# Special things your parents taught you **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 14, 2015, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-things-your-parents-taught-you/712680 "2015-02-14T23:36:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-things-your-parents-taught-you/712680/41 "2015-02-17T05:56:29Z")
My mother measured out a cup of shredded cheese, and had me study the size of the mound it made so I could estimate measurements in cooking. Similarly, she measured a tablespoon and a teaspoon of flour into my hand and had me look at them so I could estimate amounts of ingredients without getting a measuring spoon dirty. Then she taught me about which recipes and ingredients were OK to estimate and which ones I had to break out the measuring spoons and cups for. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-things-your-parents-taught-you/712680/42 "2015-02-17T06:22:05Z")
Yeah, but you still have to wash your _hands._ ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-things-your-parents-taught-you/712680/43 "2015-02-17T14:02:56Z")
I measure everything, except salt. Salt I guestimate in my hand. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-things-your-parents-taught-you/712680/44 "2015-02-17T20:40:31Z")
Dad taught me how to build and fix things - even more than I realized. Still today I will sometimes build or fix something, then step back and think “How the heck did I know how to do _that_?” Mom taught me to love reading Together they taught me the peace that comes with a clear conscience. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-things-your-parents-taught-you/712680/45 "2015-02-17T21:05:52Z")
Mom taught me to be independent and always stand on my feet, even if I didn’t have much. She also taught me to never rely on a man for my bread, and inadvertently, how to be happy. She never was happy, she was always grasping, so I learned to be content with what I have. She also gave me bad self-esteem, but I got over that. She’s dead now, so I try not to let her have any more control over my life. Dad taught me to take care of my car, to keep an eye on your car’s health. He taught me to take it easy. He also taught me some very bad things, things I don’t even want to mention in this thread, but as a corollary, taught me that people have good and bad in them and the good doesn’t wipe out the bad but the bad doesn’t always wipe out the good. ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-things-your-parents-taught-you/712680/46 "2015-02-18T02:36:35Z")
My Dad taught me that I could always do better than I thought I could…don’t sell yourself short! (AKA in my young mind of long ago…“you aren’t really that tired! Finish that job and do it right”) He proved to be right, and his teaching has guided me long after he was gone. Thanks, Dad! ---
**Author:** ![InsomniaMama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ad7895/32.png) [@InsomniaMama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InsomniaMama)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-things-your-parents-taught-you/712680/47 "2015-02-18T02:43:41Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > Together they taught me the peace that comes with a clear conscience. Good one! My parents taught me that, too, and it just gets more and more true as you grow older. ---
**Author:** ![Timetrvlr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Timetrvlr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timetrvlr)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-things-your-parents-taught-you/712680/48 "2015-02-18T02:58:08Z")
My mom taught me to feel guilt–about everything. My dad taught me how to shoot and gun safety as well as hunting and fishing. He also taught me how to build what we needed with whatever materials were available. I suppose that I was learning to think outside the box. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-things-your-parents-taught-you/712680/49 "2015-02-18T03:14:36Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > But that’s \*whole \*pie. Plus it isn’t really rational ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-things-your-parents-taught-you/712680/50 "2015-02-18T03:35:05Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Yeah, but you still have to wash your _hands._ Yes, but my hands don’t go in the dishwasher. I wash them many times a day anyway, especially when working in the kitchen. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-things-your-parents-taught-you/712680/51 "2015-02-18T03:40:35Z")
My mother taught me financial security. if you want something, don’t count on anyone just _giving_ it to you…you gotta _earn it._ Jobs get you money…but a job can disappear at any moment, so save, _save,_ **SAVE!** Credit Cards are only for emergencies, don’t depend on them…you’ll just dig yourself an ever deeper hole. _Don’t buy shit you don’t need with money you ain’t got!_ I have no debt. I have a nice nest-egg. Thanks, Mom ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-things-your-parents-taught-you/712680/52 "2015-02-18T16:22:14Z")
My dad taught me: the games of football and baseball. Not how to play them myself, but the mechanics of the game. I appreciate those lessons every time I attend or watch a game on tv, how to do minor plumbing repairs. This has saved me a bundle over the years, to always call a professional for electrical work. Trying to do it yourself will not end well, how to do basic car repair. Both how to diagnose a problem and how to fix it, how to live well in spite of a chronic illness. My mother taught me: self-discipline, that no matter how well you did, you could always do better, to never stop educating yourself. ---
