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

"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

TRUTH.

"Taught me the importance of quality duct tape."- Imbalancedone

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

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

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

.....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

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

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

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

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.