Practical things your mom or dad taught you

[llew]

From my Dad: "Pay attention"! I'm not completely sure but I think he was referring to situational awareness to some degree.

My Mom: "Tend your own fire!"

[Neil K Walk]

Don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you see with your own eyes.

[eyesore]

All great advice; a lot of farmers here huh. I never would have known.I come from a big family , my Dad wasn't really a hands on guy, a machinist. He told the boys get a job or go in the military. The girls ;get a job until you get married. That's the way we all ended up.And; we're all good.

[Mr. Jelly]

Originally Posted by llew

From my Dad: "Pay attention"! I'm not completely sure but I think he was referring to situational awareness to some degree.

That doesn't sound like it worked from the way you phrased it.

[imwjl]

From my 92 year old mother....

She still sides with my wife for about anything, and now tells our boys instead of me to "keep it clean".

A more serious twist on that is my wife and I would not argue in front of the kids even if we disagreed. For anyone here with young kids take note. I think that sort of consistency really helped out kids.

[LAPlayer]

They taught me to be completely self sufficient. I was raised by wolves.

[Silly Moustache]

My Mum, was all about loving and caring.
She taught me to read and write beautifully(with my left hand) before I started Prep school at age five.

They beat me for using my left hand which ruined my writing to this day, and my parents took me to a different school.

I was reading novels by by about 6. Bookish kid.

My father had an appalling childhood. Saw his Dad decapitated by a bomb in WW1 in 1917 (aged six) and was living on the streets by age nine.

He was taken in by a farming couple who put him to work on maintaining the agricultural machinery which he made into a career, working up to owning his own garage and car truck sales after "secret" work during WW2.

He started taking my to work when I was nine on Saturdays and school holidays, and I was driving the breakdown truck and servicing cars by 12.

My father had little education, learnt by necessity
and so didn't (couldn't?) "teach" or advise.

It was the first girlfriend that I lived with when I was 19/20, who taught me that thing about always taking something back into the kitchen... I guess she taught me to cook too!

[msbedard]

You can never win an argument with someone dumber then you are.

[Voxbox30]

Mine was from my Auntie.
She was a singer with the Philharmonia Chorus, and her day job was teaching Maths and Science.

I had the opportunity to buy a 1930 Broadwood upright piano in great physical condition, at what seemed a reasonable price, and although I'd played as an 11 year-old, I knew nowt about pianos or what to look for.

As my Auntie played a Steinway upright in her home, ( the whole family were musical, her husband playing trombone in the Royal Phil), and, I presumed, would have a bit of technical insight as to what to look for as she was into Maths and Science, she seemed the ideal person to ask for advice on what to look for in a prospective piano purchase.

All she said to me was "Just if it speaks to you son, just if it speaks to you."

Best advice I've ever had about anything. It applies to just about every decision I've ever had to make.

.....especially guitars!
If they dont speak to me, I let them be, as they'll speak to someone else.

Cheers,
Colin

BTW, I bought the piano.

[llew]

Originally Posted by Mr. Jelly

That doesn't sound like it worked from the way you phrased it.

Yeah it worked...I just never knew exactly how much latitude was included that statement?

[815C]

My dad grew up in the woods and mountains. He was in the Army and at one of the many places we lived our house backed up to the woods in Ft. Rucker, Alabama. That was when my dad taught me all about snakes - and how to not get lost in the woods.

When I was in 1st grade before he would let me roam the woods by myself with my knife and snake bit kit, I had to demonstrate to my dad that I could make a "snake stick" (a forked branch to pin a snakes head to the ground), spot, catch, kill, and skin a snake, as well as explain/show how I would extract most of the poison and apply a tourniquet with my snake bit kit if I was bitten by a poisonous snake (which he taught me how to identify).

BTW, he strictly forbade me from attempting to catch poisonous snakes. I was told to avoid those and go the other way.

He'd probably be arrested in these times for child endangerment, but I'm thankful I grew up like that.

[leew3]

Both of my parents were self employed in their own respective businesses so had little time to get all that was needed to be done at home. I heard, more often than I'd care to recall "if you see something that needs to be done, do it" They meant around the house, but the advice has served me well in a long career and life in general.

[catndahats]

From my dad, "Just try."
From mom, "Follow your heart."

Everyday, I think about them, appreciate them more than ever and the effort they put in to teach me important life lessons.

Now, as the parent the best advice I've lived/given, "You have to love them the way they are."

[ceciltguitar]

You make your habits and then your habits make your life.

[TheGITM]

My dad was a professional, touring musician when I was very young. He then transitioned into ministry when I was 12 years old. I was visiting with him one time when I was in my mid-20s (mid-80s)... just him and me sitting in his living room... and I asked him something like "Dad, with all of the different opinions on Spiritualism vs Fundamentalist Christianity vs Prosperity Religion... what do actual believe?"

He took a moment to answer, clearly considering how best to respond. I was fully expecting him to give me a thoughtful response to help educate me on his beliefs and why he believes such... instead, he got up and left the room. He came back in a few moments later and handed me his day planner and his checkbook.

He said, "Son, if I answer your question I will be telling you what I want you to believe about my beliefs... I'll tell you what I think I believe. It will be an intellectual answer. If you really want to know what someone TRULY believes you'll know through their actions. If you look at my day planner that will tell you how I spend my time and how I prioritize things. If you look at my checkbook you'll see how I spend my money. What anyone tells you they believe is just a mind game we play within ourselves and with each other. We may believe what we're saying, but it's still about what we think. The truth is, the way someone spends their time and their money is the most tangible way to determine what they really believe."

It was a different twist on 'Actions speak louder than words', but it really hit home and it's something I have used my entire adult life. It's fine to listen to someone speak on what they believe, who they are, what's important to them... but the truth is really in just looking at how they live their life.