NEED TO KNOW
Maintaining order and harmony in a household of five children is no easy task.
To bring structure to their busy home, one Tennessee couple created a set of rules and expectations for their kids to follow.
Years later, their youngest daughter, Hannah Burch – now 24 and a mother herself – shared a viral TikTok video reflecting on the unique ways she and her siblings were raised — from rules around being a tattletale to monthly family yardwork and chore expectations.
“There were definitely a few things my family did that may have been out of the norm, but they really helped us get creative and learn responsibility and accountability – mostly without even realizing it,” she tells PEOPLE exclusively.
Although her parents’ practices weren’t “normal” by conventional standards, Burch admits she is now deeply thankful for them. “A lot of the rules helped prepare us for the real world,” she says.
While chores were mandatory, Burch’s mom created a fun system called “Bunk Checks,” where she would come into their rooms every morning and give the kids points based on cleanliness.
“She’d check how well the bed was made, whether our clothes were folded, and whether everything was put away,” Burch recalls.
“It was always brothers vs. sisters, and at the end of the month, whichever team had the most points would either get another monetary reward or, even more exciting, get to pick the next family activity.”
Hannah Burch
Another opportunity for a small reward – usually just $1 – came whenever someone complimented their behavior at restaurants. The gesture was simple but encouraged them to always be on their best behavior.
Given that her parents rarely bought her and her siblings gifts outside of birthdays, Christmas or other special occasions, the money they earned felt especially meaningful.
“It was our own money to save or spend on something that we really wanted,” Burch shares. “The way this was implemented for us, I think, helped us understand the value of a dollar and responsibility.”
To help them truly learn the value of money, their mom would take one child to the grocery store each month and hand them $20 to plan and buy dinner for the whole family.
Whatever they didn’t spend, they got to keep; however, one of Burch’s brothers was thoughtful enough to save his grocery trip money over the course of a few months and eventually surprised everyone with a fancy steak dinner.
Hannah Burch
Apart from the more creative and fun systems put into place, Burch’s parents also enforced several “strict” guidelines that the kids weren’t too fond of at the time.
“One of the more strict rules in my family was the age that we got our first cell phone,” she reveals, noting that she didn’t have her own device until around 15.
Burch remembers playing outside with her friends and neighbors until she was in her mid-teens, enjoying nature without the distraction of a screen.
“At the time, I remember this being really unpopular and feeling unfair, but now looking back, it’s a rule that I am so thankful for,” she admits. “Partially because of this, I was able to have such a full and what felt like an extended childhood.”
Certain TV shows were also “off limits” in Burch’s house, especially if her parents thought the content was inappropriate — even if they were kids’ shows, like SpongeBob or The Suite Life of Zach & Cody.
Nevertheless, she and her siblings still found ways to get around the rule by watching the shows when their parents weren’t home.
“This was always a fun bonding moment for us, and I think that’s what we took away more than the actual content of the shows,” Burch says. “It was the fact that my parents wanted to make sure that we knew it was not gonna be acceptable for us to mimic their behavior or language, which we understood.”
The Williams
At first, it seemed like the goal was to shelter them, but looking back, Burch believes it was about preserving their childhoods.
Though they eventually pursued their own hobbies – sports, music or part-time jobs – delaying cell phone use ensured they still played and spent time outside together.
“I think that’s a big reason my family still enjoys spending so much time together today,” Burch shares. “We still love to hang out all together, and part of the reason is because we have so many memories to reminisce on.”
Ironically, social media is now her full-time career, and she’s still figuring out what that means. But if there is one thing she knows, it’s that she’ll be implementing “most, if not all” of her parents’ rules with her own kids moving forward.
