# What can your parents still do better than you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 12, 2011, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-your-parents-still-do-better-than-you/571130 "2011-02-12T15:17:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-your-parents-still-do-better-than-you/571130/41 "2011-02-14T15:42:12Z")
My mom has a knack for making mac & cheese juuuust the right way. And, yes, I still like mac & cheese. Palate of an eight-year-old, I tell ya. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-your-parents-still-do-better-than-you/571130/42 "2011-02-14T16:08:32Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > My mom has a knack for making mac & cheese juuuust the right way. > > And, yes, I still like mac & cheese. Palate of an eight-year-old, I tell ya. Humph. I have a recipe for what I call “adult mac & cheese”. It is soooooo good. It has gruyere as one of the cheeses. Not just for kids anymore! ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-your-parents-still-do-better-than-you/571130/43 "2011-02-14T17:01:22Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Humph. I have a recipe for what I call “adult mac & cheese”. It is soooooo good. It has gruyere as one of the cheeses. Not just for kids anymore! If you could post this in cafe society or pm it to me, I would be most grateful! ---
**Author:** ![newcomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e5b9ba/32.png) [@newcomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcomer)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-your-parents-still-do-better-than-you/571130/44 "2011-02-14T18:12:06Z")
My parents are gone but I remember my teenage years every time I would rebel to have something go the way I wanted, in those rare moments when you feel that you grew enough to make your voice heard and that you should start overriding dad’s decision he would just say: I can still run faster than you and as long as I’m faster I’m the one to call the shots. Several years later, when I came back from one year mandatory army duty his whole parental attitude changed, he spoke in a more serious tone and about serious stuff. When I mentioned half-jokingly about the race I’d like to have he said: I think I read more books than you. It’s still on… ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-your-parents-still-do-better-than-you/571130/45 "2011-02-14T18:18:36Z")
If you combime the two of them, they can do everything better than I can. Luckily, I still have them around as resources. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-your-parents-still-do-better-than-you/571130/46 "2011-02-14T18:46:04Z")
PBJ, grilled cheese and pancakes are pretty bog-standard sorts of things to make that I know how to make, but somehow they always taste better if mom makes them. I think half of the deliciousness comes from someone else making food for you. My dad always seems to be learning stuff from me. But he’s a whiz at math and very good at building things/doing DIY. I’m not talking Norm Abram here, but he’s very good at putting up shelves and cutting wood. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-your-parents-still-do-better-than-you/571130/47 "2011-02-14T18:53:37Z")
My parents are both in their mid-80s, and due to the frailties of age, there really isn’t much they can do better than me anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-your-parents-still-do-better-than-you/571130/48 "2011-02-14T18:54:54Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > If you could post this in cafe society or pm it to me, I would be most grateful! Done! ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-your-parents-still-do-better-than-you/571130/49 "2011-02-14T21:23:14Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > My mom can do math in her head WAY better than I can. Also, she remembers phone numbers. Everybody’s phone numbers! I came in here to say the exact same thing. > [@Jennyrosity](#): > > Charm people. When she wants to, my mum can have pretty much anyone eating out of her hand within in moments of meeting them. I am getting more and more like her in this respect as I get older, but she is still the master. Mine’s ability to sell ice to eskimos is legendary. I’m still learning. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-your-parents-still-do-better-than-you/571130/50 "2011-02-14T21:38:49Z")
Make and spend money. I’m only recently realizing the disconnect in my parents’ minds about the money my husband and I make vs what they do. They think nothing about dropping 1k Euro on a case of wine when they are on vacation (they take 2 vacations a year, one overseas). When I mention I can’t do something because of the cost they basically blink at me in surprise. But just the other day I told my mother I was hiring a cleaning service to get my house in ship shape for market and she scolded me for wasting money. Weird. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-your-parents-still-do-better-than-you/571130/51 "2011-02-14T21:41:37Z")
My mother has beautiful, beautiful handwriting. She was taught under some system, the name of which I cannot remember. It’s almost calligraphy-like. My handwriting looks like a cat was holding a pen between its claws and chasing a mouse around on a piece of paper. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-your-parents-still-do-better-than-you/571130.md?page=2)