18 Extraordinary Parents Who Can Teach Us a Thing or Two

Parent-child relationships can be challenging at times. However, some folks seem to have hit the genetic jackpot with amazing parents who are always there to support them. Their heartwarming stories remind us to cherish and hug our loved ones a little tighter.

• I was building my house. That day, I didn’t have time to change my clothes and went home as I was, wearing an old leather jacket, work trousers, and old boots, all covered with dust with week-old stubble on my face and my hands stained with paint. I’m walking, looking like this, in an underpass, and a well-dressed mom and a similarly well-dressed little boy are walking toward me.
  The toddler, however, doesn’t want to behave and loudly resents another parental request. At this point, his mom sees me, leans over to her son, and says, “Look at this man... Well, here we are, I think. And you can’t show your university degree to everyone around to prove that the first impression is sometimes deceptive, and you should not judge people by their appearance.” Then the mother continues, “If you eat well, you’ll be as big and strong as this man.”
  They passed by, and I walked the rest of the way smiling like a kid who just got a huge bucket of ice cream. © Snakecatcher / Pikabu
• A friend’s 14-year-old daughter once said, “Give me money for a tattoo!” The worst thing was that she wanted to get a tattoo on her face! So my friend and his daughter discussed a plan.
  They agreed to go to a tattoo artist over the weekend. “I’ll pay double the price,” my friend said, “but first you do it without ink, and only after that with ink.” When he discussed this with the artist, he asked him in a whisper to make the first round as painful as possible. As soon as the artist began to work on her cheek, his daughter howled because it hurt so badly.
  That night they returned home, and everyone was happy. Mom and Dad were happy because the daughter didn’t spoil her pretty face, and the daughter was happy because she didn’t have to endure any pain — if she didn’t agree to a test round, she’d have to endure the pain until the very end. I think the father did the right thing. He kept a good relationship with his daughter. And if he tried to force her not to do it, she would have done it anyway out of spite. © volchek1024 / Pikabu

• My dad came home from work. He came in to see me and my mother and said with a serious look on his face, “Do you know who I just met?! I was walking, it was dark, and only one lantern was shining. Suddenly, a huge rabbit jumped out of the bushes!”
  My mom and I look at each other in surprise, and my dad pulls out a big chocolate bar and adds, “So this rabbit asked me to give you this chocolate!” I’m 24 now, and I still fall for that bunny joke like I’m 6! © Overheard / VK
• My parents are imperfect, but they did a lot of things right. The biggest one that sticks out to me is that they’re supportive of things my brother and I like even when they don’t understand or like it. They didn’t care for skateboarding, but they spent hundreds of dollars over the years for my brother to enjoy his hobby. They not only helped me get a drum set but allowed the band to hold practice in our basement and drove us to all our shows. They wanted me to be a lawyer, but they were willing to settle for a line cook. It made a difference in the long run because eventually, it helped me realize that I get to make my own choices in life — nothing is laid out for me. I can do whatever I enjoy, and my parents will be there for me, cheering me on. © mgraunk / Reddit
• I was raised by my dad alone, so I’m a jack of all trades. Changing a light bulb is an easy task for me — I can also do some wiring and rebuild a car.
  It was my dad who made me love cars, and I became a taxi driver. Male passengers look at me surprised as if they’ve never seen a woman driving before. These men don’t know that I can do push-ups from the floor and also love fishing! © Caramel / VK

• My son is about to turn 13. A year ago, I decided to clear the balcony of junk and, at the same time, teach my son how to earn money legally. I installed a marketplace app on his phone and showed him how to use it.
  We agreed that he would keep all the money he earned, but he would have to conduct all negotiations himself. Over the following months, he sold bicycles, old plumbing fixtures, dead phones, a scooter, a blanket, etc. With the money raised, my son bought a new phone.
  As a result, he learned how to talk to strangers and explain some details about the things he was selling. I instilled in him the knowledge that he owns what he’s earned and that he decides how to spend his own money. I instilled willpower in him to save money, not to run and spend it immediately on all sorts of goodies. Oh, and I also cleared the balcony. © nkeladib / Pikabu
• My mom went with me to college to help me get settled there. Once everything was sorted out, she left late at night and gave me all her money except for enough for her bus ticket home. I was happy that I was free from parental care and rushed off to party with other students.
  However, my mother didn’t catch the last bus and spent the night at the bus station, as her money was only enough for a ticket and a cup of tea with a biscuit. I only found out about it 7 years later, and I cried terribly. © Not everyone will understand / VK

