• momsrock said on Nov 12, 2006....

  When I expected my parents to be the most angry is usually when they said nothing at all. Those were usually the times I felt the most loved.

• sweetsoul said on Nov 12, 2006....

  Oh so many....
   
  momsrock reminds me when I was 16...just learning to drive a car. I had my first accident bumping another car. Was so afraid to tell my Dad. I still recall his first comments...'are you ok?' 'yes' 'was anyone hurt?' 'no' 'good...the insurance companies will take care of  the rest then'
   
  As for other lessons...
   
  my parents treated me like a 'person' not a 'girl'...when society was still treating 'girls' very differently
   
  that most decisions aren't irreversible.
   
  to keep your options open
   
  they taught me about values...all those basic ones...
   
  but I think the biggest lesson they taught me was that no matter what I did, they would continue to love me. It was such a wonderful feeling to know that. Contributed to my confidence.

• lioneljay said on Nov 12, 2006....

  My mother always advised me to "keep the ball low." I think she learned the phrase from a baseball coach during my very undistinguished Little League career but I can't be sure. In any event, she wrote to me weekly when I was a way at college and every single letter ended with that little bit of advice. Too bad I never made it the majors.
  
  My father was more of an example than a sage. The one lesson that he taught frequently was that it's our responsibility to give our children better lives than we had and to give them a better world than we received.
  

• secretlife said on Nov 12, 2006....

  my father taught me that men can be gentle.  he taught me by his example the sacrifices
  you make for the people you love, and how to do that without needing to call
  attention to yourself.  he taught me to be kind and not critical.
   
  my mother taught me by her example how to be giving.  she's also where i've learned to be strong.  she's getting her own post soon.

• the_infernal_optimist said on Nov 12, 2006....

  From my dad: Get back on the horse that threw you or you'll never ride again.
  
  I hated him for it the day he made me (literally) do that, but now I understand why he did, and I get the broader implications of what he was telling me. I'm not fearless, but I know that I have to keep on getting up and trying again to accomplish anything important, and I can't let fear stop me.
  

• satyr said on Nov 12, 2006....

  I too learned by example from my parents - but one piece of wisdom Mother never tired of was......If you haven't got something nice to say don't say anything at all.........I've usually found that to be good advice.

• schreist said on Nov 12, 2006....

  Don't touch your penis in public.
  
  Oh sure there were others, but this one really seems to have stuck with me.
  
  

• CreativeWoman said on Nov 12, 2006....

  Mine have taught me to be well mannered, polite, and generous.
  
  CW
  

• Lioness said on Nov 12, 2006....

  What a nice opportunity to reminisce and think about the values or lessons taught to us by our parents.
  
  My mom taught me to give importance to education because according to her, that is the only treasure she could leave that nobody would take away = I found that very true. By her example, she taught me to be generous when I have something to give without expecting anything in return. She also taught me the value of hardwork, inner strength, and  independence (not to depend too much on others, when you know you can do what you have to do).
  
  

• WanderingSoul24 said on Nov 13, 2006....

  My parents taught me to live by the golden rule:  Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.  I have always tried to live by that rule... it doesn't always work though because not all people know how to do that.   Sometimes when you try to prove yourself to someone, it just backfires.  But that doesn't mean I don't follow it on a daily basis.  You know who your true friends are when it comes down to the nitty-gritty.

• silverwhisper said on Nov 13, 2006....

  momsrock: that's actually a wonderful example, i think.
  
  sweetsoul: o, i like that.
  
  LJ: a superb lesson and based on what i know of you, one that was learned well.
  
  SL: i look forward to that post.
  
  infernal: you ride?  in what context did the riding lesson happen?
  
  satyr: would that more people understood that one online more often, eh?  :>
  
  schreist: wait--that's wrong?!  damn it!  :D
  
  CW: i think they've done a superior job teaching that lesson.
  
  lioness: i was kinda viewing this as an opportunity to learn lessons i might otherwise not, to be honest.
  
  wandering soul: welcome to my blog and thank you for stopping by.  i find that's a very good guideline.  i just wish it was more popular than it seems to be some days.  and yeah, when the challenges come is the acid test, isn't it?
  
  ed
  

• dubiousjayhawk said on Nov 13, 2006....

  ummm... haha, never leave the house without decent underwear on...

   

  never marry a man that hasn't given you an orgasm.. So that one I learned more in a round about way, like she would talk to me about how in 20 years of being with my dad never once... but... with aaron, and they use toys.. and I wasn't listening very closely, just enough to know!!!

• missb said on Nov 13, 2006....

  Well, there are some. But all I can really remember right now are;
   
  From my mom: Pray...Pray...Pray and be nice to people
   
  From my dad: Strive to be rich :)
   
  Cheers!

• gingersoul said on Nov 13, 2006....

  My mother taught me resilience, elegance and to bend but not to break facing the adversities.

  My father taught me to be proud of myself, to shoot for high goals, to speak out my own mind, to be opinionated.

  But they also taught me negative things: my mother thaught me how a woman can loose her personality in a marriage and living almost a half life.

  My father taught the men can live a double life, are cheaters and insentive. But he gave me the best advice when i was getting married (and i followed it, luckily): "No community property. What you have now have to remain yours in case of divorce". Great advice! lol

  Mostly, they taught me how to shape my marriage in a different way because i didnt want to have their kind of marriage...... 

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