What Grade Would You Give Your Parents

[Mad4Mickey]

Is there anything less then a F ?

Ok just asking cause that is what I give both of them . I still Love them but being a parent now myself I wonder what they were thinking? Long story short I left home when I was 15 my sister left home when she was 14 and my baby sister came to live with me when I was 17 and she was 4 .

Wishing all a Tagged night
Mishell

 

[shortbun]

Before I became a parent, I'd have rated my parents
differently. Parenting is a hard/albeit wonderful job. I think
my parents didn't always enjoy doing it and we kids knew
it, often. Even as adults, we heard "you don't have to be
a parent to be fulfilled" from our mom and once she said she
wished she'd continued dancing instead of getting married and
becoming a parent. All of that aside, my parents gave me a
sense of honor, integrity and honesty that few people I know
can grasp. There were never lies, cheating or displays of
materialism. We lived modestly so that others could live. We
recycled and reused-this was in the 50's and 60's. The family motto was "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."
LOL! They paid
cash for their cars, paid off their house early, saved their money
and still do(they have piles of it now) but we still had what we
needed and once in a while each of us got something really special. My parents did a great job! A+ mom and dad!
Typing this just centered me, again.

 

[wdwpluto]

Mom A++++++++
Dad F-------------

(can you tell my parents were divorced?)

 

[mad4themouse]

Mom gets an A+. 6 kids in 8 years. I swear that she loves me the most but each sibling will argue their own case. My SIL refers to Mom as her "Naomi". I attribute my deep faith, work ethic and value system to her guidance and devotion to her family.

Dad gets a D-. He's got a quick, violent temper. He used his belt on us regularly. He's the reason I left home for college at 17 and only returned on breaks. By 21, I was on my own and have not looked back. He's the reason that I have not even visited "home" in over 3 years. The only thing saving him from a failing grade is that he is a hard worker and we never went hungry, cold or homeless.

 

[babslittleones]

Let's see....

Growing up, I would give my father a c- because he was a truck drive and on the road all the time. When he was home, he was basically just there. I rarely ever talked to him.

Growing up, I would give my mother a b. I give her credit for taking on the role of mother and father because my father was gone all the time. My parents are very very religious and seemed to choose to ignore reality. I basically stayed home or went to church and that was it. That made it very very hard to adjust to the real world after I graduated high school. They also never pushed or guided me in my education or activities.


Now I would give my mom an A and my dad a B. My dad is a little better with things since he has retired from truck driving. My mom is much more aware of what life is like outside of her house and church. She is much more accepting to lifes changes and the world around her. I get along much better with my parents now than I ever did before.

This is an excellent thread. Thanks

 

[MdmMim]

Father--F.
Mother--Incomplete, as she left us for greener pastures--twice!

Grandparents--both A+!!

My parents showed me how not to act. My DGM and DGF were/are my role models.

 

[Lynn CC]

I'd give my Mom and F-..............and my Dad an A+
She left my Dad with 3 children ages 1, 3 and 4. He died at 42 when we were just begining our teen years, we were then separated and brought up by different members of the family. We are very grateful now, but we were heartbroken when we missed one another during our day to day lives growing up.

What got the three of us through those tough times when we were young, were conversations, mostly on the phone since we didn't get to see one another often, about our retirement. We were going to retire at 50, move to Florida in 3 houses right next to one another and have a lot of FUN!
Our younger sister died 2 years ago at age 37, but my brother and I still have that plan,(good thing our spouses agree to it!),
I think our sister would have wanted it that way!

As for our mother, my brother has no contact with her, but in 1990 I agreed to see her and we met. We now talk on the phone every so often and we are friends. I think it's better to forgive and be friendly than be bitter about things that I had no control over.

Arn't you glad you asked! LOL

 

[Margie J]

Dad gets an A+
He had a terrific way of dealing with people of all ages and backgrounds. Being a former juvenile probation officer probably helped him communicate with children in a firm but decent and understanding way. He never talked down to me but challenged my mind instead. He taught me good lessons about life but also allowed me to learn from my own mistakes and make independent decisions. Discipline was through reasoning out and discussion. He was the parent who supported me the most and always encouraged me to make the most out of life. Extra points for being a Disney fan too. He took me, family and friends to DL often. He knew that playtime was as important as hard work and education.

