My Parents: Life's Lessions I Learned From Them

These are some of the basic things I learned from my parents by word and/or example.

1. My parents did not teach me that I was better than anyone else. They did teach me that I was as good as anyone else. That old, ‘Hold your head up high and walk on through the storm,’ idea. We all have the same rights, not more or less than anyone else.
2. Regardless of what anyone else does, I and I alone, am responsible for my own actions.”Yes, yes, I know he/she did this or that.” Still, I bear the responsibility for what I do.
3. This I learned from my mother, which she may not have put in these exact words; but the message came through loud and clear. Doing something because someone else is doing it, is the poorest possible reason for doing anything. We, or at least I, learned rather quickly that saying, “But everyone else is going to…” was a sure show-stopper with my mother. I suppose all kids want to be like the other kids, want to do the same things, as I did - up to a point. Kids don’t want to be different. However, for whatever reason, I refused on my own, some of the things the other kids might want to do. It doesn’t make you popular to go against the grain, but the lesson is worth the learning. Being different makes you what you uniquely are. Being like everyone else helps you get lost in the crowd.