10 Parents Who Gave Their Children Lessons That Actually Stuck

04/30/2026

10 Parents Who Gave Their Children Lessons That Actually Stuck

Parents are doing their best to raise kids who grow into kind, responsible people with strong values, and that’s no small task. It takes patience, consistency, and a lot of trial and error along the way. Still, some parents discover creative approaches that leave a lasting impression, shaping lessons their children carry for years.

When I was young, I was playing with a slinky and it had gotten horribly tangled up. I was sitting on the stairs frustrated and pulling at it randomly trying to untangle all the rings and eventually called my dad for help.
He let me keep trying my way for a few minutes. He then sat on the steps with me and untangled the slinky slowly and methodically while telling me about patience and slowly working through something difficult.
Now, as an adult, any time I get frustrated with something (especially untangling headphones), I think back to that day sitting on the stairs with my dad and smile as I slowly untangle whatever mess I’m in.

My father is a construction worker. He dropped out of high school and would take us to work with him.
He always said, “You can carry a brick, or you can carry a pencil. It’s your choice.” I tried really hard in school because of those words.

When my parents gave me something and I did not say thank you, they took it away. When I was younger, I was always so upset by this. But to this day, I am not reserved when it comes to saying thank you. I find it very important to express gratitude to others, and I am so thankful that my parents taught me that.

Last weekend, I went shopping with my daughter. She’s 8. Every time she tried something on, she would look in the mirror and say, “I look fat.” It broke my heart. So I decided to do something unexpected to raise her self-esteem.
We went into the fitting room together, and I started trying on clothes. And I was honest out loud. “This one feels tight,” I said once. Then I added, “But that just means it’s not the right size, not that anything is wrong with me.”
She watched me closely. Then she tried on another outfit and paused before speaking. Then she said, “Maybe it’s just the clothes.”
In the weeks after, I noticed small changes. She stopped using that word as much and started to be kinder to herself.

Bright Side

My dad once taught me to not sweat the small stuff by saying, “When you’re on the toilet and accidentally get poop on your hand, what do you do? Just wipe it off and get on with your life.”

When me and my siblings were kids, my parents opened savings accounts for each of us. Any time we made money (babysitting, part-time job), we had to put half the amount we made into our savings account. We couldn’t spend it.
Right before we left for college, the money became ours to spend however we wanted. It was GREAT having spending money at college my freshman year! It also taught me to have a really healthy respect for money.

When I asked a question she didn’t know the answer to, my mother would go out of the way to find an answer or find someone who knew. This humanized her and allowed me to understand that you don’t have to be an expert on everything but you should always know where to look for answers.

I learned that exercise can be fun if you find a fun way to do it. For example, I enjoy visiting new places and trying the food there. So when I was a child, my father and I would go on bike riding trips so I could try new food and see new places.
Now as an adult I know how to ski, ride a bicycle, hike, canoe, kayak, ride a horse, run (sprint and long-distance), play soccer, football, baseball, ice skate, tennis, golf and several types of dance (Irish step dance, formal dancing, and DIY dancing).

My parents taught me that there is nobody in the whole world who is better than me. But also that I am no better than anyone else. That if I treat people the way I’d like to be treated myself, I can’t go far wrong. And to laugh at myself so that nobody else ever gets the upper hand.

They were always kind and always put other people first, especially my mom. She was so caring, it was almost frustrating at times, she felt everyone’s pain and would do anything for anyone.
When she died, that’s something that really stayed with me. It’s the lesson I’m most grateful for and something I’ll always try to carry on for her.