Posted on 05/27/2004 2:15:11 PM PDT by Walkingfeather
Can you share what personal habits your parents taught you that served you well as an adult?
AND MOST IMPORTANT.... How did they teach you that habit ( besides modeling it ) was there something they did to impress that learning on you.
My dad taught me to avoid profanity. He threatened to kick my f#&%ing @ss if he ever heard a foul word of my mouth. :-)
Yes!
Never, and I mean NEVER participate when invited to "pull my finger"!!!!!!!!
To read the news each day.
From my father, I learned the secret of inner peace-celibacy.
how to eat with a knife and fork
how to fold a napkin on my lap
taught me to read and write at a very young age
personal grooming
how to be rude in a ladylike manner
I owe my mom a lot of money *LOL*
Beer - a habit that has served me very well!
Yes. It is not necessary to clean your plate. If you have eaten a balanced meal and are no longer hungry, stop eating.
LOL!!!!!!!!!
honesty (which is taught by example only) and table manners.
My parents had the gift of laughter. When times were really bleak, they would still find something in it to laugh about and we'd go on.
My folks taught me (as a child) to respect adults, and to want to be respected by adults (which you had to earn). When I was a kid, I wanted to be a "grown up".
Please ignore any FReepers who laugh at that last sentance.
How to properly hook a worm so it doesn't get nibbled off.
Love of the outdoors.
You were probably the type that left the toilet lid down and the bathroom door shut so the first person in afterwards would get the full 'impact' of your previous visit. I hated my younger brother for that....
cyborg wrote:
I owe my mom a lot of money *LOL*
Hell, I even used to close the window too!
The nost evil invention of all time was the "power window lock out button". It allowed my Dad to prevent the windows from going down at certain times.....................
My dad had great taste and REALLY knew how to pick good gifts.
He was also a biologist, so I inherited a curious mind and a love of animals, plants and the outdoors.
Hey! I used to go to Stan's, but I never had the cabbage rolls.
As to habits, I was taught, and taught my children, to speak correctly and to read well. Reading well allows you to further yourself at any time. Speaking well allows others to relate to you without any preconceived ideas biasing their views of you.
If I screwed up, I had to walk to school.....4 miles....in the snow...barefoot :~)
My mother taught me to work hard & a love of gardening. She works hard as a mule to this day. My Dad taught me to shoot & drink whiskey ;)The most important thing I've taught my son is to think for himself.
.....was there something they did to impress that learning on you.
I got my a$$ whooped real good, every time. They would also throw in a grounding just to make sure I got the message. Eventually - both worked on me.
A true lady should be able to neatly fillet an armored miscreant from 20 paces while never raising her voice or losing her smile. ~my mom.
Never go anywhere unarmed. ~my dad
The importance of family love.
&
Be prompt! It is rude to keep others waiting for you. Until this day it is one of my biggest pet peeves when people are late.
Leading by example.
uphill both ways?
Hugs are worth their weight in gold.
Honesty and good manners, by example.
Stand up for what you believe.
Always have some money saved. My brothers and I all had our own savings accounts. Any money we received as a gift we were allowed to spend 50% and the other 50% had to go into the savings account. Period.
A love of books. Big library family.
bump
These are great PLEASE PLEASE KEEP POSTING
Thank you notes. If someone can take the time and effort to shop, wrap and send you a gift you can take the time to send them a handwritten (email doesn't count in this case!) note. (Gee, can you tell I'm southern?)
Tell me how that has served you as an adult.
This sounds silly but for some reason it is important to me.
My mother taught me never to wear white shoes after Labor Day. Never wear velvet after Valentine's Day. Young girls never wear black. Always carry a pretty handkerchief. That if you are kind to friends they will not fail you. That even when you are moving from one house to another and you are sitting around the old house waiting to go to the new one, if all the electricity is turned off, you can still go out into the back yard and build a fire out of scrap lumber and boil a pot of coffee on it.
And since she was a painter, that there is no true black in nature. Use dark dark purple.
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and scrutinize it for "Editing liberties"
Well, Dad didn't mention that then, though I've learned to do that on my own.
true, but if they didnt teach you to read everyday.... continue sequiter.
My mom said 'boys are different and don't you ever forget it"
In college, it helped to keep me out of the feminist trap.
When something is different than you are, you have to respect the difference and take it from there. Feminists are perfectly confused about men and at bottom, have no respect for them. It is part and parcel of that whole generations' lack of respect for ANYTHING...tradition, order, structure, nation, etc....tell me where to stop.
Consequently, feminists are confused about a great deal.
bttt
heh, another story came to mind just now.
when i was born, my folks told my sister she better start learning to eat fast or i would be eating the food off her plate. she didnt believe them, and then i hit 12 :) "sis, you gonna finish that?" ::sister looks awe-struck::
bttt
I believe that when someone does something for you, you should let them know their efforts are appreciated. Letting someone know you appreciate them goes beyond sending a thank you note for a gift. I've sent notes when someone has helped me out in some manner. I send thank you notes, on Veterans Day, to relatives that served in the Armed Forces. I want them to know their effort is remembered and appreciated. I just think it's the decent, and caring, thing to do; to let someone know you appreciate them and what they have done for you.
On another note, if I may ask, why did you start this thread? Are you a new parent, or, are you doing research for a book you plan to write? or...
My dad taught me how to keep smiling.... and if I didn't, he'd slap that frown off my face.
Here are my two cents.
Table manners are very important. This remains true for young men. My Father taught us to seat the ladies at the table, and rise when ladies would get up from the table. As well as stand when a lady returns to the table.
Most men (young or old) don't do this. If your boy does, he will be a hit with the young ladies and their parents.
We taught our children to love learning. We read to them when they were small. When they'd show a specific interest in something, we'd do our best to teach them all we could on the subject. It was good for us as well, for we had to brush up on things like fossils so we could teach them. Rocks and minerals gave way to plate techtonics, volcanos,etc. The stars were a constant wonder. All three are adults now and still love learning. Even the liberal teachers couldn't kill their zest. LOL All three were A students. We never had to yell at them to do their homework. All are doing well in life. In a sense, we were doing homeschooling before it was the thing to do. But we never forced them to learn something and always kept it fun. :0) Children have a wonderful curiosity about things.
I would have to say the love of reading. There were always books and magazines around, and we openly discussed news and world events, Even as small children. I have always had an insaitiable " need to know" and a major love for history.
awsome. Everyone else please contribute.
bttt
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