People Share Messed-Up Things Parents Taught Them That Seemed Okay When They Were Young

"My parents told me that I had a limited number of words and when I got to that limit I would die."

Damjan

• Published in Interesting
• May 25, 2023

We often view our parents as our first teachers in life, and rightly so. They teach us to walk, talk, and navigate the world around us.

However, some lessons we learn from our parents can have lasting negative effects, shaping our outlook in ways that we only begin to understand as we grow older. Recently, people have been reflecting on the lessons they learned in childhood that, looking back, seem questionable or even detrimental.

It's a topic that might stir up difficult memories, but discussing it can be a crucial part of unpacking our pasts and working towards better futures. One individual shared how, as a child, they were criticized for "sulking." In their family, showing sadness or needing some alone time was frowned upon, a mindset that often leads children to suppress their feelings.

As an adult, they realized that what was branded as "sulking" was, in fact, a normal human emotion - feeling sad. This example highlights how easily children can be made to feel ashamed of their emotions, which can have long-lasting impacts on their emotional health and self-perception.

In another instance, a person recollected being tasked with physically risky chores as a 10-year-old, such as cleaning gutters and sweeping chimneys. As they had better balance compared to their elders, it was deemed they were suited for these tasks.

At the age of 13, they were even expected to install new gutters. The potential risks associated with these activities were overlooked because of the child's perceived physical capability.

While it's important to instill a sense of responsibility in children, placing them in potentially harmful situations under the guise of chores can be dangerous and unfair. Read on to find other weird parent lessons:

Someone asked:

Bug bites

Better balance

Find a brick

Lemon juice on cuts

Sharing anti-psychotic meds with kids

"Work will set you free"

What do real families do with problems:

Weird and awful logic

"To be in constant survival mode"

Yeah, the sun doesn't work like that

Exactly :)

Conflicts with friends:

Good

So true:

"A limited number of words"

So true:

Celebrating and coping with food.

Eating everything

Apparently...

No sulking in this house...

These stories are just a glimpse into the harmful lessons that some individuals received during their upbringing. Understanding and acknowledging these experiences is an essential step toward self-awareness and personal growth.

Our parents, being humans, are bound to make mistakes. They often parent the way they were parented, potentially passing down harmful patterns of behavior without realizing it.

Recognizing this fact can help us to empathize with our parents while also being mindful of what we teach the next generation. Unpacking these lessons can be difficult, but it's an essential part of breaking harmful cycles.

By reassessing these childhood experiences, we can learn from them, grow, and work towards healthier patterns of behavior for ourselves and future generations. What do you think?

Damjan