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One of the responsibilities parents feel like they have is to pass on the wisdom of generations before to their kids. After all, we’ve put in the years of experience, we’ve learned from our mistakes (in theory), and we’re anxious to be able to stop our kids from stumbling over the same blocks that we did.
Most of us know, however, that however well-meaning our parents might be, they don’t know everything – and sometimes they’re even wrong.
If you have parents who aren’t well-meaning, I imagine you eventually realize that they’re wrong a lot.
These 20 people realized at some point that their parents were sadly mistaken about one thing or another, and y’all – there’s actually a good amount of wisdom in these comments.
20. How about teaching them how NOT to get pregnant?
“That I would get pregnant as soon as I had s*x. They told me that when I was a teenager, so I was terrified I’d get pregnant every time I interacted with a p**is.
A decade later, I’m married, and have been trying to get pregnant, and it turns out it’s not as easy as they made it sound.”
19. I feel like this should be the opposite.
“Saying, ‘Do as I say, not as I do.’ A leader shouldn’t ask his followers to do something he wouldn’t.”
18. The horror.
“That eating cookies before dinner gives you worms. It gave me nightmares as a child.”
17. Everyone needs to apologize sometimes.
“That parents never have to apologize to their kids.
My dad is a great dad, but he has it in his head — even now that I’m an adult — that he doesn’t need to apologize to me if he does something wrong.
It’s baffling.”
16. This mindset is so prevalent.
“Lack of empathy.
My parents grew up in a really horrible situation, made it out, and did well for themselves — so now anytime anyone struggles, they refuse to feel bad for them because they have gone through worse and did fine.”
15. Food culture is so different now.
“To eat everything on their plate — I try to get my kids to make an effort to eat their meals, but I’m never going to punish them for not being hungry when I say so.
Sometimes you start it and can’t finish, and sometimes you just don’t like it. That said though, if they keep saying they’re hungry, they need to learn to take what they can get.”
14. I try so hard not to do this with my kids.
“Not to ask questions ‘because I said so.'”
13. I definitely hate this.
“That math and science wouldn’t serve girls well. I would have killed to have someone rear me into STEM when I was younger.”
12. It’s ok to stand up for yourself.
“That ‘your job is to do whatever your boss tells you to do.’
This led to a bunch of stupid situations where I got walked all over by employers and quit jobs over things that could have been fixed with a conversation.”
11. No relaxing for you.
“That you need to hustle 100% of the time and constantly be busy with school, work, extracurricular activities, and side projects.
I was taught that spending time unwinding is a sign of laziness and boredom, and that intelligent people are never bored — it really messed me up.”
10. You definitely do not.
“That you have to ‘suffer for love.’ Thanks, Mom — you set your daughter up for a lifetime of trying to change narcissistic losers.”
9. Everyone needs to stop doing this.
“That ‘if a boy acts like a jerk, it means he likes you!’ No…just no.
It teaches girls that abuse is OK, and that they should expect to be treated like crap.”
8. Everyone is entitled to some.
“My mother made me believe privacy was a privilege.
It wasn’t until I started studying childcare that I learned it is a right, and that my mother was full of bulls*%t.”
7. No one is.
“My dad always said, ‘Children should be seen and not heard.’ I’m not a big fan of that one.”
6. This is so dismissive.
“If you stop reacting, they’ll stop bullying you.”
5. It’s so hard to reverse this thinking.
“That s*x is something to be ashamed of until you’re married.
Then, the instant you say ‘I do,’ that ultimate sinful, shameful act becomes a requirement and obligation.
I know too many people who bought into the first part, and then couldn’t turn it off later in life.”
4. Kids are not little clones.
“That I basically have to be a smaller version of them, believe exactly what they do, and not think for myself.
I want my kids to be open-minded and believe what they want.”
3. Love looks different to everyone.
“That as long as we have always been given everything we need, we are loved.
The emotional abuse ruined me.”
2. Unconditional love.
“That their love has conditions.
Right or wrong, I hope my children will never feel like they can’t talk to me or that I will judge them.”
1. The face I am making right now.
“That therapy is for ‘crazy people.'”
People are just so funny, even when they’re not trying, I swear.
What’s the worst wrong thing your parents ever told you? I’m dying to hear more of these in the comments!
