Life lessons you’ve taught your kids or been taught that have stuck with you.

[Rupertgrintismyguiltypleasure]

My dd is 9 and I’ve recently given the 3 life mantras I got told as a kid. She’s starting to understand a bit more of the world now so I thought it was time.

1. Never throw the first punch but always throw the last.
2. Don’t judge people based on thier race, sex, looks.... only on thier personality. (To elaborate basically decide if they are a dick, not just hate them because of how they look) that’s not how I roll so my kids won’t be judging people that way either.
3. If you ever bully someone I will personally make you regret it.

A few others I’ve learnt over the years.
Always treat people how you want to be treated
Remember when you point your finger there are always 3 pointing back at you.
Forget the mistake but remember the lesson
Be curious, not judgmental

One quote i actually learnt from ER and its stuck with me for years
‘When you’ve done everything you can, sometimes even more than you thought you could, you’ve got to walk away knowing you’ve fought the good fight’

What are some life lessons you live by?

Following... My parents didn't do life advice unfortunately. Mine is "start saving now as I can't afford to help you with your deposit" and "don't buy a house with a man who hasn't contributed to the deposit"

If it won’t matter in 5 years time, don’t think on it for more than 5 minutes.

If it's not your story to tell don't say it.

If in doubt, be kind

Getting on with people is more important in life than academia

Not sure I really get the punch one to be honest? Is it a metaphor? Or is your actual number one piece of advice to your children about knocking people out?

1. Never throw the first punch but always throw the last.

That's rubbish advice & sounds very sheltered. I grew up in a then very rough part of London. You assess the situation & opponent & ideally don't get in that situation in the first place. That's what I touch my kids.

And treat others how you want to be treated.

Oh & never feel you can't question authority & don't blindly trust people in positions of power.

@mistermagpie

Not sure I really get the punch one to be honest? Is it a metaphor? Or is your actual number one piece of advice to your children about knocking people out?

Basically it means never ever raise your fists first to settle a dispute or fight but you are quite within your rights to self defence if someone else throws the first punch. I don’t condone violence, but I’m not about to let my kids stand there and not defend themselves. So it’s basically a only throw a punch if someone throws one first.

Never rely on anybody else apart from the people that live in this house.

An example of this would be that DS is going into year 7 in September. Other parents are faffing about how they're going to get there. Who is walking with who etc. My priority is that DS knows how to get there by himself. If other people want to join, lovely, but you sort yourself out first, and then the friends are just a nice to have.

@UnimpressiveUsername

It’s not how you fall, it’s how you pick yourself up. From my lovely dad, reminding me to focus on what’s important, and not worrying about my mistakes.

Love this one.

Your dad sounds amazing.

I think the tortoise and the hare has been a useful tale and we are a family very much in the tortoise's lane, and life has shown us how that works.

Always paddle your own canoe (be responsible for yourself and don’t rely on others as they may let you down).

If you can help, you must.

Hard work pays off.

@tontown

1. Never throw the first punch but always throw the last.

That's rubbish advice & sounds very sheltered. I grew up in a then very rough part of London. You assess the situation & opponent & ideally don't get in that situation in the first place. That's what I touch my kids.

And treat others how you want to be treated.

I agree. I think it says a lot about the type of upbringing you've had or place you live if you think this is good advice.

I have worked with young offenders in Glasgow, this kind of advice is the sort of thing that results in people getting killed in some areas round here. The 'last punch' often translates to something more final in a lot of contexts.

I actually thought it was going to be a metaphor for being one of those tedious people who always has to have the last word...

You are the company you keep.

The standard you walk by is the standard you choose to accept.

Always leave somewhere a little better than you found it.

Not sure about the mantras you're teaching, they were what you were taught but I don't think that's a reason for passing them on or not re-evaluating and assessing whether they're good ones.

Big focus on violence there 🤔

@mistermagpie exactly!

Love a lot, trust a few, always paddle your own canoe

Don’t sweat petty stuff, don’t pet sweaty stuff.
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.
Asking nicely is far more likely to get you something.

Be nice to people on the way up as you’ll need them on the way back down.

Be prepared.

Good financial management will save you thousands...also, invest early (just small amounts can add up).

The main life lesson my Dad drummed into me (and I’ve passed on to my 3) is that if you want something you save for it. Don’t use credit cards or store cards. I’ve seen so many people get into so much debt it frightens me.

He also told me to never trust a man - in his defence I was a teenager and he was dying and I think he knew he wouldn’t be there for advice when I needed it so it was a kind of “cover all” thing. To be honest I’m 57 now and he was right.

But treat others as you wish to be treated is another good one. Wish more people lived by that.

Ah * Eatingsoupwithafork*, that was another of my Dads lines. Love it :)