**Author:** ![analogqueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@analogqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/analogqueen)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-things-your-parents-taught-you/712680/53 "2015-02-19T05:42:06Z")
> [@Timetrvlr](#): > > My mom taught me to feel guilt–about everything. > > My dad taught me how to shoot and gun safety as well as hunting and fishing. He also taught me how to build what we needed with whatever materials were available. I suppose that I was learning to think outside the box. 😃 Hey did we have the same parents? Dad took me shooting since I was 13, and I am a girl, so that was cool. He also taught me about crooks (dad was a prosecutor) and that citizens NEVER remember what the suspect description is: like what color they were wearing, their race, in the daytime, after just being robbed and looking right at them (damn good advice) Mom did nothing but instill guilt, shame, and humility. Every gift I got had the price whispered out loud so I would feel unworthy for receiving it. I swear- had I been molested a suitable Mom response would have been " Why would anyone molest YOU? and why hasn’t your SISTER been molested…? Only YOU…? Hmm…" (by the way that’s a standing joke in our fam) ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-things-your-parents-taught-you/712680/54 "2015-02-19T16:02:53Z")
My Dad taught me not to bother with kiddie or Young Adult literature. He believed if I was old enough to read Encyclopedia Brown mysteries, I was old enough to read Sherlock Holmes. He figured if I was old enough to read _ **The Golden Book of Science** _, I was old enough to read Teilhard de Chardin or Desmond Morris. He always pushed me to read more serious literature than I felt I was capable of following at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Loch\_Raven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/779978/32.png) [@Loch\_Raven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loch_Raven)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-things-your-parents-taught-you/712680/55 "2015-02-19T19:22:35Z")
The best serious advice my dad ever gave me: “When a task is frustrating you, don’t give up, just keep plugging away at it.” The best funny advice my dad ever gave me: “The way to get a man is to chase him till he catches you.” I can vouch 100% for both. ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-things-your-parents-taught-you/712680/56 "2015-02-19T20:26:09Z")
My father taught me numerous old folk songs and also how to use power tools without cutting of key body parts. My mother taught me never to lend more than $50 to anyone and if I did to consider it a gift, because they most likely wouldn’t pay me back. She also taught me that old beat up underwear is useful as a dustrag. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-things-your-parents-taught-you/712680/57 "2015-02-20T21:59:29Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > It didn’t seem such a big deal until I moved out and started encountering people who didn’t know it: always, always, always, make sure you understand and agree with any contract you enter, whether it is in writing or verbally. My dad taught me to keep my word as if it were written. BUT don’t trust others with important agreements. If it is important to you, GET IT IN WRITING. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2015, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-things-your-parents-taught-you/712680/58 "2015-02-21T00:27:36Z")
> [@KRC](#): > > She also taught me that old beat up underwear is useful as a dustrag. But wash them first. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2015, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-things-your-parents-taught-you/712680/59 "2015-02-21T05:27:15Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > My Dad taught me not to bother with kiddie or Young Adult literature. He believed if I was old enough to read Encyclopedia Brown mysteries, I was old enough to read Sherlock Holmes. He figured if I was old enough to read _ **The Golden Book of Science** _, I was old enough to read Teilhard de Chardin or Desmond Morris. > > He always pushed me to read more serious literature than I felt I was capable of following at the time. Three out of five ain’t bad. ---
**Author:** ![Marlonius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Marlonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlonius)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2015, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-things-your-parents-taught-you/712680/60 "2015-02-21T14:37:23Z")
My dad taught me lots of matters of fact such home renovation skills, automotive skills, yard work etc. He provided an impressive example of a good work ethic and strong willpower. I gained lots of knowledge from him, but no wisdom. I’ve written about that elsewhere. From my mother, I learned that good songs are poetry and tell a story. I’ve been contemplating the meanings of songs since my mother explained “One Tin Soldier” to me when I was 5. I also learned not to talk about someone in front of them as if they can’t hear you. This sounds obvious, but people do it with their children all the time and then get surprised by the results. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-things-your-parents-taught-you/712680.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-things-your-parents-taught-you/712680.md?page=4)