Tag Page ChildhoodMemories

#ChildhoodMemories
bmatthews

When did you realize your parents were bad parents?

I was in 4th grade, around nine years old. Our mom was picking us up from school that day, which was a rare change. As I walked up to the car, I saw the trunk tied shut with a rope and a weird numbness washed over me. I then listened to my mother brag all about how many beautiful plants, hanging baskets, and flowers she had just bought. She had new clothes while we were wearing hand-me-downs. We constantly had almost no groceries halfway through the week because she had run out of money, while she would buy lunch regularly at work. She had just spent her entire tax return on plants. She made enough money to easily support us, if only she had been capable of thinking about anything beyond her own instant gratification. That was the moment I realized who my mother really was. At just nine years old, I understood that I was more of an adult than she was capable of being. 😮‍💨 I'm curious if anyone else has a similar story. #Parenting #FamilyRelationships #FamilyStories #ChildhoodMemories #PersonalGrowth #LifeLessons #AdulthoodTruths

When did you realize your parents were bad parents?
sgarcia

“Dogs never bark at people who give them food or are affectionate towards them.”

Every morning, when my father left for his office, a whole pack of five or six stray dogs would follow him down the street. I used to stand outside our small one room house and just watch them, always wondering what it was about him that made them do that. These dogs barked at everyone else. Seriously, every single person who walked by would get barked at. But the moment my father appeared, they would fall completely silent. It was amazing to see. “Dogs never bark at people who give them food or are affectionate towards them.” He once told me that. Such a simple sentence. I did not truly understand the deeper meaning of what he said until many years later. You should never leave or forget someone who has helped you through your difficult times. #LifeLessons #FamilyStories #ChildhoodMemories #Gratitude #UnconditionalLove #PersonalStory

“Dogs never bark at people who give them food or are affectionate towards them.”
familyFIRST

Erased The Word 'Mistake' From My Life -- My Dad Changed Everything

I have loved art ever since I was a tiny kid. My dad has always been my absolute biggest supporter. He would buy me all the art supplies, even the really pricey books and pencils and markers. One day when I was about six years old, we were sketching a fish together. I suddenly realized I didn't have an eraser. I couldn't find one anywhere and I got so upset because I thought my fish was too fat. I really wanted to fix it and make it thin like my dad's fish. He looked at me and said, "It's alright, Claire, you know what? I bet we can draw all day without an eraser." I looked at him totally confused. "What? Then how are we supposed to fix our mistakes?" He laughed and said, "Mistakes? Mistakes are only mistakes if you make them to be." He looked at my fish outline with so much pride. "For example, I think your fish is beautiful." "You do?" I asked him. "Of course!" he said. "Fish come in all shapes and sizes, just as humans do, and each one is special. If our fish looked the exact same, neither of them would be special now, would they?" I thought about that for a bit and decided he was totally right. So I kept working on my fat fish. And just like that, at the age of six, I created a beautiful fish masterpiece. There was not a single "mistake" to be found. My dad taught me to be original and unique. He showed me how to turn a negative into a positive, how to expand my creativity, and that there truly is no such thing as a mistake. ❤️ *** What a wonderful story. If you’re interested, here are the writer's drawings at age 13. #LifeLessons #ArtLovers #ChildhoodMemories #Creativity #NoMistakes #FamilyStories #Fatherhood #Family

Erased The Word 'Mistake' From My Life -- My Dad Changed Everything