Ah, parents. The true grey area when it comes to forming relationships. And while many children have to, unfortunately, learn from their parents mistakes, other times they tell us what we really need to hear. These Redditors are going to tell you the best wisdom that their parents ever gave them.
Reddit user iamrootnotgroot asked:
Adults, what's something your parents did right raising you?
This is so important.
"I remember being told it was very important to admit when you're wrong, and I think that was solid advice. But I could be wrong."- ixnayupidstay
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"My mom always made a point of apologizing to us after we had a fight with her and admitting anything she'd done wrong."
"I remember having one big fight when I was in high school where I threw a complete tantrum and screamed at her."
"Afterwards, she came upstairs and said, 'You were right; I was being unreasonable'."
"That was maybe not the most mature way to tell me, but you were right and I'm sorry'."
"It made such a difference to know that my mom would actually listen to and respect the things I said, and it made me do the same for her."
"It totally baffles me when parents don't want to apologize to their kids or admit they're wrong because they think their kids won't respect them anymore."
"The fact is your kids already know you're wrong, they want to know if you know it and if you respect them enough to admit it."- palacesofparagraphs
So wholesome.
"Supported my (then) unusual interests."
"I was into astronomy as a younger kid and they bought books and telescopes and drove me to/from the local astronomy club at late hours."
"Later (this was the 80s) they bought me a series of computers which were pretty expensive for the time and for their income."
"I'm grateful they supported what I was into."- Dapper_Presentation
That's good.
"They instilled a good work ethic."
"If you do something half-a**ed, you'll have to put 2 a**es in to fix your f*** ups."
"If your name is going on it, make it your best."
"They also always encouraged my creativity."
" Never told me I wasn't capable of something."
"They always told me I can accomplish anything I want as long as I put effort into it."
"My parental units are awesome."- HanginWithLucretia
Yes yes yes.
"You can do whatever you want but you are responsible for your choices."- Arriabella
"This is the single biggest thing my mom did in raising me."
'I never had curfews or restrictions and she trusted me to not be a dumba**."
"If I was a dumba**, it was my own fault and I'd have to fix it on my own (within the scope of capability at a given age)."
"My mom operated on 'I'll trust you unless you give me a reason not to'."
"I never gave her a reason not to trust me and we never had problems about it."
"We still argued over religion and other normal parent/teen stuff."
"But not about where I went or with whom and when I'd be back (again, within reason and respective to a given age)."
"I believe people who say they had strict or controlling parents, but I can't relate to it."- JerseyHurricane
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Great advice.
"They made sure I understood money, money management, saving for retirement, etc."
"Made my life so much easier have never had to worry about money or debt a day in my life."- FlameFrenzy
More parents should be like this.
"They treated me like an adult."
"Never belittled what I was feeling or what was meaningful to me, and explained practicalities of life when need be."
"'Because I said so' was NOT a common phrase."
"Also, they were the most supportive parents anyone could ask for, and they had the time to get involved with the things I did."
"My dad taught me scientific wonder and mentored my robotics team."
"My mom volunteered for all my theatre and music stuff while simultaneously serving on school boards, PTOs, Friends of Music, curriculum committees, and about a hundred other things."
"They are just incredible people."- nernthestrudel
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Sounds like a great dad.
"My dad always made my brother and I take the lead."
"He would obviously always know what was going on and would be a few steps ahead of us."
"If we were in a new city, we would be in charge of working out which bus to take, or if we were cooking, we'd be reading the recipe and telling my dad what to do, etc."
"It's pretty simple but it meant we were pretty good at doing things ourselves and were already really independent before leaving home."
"We were visiting London once and I managed to get on the tube before the doors closed, but my dad did not."
"I knew where we had to change so just got off at the stop and waited for the next train with him on."
"I think most 8 year olds might have freaked out a bit."- ThisArsehole
A useful life lesson.
"My mom always made me try a bite of any food in front of her before she'd allow the 'I don't like it' line."
"Now, thanks to her, I'm willing to try any food/drink once, even if I think I won't like it."
"I'm glad she did that."- dontaskmethatmoron
No free rides.
"Made me work."
"There wasn't a free ride, chores and working on the farm weren't an option, they were mandatory."
"As long as school work was done and I wasn't at practice or a game, I was expected to be helping, and that meant work all summer long too."- sitdwnandhngon
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.....can you give me some tips?
"Never gave me a cent to spend."
"I earned every single dollar of my wealth throughout my life."
"I'm in my mid 30s and if I lose all my money tomorrow I won't even be that stressed because I know how to earn it back because I've done it before."- vadermustdie
Well that took a turn.
"Father: Taught me in the early 00's (when I was 16-20 or so) how to use computers, so I wouldn't be one of those people later in life going 'dUr wHaTs A cOmpUtEr1!1'"
"Godfather: Taught me not to spend money foolishly, but don't be afraid to spend it."
"You can't take it with you when you're gone."- DemonKyoto
There are benefits to playing sports.
"They pushed me into basketball and sports in general, even though I wanted to quit every other weekend."
"I was pretty fat as a kid and I naturally didn't like it at all at first, but it ended up being great for me, both for health reasons and for socializing."