• When I was 17, I suddenly realized that I was not the prettiest girl among my peers. The reason for this was their ridicule, as they said things like, “You’re redheaded, small, and slouchy with freckles.” I began to use foundation on my face to cover the freckles, dyed my hair black, and began to wear baggy clothes. My father noticed this and very gently tried to find out why.
  At one point I broke down, cried, and told him everything as it was. He replied, “Irene, it’s okay that you’re short and that you’re a redhead. These are peculiarities! Look how pretty you are! Just like me.” For some reason, his words helped me accept myself. © Unknown author / Pikabu
• Our parents always gave us transparency with their methods. If we ever did something wrong, they would also explain to us why what we did was wrong and how we could better ourselves rather than tell us to go to our room. © Panic_Azimuth / Reddit
• My wife and I have introduced a concept called the “Saturday sack” to our kids. The rule is that before bedtime, the kids put their toys away. Anything that hasn’t been put away is collected in this bag and put away for at least a week. If a toy ends up in the bag for the second time, it is put away for a month because its value is obviously low for our children. © godwarz / Pikabu

• I was vacuuming the floor and sucked up a pizza box sticker. My son started screaming. It was HIS sticker. I said, “Don’t scatter your things. And a sticker is not a big deal.”
  But the kid was inconsolable. I apologized and told him that I had vacuumed the sticker by mistake and that I respected his right of ownership, but if he valued it so much, he shouldn’t have left it under the sofa. I offered him a dozen other stickers, but he didn’t want them and fell asleep crying.
  At night, I opened the vacuum cleaner, took the sticker out, and cleaned it. I’ve never seen my son happier. He played with it, and we threw it out a month later with his permission. It might seem like something insignificant, but a child’s trust is built on such small things. © Diablo*** / Pikabu
• As a child, I suffered terribly because of my appearance — I thought I was really ugly. One day, I was standing in front of the mirror and tearfully blurted out, “Why am I so ugly?” My father was passing by and heard me. He said, “Oh, didn’t you know? I accidentally dropped ’ugly duckling’ shampoo in your bath. Now you have to wait for it to wash off.”
  I believed him and started to check every time I had a bath to see if I looked better. My dad kept telling me about how golden my hair had become and how big my eyes were, as long as the nasty foam was being washed off. Thank you, Dad, for your support and sense of humor. If he had just told me that I would outgrow my insecurities, I wouldn’t have believed him, but did believe in magic.

• Mom noticed red lipstick on Dad’s collar. Didn’t say anything. A couple of days later, she found marks from the foundation on his sleeve, and then she got furious. She gave Daddy a hard time.
  He admitted he was taking makeup classes, which made Mom even more furious. But Daddy showed he wasn’t lying by doing my makeup! Dad proved his point and said, “I have 3 daughters. I have to be a good father to them and be able to do everything!” © Ward #6 / VK
• A week before my wedding, I found out that my fiancé was cheating on me. In tears, I came to my mom for advice. She, of course, supported me, but convinced me not to cancel the wedding, saying that everything had already been paid for, and I’d feel ashamed in front of our families. I can take revenge on him later.
  I agreed, even though this didn’t seem right. The wedding day was the worst day of my life. And just before walking down the aisle, my dad noticed how I felt, pulled me aside to talk, and I confessed there.
  He put his arm around me and said, “The main thing is that you’re happy, and everything else doesn’t matter. Let’s tell him goodbye together.” I told that prick what I thought about him and walked away with my head held high. And my dad said, “That’s my girl!” © Caramel / VK

As children become adults, they often face a host of new challenges. Take, for instance, the story of a woman whose parents lost their home and asked her to move in with her. She refused, leading to a significant conflict between them.