Practical things your mom or dad taught you
 

Here's one, from my mother...

Anytime you leave your chair and go to another room (usually the kitchen), take AT LEAST one extra thing beyond what you are already taking that also needs to be returned there. I find myself doing this as a matter of habit, I def learned it well 'cause it makes so much sense! Don't 'waste' a trip! Could be something as simple as a peppermint wrapper or drinking cup from hours ago. I often have three or four things in my hands. Mom taught efficiency!

From Dad...

I was a dedicated high school football quarterback and he was a great player, played in college and one time he said, "Son, anytime you get sacked, jump up faster than the guy who tackled you, show him you're not the least bit bothered or hurt." I knew exactly what he was talking about from one of the previous night's game sacks and I did explain to him what I was feeling. I did recall getting up a bit slowly after a sack because I was tired of being sacked, lol, my line wasn't blocking, I felt, and I was getting killed and it was thwarting our offensive efforts and I was peeved at them. I wasn't the least bit injured. He told me to jump up fast and tell that to my linemen in the huddle, lol, but don't dare let the sacker think you're dragging.

All I remember is to turn off the lights. :)

I grew up in the county and my family's land had an old quarry on it. Our land backed up onto a large forrest. Right after we moved onto the land the owner of the forest came around to my parents and spent an hour welcoming them to the neighborhood. He told my parents that he had bought the forest with the idea that the neighborhood kids would have somewhere to play. He told them that we were absolutely welcome to play or camp out in the forest and fish in the lake as long as we didn't burn down the forest.

That by way of introduction. We were a fairly quiet family. Oh, we created firecracker mortars on the 4th of July and occasionally my father would take us down into the quarry and we'd shoot his Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 magnum pistol or one of our .22 rifles at targets. On one of those fore's we saw the sheriff walking down toward us so we put down the firearms and greeted him. He said, "Afternoon, guys? What are you shooting?" my dad unloaded and showed him the pistols. He said, "We've had a complaint, but it looks like you guys know what you are doing and your are on your own land, so have fun!" And he left.

A few months later one of our neighbors was doing something really annoying. Remembering the prior situation, I said to my dad, "Why don't we call the sheriff on them?" My father said, "Oh no, son. If we want our neighbors to ignore the things about us that bother them, we have to ignore the things about them that bother us."

Wisdom from a wise man.

Bob

My Father taught me many practical things. He was a very hard working man putting 8-12 hours a day in a Chrysler factory for 30 years. He always made time for us regardless of how tired he likely was. He would set his lunchbox down and play with me and the neighbor kids. Basketball, catch, ping-pong and so on. He taught me how to do maintenance on a vehicle and how to repair things around the home. That knowledge has saved me and my family 10's of thousands of dollars over the years. He also taught me the value of spending time with family.





He was recently interviewed for an article on the local Chrysler plant. He was an original employee when the plant opened in 1965. He is standing in front of the very 1st car they built in Belvidere. It is a 1966 Fury.

http://www.tacomaguitarforum.com/tgf/dadfury.jpg

My mom taught me the practical importance of family
My dad taught me the practical importance how not to act, and the kind of person not to be (if your family is important to you)

" You're just as good as anyone else but, you're no better."

"Son, make your wife your best friend."

Bob

Gunny, that photograph is priceless.

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Always have a hundred dollars cash and a pocketknife.

And I do.

Learn how to fix things (car, plumbing, electrical) yourself. If you have to hire someone, you're going to get cheated.

Nothing is free, you want something, go out and work hard and you will get it.

"Look both ways before you cross the street" and "you may have the right of way but if that car doesn't stop you'll be dead right". As a child in one of the largest cities in the USA I learned these lessons early and can remember the names of a few kids that didn't.

My dad was a farmer, a mechanic, and he was a construction foreman in town when he wasn't planting, cultivating or harvesting. I was his hired hand growing up and worked summers on his construction crew all the way through college. So he taught me a lot about farming, fixing, and building.

Practical things weren't really my parent's bag. I'm not particularly practical. I mean, I teach kids to draw and paint for a living. I live in a fantasy world 8 hours a day:)

I was born to very young parents, my mom became a hairdresser and my dad answered an ad in the newspaper about an "exciting new field." IT. He became a computer operator, and a **** good one...but not really the type to show me how to change a tire or fix a leaky faucet. Building databases wasn't top of the priority list for me as a kid...but grandpa is now teaching my kids coding!

Perhaps not practical, but my pops taught me a very important musical lesson: "The best stuff isn't on the radio-- you gotta go hunting."

My mom and grandma showed me cooking basics, which has bloomed into a passion for me. I love cooking, the improvisational nature of it, the thrill of making something healthy and nutritious that my kids also really like...that was definitely practical.

Also growing up with young parents with little money...I learned how to stretch a dollar.

My grandfather was the practical, fix it kind of guy. But it was the not so practical things he showed me that I'm forever grateful for... he was a woodworker in his spare time, he made hundreds of things, just to make them...he showed me the value of art for art's sake.