People Are Sharing Lessons They Learned From Their Parents That've Become More And More Important With Age
If you think back to your childhood, you can probably point to a few important lessons that stuck with you. Well, Redditor AltruisticGate8430 asked, "What is the greatest lesson you learned from your parents?" Here are the ones that still stick with people today.
1."My parents never had expectations for grades when my siblings and I were growing up. They would say, 'As long as your work is authentic and you know that you gave it your best effort, that’s all we care about.' My parents would never scold us if we received a bad grade, they never voiced any expectations they may have had concerning post-secondary education, and they would give out the same amount of praise whether we received a B- or an A+. My parents now have four high-achieving children at prestigious universities with very healthy attitudes towards education. Your children are more likely to appreciate and excel at learning (attributed to their genuine curiosity) if it is not something they are repeatedly pressured to be perfect."
2."When I asked a question she didn't know the answer to, my mother would go out of the way to find an answer or find someone who knew. This humanized her and made me understand that you don't have to be an expert on everything, but you should always know where to look for answers."
3."My parents were big on accountability but never made me feel like failing was the end of the world. That balance helped me learn without fear of messing up."
4."That 90% of the time, the energy you put into an interaction is what you get out of it in return. It’s especially helpful when I’m at work. I’ve found that I can trick myself out of a bad mood at work by being as friendly and upbeat as I can manage while interacting with customers and coworkers, and after a little while, I end up genuinely feeling a lot less grouchy because the people around me are treating me with the same polite friendliness as I’m giving off. Adulthood really is realizing that your mom was actually right about a lot of things."
5."Be financially independent so that you can buy anything you want without the permission of your partner."
6."Treat people how you want to be treated. Sounds basic, but it’s stuck with me, and honestly, it works most of the time."
7."When I was really little (probably like six or seven), my dad gave me $5 while we were at SeaWorld. I wanted to win one of those huge stuffed animals, so I went to spend my $5 at what was basically a gambling booth. Obviously, I lost, and I had no money left. He said, 'Son, that is why you don't gamble,' and then he took me to the gift shop to look at what they were selling. They had a smaller stuffed animal for $5. 'Look what you could have gotten.' Since then, I have never been, nor will I ever be, a gambler."
8."My parents told me from a young age that no matter the situation — if I was drunk or high or whatever — if I was ever in trouble, I could call my dad, and he would come to pick me up, no questions asked. This seemed like unconventional parenting compared to my friends with strict parents who went wild when they weren't under their supervision, but it taught me to stay safe and smart, and I ended up being a pretty good and stable kid because I knew I could go to my parents if I needed them."
9."My parents struggled so that their kids wouldn’t have to. My loving, privileged childhood came with three lessons: Be grateful, be generous, and remember that most people didn’t get the same opportunities that you did."
10."My mom started my sister and me on budgeting as soon as we were given a decent ($20 a month) allowance. She showed us how to break it down into spending versus savings using letter envelopes that were labeled in pen. It really helped being able to literally see where my money was going. I'm still amazed to this day how many of my friends have no formal budget for themselves."
11."Put a little bit of money away every month before it ever goes in your pocket, and learn to live on what's left."
12."My dad would make me sign single-season 'contracts' for my little league teams, basically guaranteeing that I would remain on the team until the season was over. My dad was not a sports dad, and he really didn't care whether I played sports or not; he just wanted to make sure that if I committed to something, I would see it through to the end and not abandon my team mid-season just because I didn't like it or was getting bored (which I was prone to do as a kid)..."
"...To this day, I try to be very practical about my commitments, and I don't sign on for anything unless I know it's something I can fully commit to. Anything from work projects, after-school clubs (I'm a teacher), coaching, or being a groomsman in a wedding, I consider how committed I can be. The irony of the lesson is that I think I end up saying 'no' a lot more than most people because when I sign on, I'm committed to the end."
13."When I was young, I was playing with a slinky and it had gotten horribly tangled up. I was sitting on the stairs frustrated and pulling at it randomly, trying to untangle all the rings, and eventually called my dad for help..."
"...He let me keep trying my way for a few minutes. He then sat on the steps with me and untangled the slinky slowly and methodically while telling me about patience and slowly working through something difficult. Now, as an adult, anytime I get frustrated with something, I think back to that day sitting on the stairs with my dad and smile as I slowly untangle whatever mess I'm in."
14."I remember taking a boat trip around a river in a small but very beautiful town in France on holiday. Our family and two others were on this boat, and the guy who was running it was just a super nice local. At the end of the boat trip, we got off the boat, and the guy forgot to charge us, but my Dad waited behind to pay the guy; we could have easily just walked off and gotten a free boat trip. I asked my mum why we didn't just walk off and she replied, 'Because that's not who your father is.' That was a good lesson."
15."My father, a construction worker, dropped out of high school and would take us to work with him. He always said: 'You can carry a brick, or you can carry a pencil. It's your choice.' I tried damn hard in school because of those words."
16."I grew up very fortunate in a middle-class family. I never wanted for anything. But, when my parents gave me something, and I did not say thank you, they took it away. When I was younger, I was always so upset by this. But to this day, I am not reserved when it comes to saying thank you. I find it very important to express gratitude to others, and I am so thankful that my parents taught me that."
17."I stole a pack of candy when I was about five. My mom busted me in the parking lot, marched me back inside, got the manager, and walked me to the person who had checked out our groceries. She made me apologize for stealing and promised never to do it again while I was hysterically crying. It was mortifying. When other teenage girls were shoplifting later, I remembered that moment and was like NOPE."
18."When I was a kid, I used to get bullied a lot. Some days I would come home crying because I didn't understand what I had done to people to make them treat me in such a way. One day, I came home and was crying in my mother's arms when she said, 'See how you feel right now? You never want to make another person feel like this.' This stuck with me. I can still remember this like it was yesterday and live by it to this day."
19."I learned that exercise can be fun if you find a fun way to do it. My parents were all about incorporating my curious young mind with physical activity. For example, I enjoy visiting new places and trying the food there. So, when I was a child my father and I would go on bike riding trips so I could try new food and see new places. Now, as an adult, I know how to ski, ride a bicycle, hike, canoe, kayak, ride a horse, run (sprint and long-distance), play soccer, football, baseball, ice skate, tennis, golf, and several types of dance (Irish step dance, formal dancing, and DIY dancing)."
What is the best lesson you've ever learned from a parent (or grandparent) — something that has always stuck with you? Tell us in the comments or in this anonymous form.
