Practical things your mom or dad taught you

[BrunoBlack]

Ask thoughtful questions. Listen carefully.

[john57classic]

My mom taught me, among other things, not to follow (blindly) the crowd though she never used those words. It was more like “well if Doug, Richie and Steve decide to jump off a cliff will you do it too?
It definitely stuck, too well maybe…

[SFCRetired]

I don't remember specific lessons because growing up there was always lessons being learned. What I learned is if you want things in life you have to work for them.

My Dad started working at sunup and didn't stop until sundown. He was a manager for a propane gas company and was either working at it or farming or gardening. My Mom was his office manager and she usually had another part time job to fill the void while Dad was doing his thing. When you grow up in that environment you better learn how to work. It served me well for 20 years in the Army and for the rest of my life. The only person I can't outwork at 65 years old is my wife. She runs circles around me.

Too bad all my siblings didn't learn those lessons.

[Gryf]

My dad mostly just taught me how I didn't want to father when I had kids. But two sayings come to mind that I heard quite a few times.

"If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

"The grass may be greener on the other side of the fence, but the neighbor has a higher water bill."

[RP]

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

...he showed me the value of art for art's sake.

That must be where MGM got their motto....

[zuzu]

My mom told me to be careful with people who want to BE something, and be open with people who want to DO something.

My dad was of the land, my generation being the first on both sides of my family not to farm for a living. Even so, I farmed with him, just not as primary income. In early spring I was always anxious to get on the land, but my dad would say "Work it wet, work it three times. Work it right once." He was entirely correct, as he allowed me to find out on my own one year. If you work the land (our land, every place is different) too wet you make clods of the soil (once) and have to wait until conditions are perfect to work it again to get rid of the clods (twice). That will lay the soil down too tight for a seed bed so you have to wait until conditions are perfect again to lift the soil and make a light seed bed, amenable to germination (three times). If you simply wait until conditions are perfect you can have it all in one go.

This lesson I have applied to many situations in my life, especially as I have grown older, and it has become clear to me that a hasty action is often worse than no action at all.

Thanks Pop!

[mr. beaumont]

Originally Posted by RP

That must be where MGM got their motto....

Actually I think it was French philosopher Victor Cousin (looked it up, I'm not that big of a nerd)...but one of my Art professors in college was HUGE into the concept. I remember him destroying this poor guy at a critique who was doing this conceptual thing and he was trying to explain it and the teacher was "but you can't paint!"

[fitness1]

Dad: "If you can't do it right - don't do it at all"
Both: Live within your means (this was through osmosis)

[Merak]

Save money but spend enough so you and your family aren't miserable.
Don't buy a house unless you could spend the rest of your life there.

[rmp]

"Better to be thought a fool, than open your mouth and erase all doubt."

[Murphy Slaw]

Originally Posted by Gunny

the very 1st car they built in Belvidere. It is a 1966 Fury.

That is the coolest picture I've seen in a long, long time.

Mopar, baby!

Wishing the best for Belvidere.

[Mr. Jelly]

I forgot this one from my Mom. You are never ever sick, ever. Or you better be dying. She was still doing tailgate parties at 87 and died at 89 from a hip replacement. Because she didn't want to live like that. She's a legend.

[Mbroady]

Mom taught me that cooking is both an art and a science. I made a career out of it
Dad taught me to always pay myself self 10% first and invest it.

Thank’s Mom and Dad

[Golffishny]

Just because it's cheap, doesn't make it a bargain.

Buy quality, buy once.

[imwjl]

A common theme or a lot that wasn't physical skills for getting out of being poor important was attitude and discipline to have the psychological concept of internal locus of control.

Everyone who raised me including family friends all came from serving the czar's army, Hitler and WWII. My grandfather said we had to be educated because no one can take it away from you like other stuff. A very early response from my mother when my dad died young was "put on a smile and get to work".

Beyond that attitude or philosophy stuff we had a scrap yard and farm. It took a while or me to realize a lot of practical skills came from that. I knew how to use lots of tools and machines.

Originally Posted by Gunny

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.

This old junk truck that was my day care center would go by that plant on the still new at that time I 90 as well as famous US 20 on the other side. I have vivid memories of the plant, what my grandfather and dad would say, and all the traffic speeding by us being told some day I _would_ graduate from college and be speeding along with the rest.

I can't ever shake the sounds, smells and sights. When I drove a semi by there daily or near daily to put myself through college I felt I was on the road to their dreams. Now if I'm with traffic going 80 MPH I can think of where I was and am now.

It was not exactly fun to be poor and teased but wow did it help with skills building. Fortunately it didn't turn me into the negative and paranoid people that get to much air and Internet time now.