"The latter was also very important, cause I had no long-lasting friends since my parents moved every year and I always had to change schools."- I_hate_traveling
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Old school advice, but still useful.
"Controversial one but as a kid but don't start any physical violence but if someone punches you, punch them back."
"I seemed to be targeted for bullying and violence in school and this helped."
"As soon as someone knows you will fight back, 9/10 will give up."
"Definitely different as an adult though."
"As an adult I'd rather just avoid any physical violence entirely because the chances are, if they are getting into physical violence, they probably don't have a lot to lose and you don't want to get stabbed or something."- SlightlyIncandescent
You never know how people will behave
"My dad taught me that no matter how mad you are, it's best to apologize than to make things worse because it will often do no good to get more riled up than is necessary."
"My mom taught me that not everyone is going to like me and thats okay and if they don't like me, they're missing out."- Dropped-Croissant·
They set me on the right path
"I'm very grateful that my parents raised me 'Liberal' and always with a critical and open mindset, that was almost the reason why got good grades and the friends I have now."- Deutschi
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Taught me essential skills
"My mother taught me how to cook and sew in effect making me very self-sufficient."- mehdihs
Consequences for bad decisions were punishment enough
"My mom never set any rules for me, she let me figure things out myself and supported me if I made the wrong decision."
"She never punished me for anything, negative consequences was my punishment (like drinking too much and vomiting)."
"She constantly told me about stupid sh*t she did as a teen."
"I always felt loved, supported and free."
"I never had any reason to rebel or lie to her."
"She treated me like a person and she was always so proud of me."
"She was my best friend and I’ll always be so grateful that I got to have such a wonderful mother for 18 years."
"I miss her with every heartbeat."- MjauDuuude
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Opened my eyes to new experiences and healthy food!
"Mine were mostly a**holes so the good stuff stands out lol."
"Two things compete for the title of 'Best Thing They Taught Me'."
"One was their enthusiasm for diversity."
"They were always hanging around immigrants or foreign visitors, both to give them a hand settling in, and to hear all about their homeland, get a taste of their traditional foods, etc."
"They took us to various multicultural stuff from visiting Chinatown, Little Italy etc whenever we were in a city big enough to have such areas."
"To attending festivals where those of assorted backgrounds showed off their traditional art, costumes, performances and foods."
"I absorbed the idea that, when you encounter something that is new and strange, rather than being uncomfortable, you should be excited that now your day is more interesting and you are becoming more cultured."
"And the idea that minorities are our friends, colleagues and neighbors, not some Other, who Our Kind avoids."
"This was pretty revolutionary because we lived in a region without much diversity of culture, faith or race, and were surrounded by bigots."
"The other one was healthy eating."
"Some health nut parents raise their kids badly risking rebound."
"Like a gal at my gym, last I heard her kids were around 5, and had never tasted sugar or flour, or many other things like chips/crisps."
"I'm sure that works about as well as abstinence-only sex ed y'know?"
"Those kids will be drawn to the mysterious and forbidden junk food items, out of curiosity and rebellion."
"As soon as they are old enough to sneak around they will be huge gluttons."
"My parents on the other hand didn't try to forbid anything."
"If I ate a third helping of dessert they would just say 'hm wonder why that is!'"
"When I mentioned a sore stomach later helping me notice consequences for mistreating my body."
"The way they pushed me to adopt their healthy way of eating was, more carrot than stick."
"My mother would flip right out about something like 'OMG you have GOT to try some of this melon!'"
"'It is the best melon I have ever had!'"
"'Wow, check out the texture, the flavour, wowww!'"
"Repeat for a good batch of carrots, beans, broccoli, nectarines etc.'"
"I absorbed her excitement over some batches of produce being better than others, which translated into an excitement over buying produce."
"Or 'Mmm sample a spoonful of this soup I just made!'"
"So rich in taste and texture eh?'"
"'So comforting on a cold day like this!'"
"'I can hardly wait to get back from our outing and have it for supper!'"
"She never argued against junk food just argued for health food."
"Like on a wintry day she never said 'Hot chocolate is unhealthy, full of sugar and caffeine'."
"'You should have this pureed squash soup instead, a much healthier way to warm up'."
"And indeed, once in awhile she was in the mood for garbage and brought out the cocoa and marshmallows herself."
"She didn't make unhealthy food seem off limits, just demonstrated choosing it seldom, and choosing healthier stuff as her normal default habit."
"To this day I default to veggies and other nutritious snacks, and fail to see any magic in junk food."- StopPoopinInMyLilacs
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A penny saved is a penny earned
"They gave me an allowance and took half of it and put it in a savings fund."
"Meanwhile if I wanted to buy anything I had to use the money I had earned from my allowance."
"They wouldn't buy me toys or video games unless it was my birthday."
"It's made me better at appreciating my money and saving no matter how much extra I have at the end of the check."- Mehtevas52
Never underestimate logic!
"My dad taught me critical thinking skills, particularly in investing."
"Things like, 'If it sounds too good to be true it probably is'."- Nelsb85
The lessons our parents and guardians teach us can last a lifetime. What would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments.
When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
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Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
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See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
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Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
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Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
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The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.