Mom gets a C-
She was caring and managed the home. She taught me to cook, sew and do other handcrafts. However, she was a very nervous Mom. While my Dad gave me freedom and trust my Mom was afraid of letting go. Her love could be controlling. Discipline was through screaming and isolation. She was also, sad to say, selfish in many ways. That selfishness served her own needs well and managed to get her through many tough trials in life but it's not always good for a parent. Thankfully I had my Dad around long enough to balance that out.

 

[stitch'sohana]

A++++ We are a very close family and I think it is bc they were so loving and did a good job raising my sister and I. I hope I do as good of a job. They taught us everything from class and manners to riding bikes and driving cars.

 

[gshoemate]

Wow, this is a tough question. I would give them a C, but they tried hard. Having my own children I can see where they should of done things differantly. I had a conversation with my mom about a month ago when I went home for a visit and she told me how when I was little and she took me into the grocery store I would want everything and I would scream and yell for it and it was all my fault. But then after I had my fit she would turn around and buy me what I wanted. I looked at her and said "how long do you think it took me as a little kid to figure out that all I had to do to get what I wanted was to scream and yell?" (this was when I was like 3 or 4, I don't even remember it) But she still claims it had nothing to do with what she did, it was all me. And then there was the time that she said she left me in the store, she knew I would come out to the car eventually. I was like, no wonder I have issues!! But anyways, I had 5 step brothers and 1 step sister from my fathers first marriage and of course they had differant rules then I did.

 

[Fooboy]

Wow, a lot of mixed emotions in here. I dunno if this was a very good thread. I'm giving my mom A+++++ all of the way. I give my dad a B before i was ten and an A for ten and on. Both are very supporting and very loving.

foobs

 

[swatts1]

I was fortunate enough to be raised by two "A" parents. The only minor complaint I have is that they could have been a little less strict and I would have been happier. That is the only thing that kept them from being A+. I'm 46 so I think that I can differentiate between reasonably strict and overly strict. But they loved me and we had a very strong family.

 

[Beast fan]

Mom was "raised" by 1) an alcoholic father (until he passed away when she was 16) and 2) a mother who worked her tail of to then raise 6 children. Mom taught me work ethic (as a bookkeeper, she still works 90+ hr. weeks during Income Tax "season"), a dedication to siblings (my brother and I don't agree on much, except to be there for each other when it is needed), and that things are either black or white (not gray). Oh yeah, she also tried her best to teach me how to play sports (that might be why my athletic skills never got me far
).

Dad was raised by parents who resented him, since he was the "reason" they "had" to get married. Dad instilled in me the love of camping/travelling, the idea that every person you meet could be a potential friend, and that..... again..... things are either black or white (not gray).

Sounds like great parents, right?
WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!

Mom tends to be on the negative side when something new occurs (girlfriends, hobbies, DVC) that is going on in someones life. She ALWAYS thinks the worst of any information you give her, until she has a chance to think about it. She says the only reason she and Dad didn't divorce was to keep "the money" (read "dad's paycheck") in the house. She loves it that she and Dad now live about 40 miles from where she works (for about 20 years, she had an office connected to the house), and constantly lies about why she is late from work (mostly, to go shopping and see her grandchildren).

Dad has been diagnosed as "manic depressive" and seemed to have to take a "nerve pill" at least 5 or 6 times per year when my DB and I were growing up. I only remember playing "catch" with him two times while growing up. My DB also remembers waking up from a "knock out" punch Dad delivered during one of his "spells". What kind of a "Dad" hits their kid (about 13, at the time) hard enough to render him unconscious?

Mom and Dad, all they ever did was argue..... about the kids.... about money.... about whatever struck them wrong at the time. The arguing has calmed down a bit, but I think it's because I'm not around them enough to notice. The only thing I am forever thankful for from them is that they RARELY drank alcohol.

Unfortunately, I am quite a bit like both my parents. I love working, travelling, and DW and I argue quite a bit. The arguing part kills me, since I sometimes come off as being almost evil. I do, though, love playing sports with my kids (DS's 3 and 5).
Grades........
Mom B, Dad C+, Together, C-

 

[one_cat]

Dad definitely gets a D-. He left my mom when I was 4 and my sister was 2. We had a lot of fun with him growing up but it wasn't the same as having a real dad who could tuck us into bed at night, sit with us when we were sick or help us with our homework.

Mom made mistakes like all parents do but she did the best she could being both mom and dad. I'd give her an A.