something “like everyone else”, but which was wrong in mom's opinion (skipped lessons, for example), then the rhetorical question was asked…
8. Until you finish your meal……
Пока не доешь… / Poka ne doyesh…
Almost all Soviet children suffered from some form of food abuse at some point. Parents who lived through famines and shortages worried that their children might be undernourished. So, until you finish, “no playtime for you” and so on!
9. Be patient, Cossack, you will be an ataman!
Терпи, казак, атаманом будешь! / Terpi, kazak, atamanom budesh!
A mom could say this phrase, for instance, while taking a painful splinter out of her child’s foot (and when treating an abrasion with iodine, they would pity it and say: “It will heal before the wedding!”). The metaphorical phrase meant that if you bear with it now, it will be easier later and you will succeed. Because a Cossack would struggle lots of difficulties before becoming a leader, an ataman.
10. If you live to my age, then you will understand!
Вот доживешь до моих лет, тогда поймешь! / Vot dozhivesh do moikh let, togda poimesh!
There were other phrases from the same series, like: “When you have your own children, then you'll understand!” or “You'll thank me later!” And the titular one especially riled children, because it appealed not to logical explanations of why one should behave in this or that way, but to the age, experience and authority of their parents.
