29 Go-To Catchphrases That Parents Have Been Using That Sound Silly But Are Actually Incredibly Wise

"Go pee up a tree!"

Parents say the darndest things. Like superheroes or sitcom characters, they all come with their own favorite sayings and catchphrases.

DreamWorks / Via media.giphy.com

We recently shared a Reddit thread chock-full of hilarious and adorable mom catchphrases. We then asked the BuzzFeed Community for even more iconic parent catchphrases, and were overwhelmed by the amazing results. Here are some more parent catchphrases you'll want to steal:

1. "You can go to Disneyland, but you don't have to take Goofy home."

Pop TV

"This is my mom's advice on dating."

—kokomoin

2. "No hanky panky and no stinky pinky!"

Fox

"My mom used to tell me when I was in high school and would go out. It used to gross me out, but now it makes me laugh."

—jakesandlin

3. “A hard head makes a soft ass."

ABC

"This is what my mom would say whenever I wouldn't listen."

—deannarbonner

4. "Tough bunny butts!"

ABC

"This was my mom's go-to response for most things."

—clairmonde

5. "Wish in one hand and shit in the other. See which one fills up faster."

Fox

—reginaj4ce559d30

6. “Go pee up a tree.”

Fox

"My grandma's more dignified version of 'fuck you.' Loved her. She was chock-full of country idioms."

—msbetsyifurnasty

7. "Does the Pope shit in the woods?"

NBC

"My dad accidentally combined 'Is the Pope Catholic?' with 'Does a bear shit in the woods?' and now we say it all the time."

—cfuji

8. "Do I look like Boo Boo the Fool to you?"

Fox

—for_why_tho

9. "Why don’t you stick your foot in the gravy and see if that's what you want.”

CBS

"This is what my mom would say if one of us was being picky. Now we say it for whenever someone is being whiny and choosy."

—gaylaj

10. “Don’t have any more problems tomorrow than you have today.”

Fox

"When one of us would leave on a date, my dad would say to this to the young man taking us. He felt that it would cover whatever they were thinking."

—jen67

11. "Use the brain you were born with!"

ABC

—dauntlesschristina

12. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, and if you do, name it after me."

Netflix

"My dad always says this."

—kannis1992

13. "You can't get younger, but you can get blonder."

NBC

"My mom's advice on aging."

—kokomoin

14. “Damn, shit, hell.”

Walt Disney Pictures

"In that order. My mom says it whenever something goes wrong or something bad happens. My grandma said it. My mom says it. I say it. And, now my kids have started to say it."

—jenniferh156

15. "Good! It means you have a head."

The WB

"Said whenever I have a headache. Can’t argue with that."

—chme24

16. "If it had teeth, it would’ve bitten ya."

ABC

"If my mom finds something I was looking for and it wasn’t hard to find, she says this."

—natec4a50d99ad

17. “I’ve taught you everything you know, just not everything I know."

NBC

—blerner

18. "Use your head for more than a hat rack."

The CW

"My mom's go-to when we wouldn't use our brains for something."

—ohodnett1

19. "You're so full of shit that if I gave you an enema, you'd disappear."

Fox

—mllaplante123

20. “Patience, my little whippersnapper!”

NBC

"It was my mom's way of telling me to slow down and wait, and that things happen in due time. Used to annoy me as a kid, but now it makes me smile, and I’ve used the phrase a few times myself."

—tracy110302

21. “People think their shit don’t stink, but their farts give them away."

ABC

"This is what my dad would tell me when I'd complain about the mean girls in junior high and high school."

—smkazmie

22. “Home again, home again. Jiggity jig.”

Touchstone Pictures

"This is what my grandma would say every time we pulled into the driveway."

—msbetsyifurnasty

23. “Up your nose with a rubber hose."

NBC

"My mom said it every time my sister or I would ask where something was. Highlight of my childhood."

—creativeqt123

24. "Drive fast, take chances."

ABC

"My step-dad (RIP) would always say this when I’d leave the house with anyone. It always caught people off guard and it ALWAYS made me laugh."

—queenbuttnuts

25. “You might be a pain, but you’re not made of glass.”

Fox

"Whenever someone stood in front of the TV."

—bethw41d9ffb62

26. “What’s that got to do with the price of tomatoes?”

ABC

"My mom go-to phrase whenever I said something that was irrelevant to a conversation." 

—amandaautumn

27. "Sit on your thumb and let your feet hang over."

Walt Disney Pictures

"My mom's go-to when we were bored."

—maetelle

28. "Run from the serial killer!"

CBS

"My mom yells it at all of my track meets. She even made signs. Gotta love her though."

—mollygrabman

29. Finally: “The world would be very boring if we were all the same.”

CBS

"It really taught me to accept everyone’s differences and not judge anyone. My mom died four years ago at 60 and this really made me miss her. She was a total character!"

—bethw41d9ffb62

Do you have a family member with a fun catchphrase? Tell us in the comments!

Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.