Lounge of Tomorrow - View Single Post - What do you NOT do because your Mom/Dad did?

LSPoorEeyorick · 08-14-2008, 04:22 PM

I tip very well. My parents never worked in a service industry that paid in tips, and I had several arguments with them after I'd had lots of waiter friends who lived on what people tipped. Even if your food is not perfect, or if it didn't arrive in a timely fashion... usually not the waiter's fault, and they rely on what you give.

I don't lash out angrily, I (rarely if ever) say things I don't mean because I'm frustrated, I try my damnedest not to take things out on the people who haven't made me angry. My mother was a very angry woman when she was younger. Particularly when she was stressed because of vacation or holiday preparation, it would seep out of her and fall on anyone nearby. I imagine that due to both nature and nurture, I am one of those people who really chews on things before responding. I take my time coming to terms with what is frustrating me. I vent to other people, usually the people who are not involved in what's frustrating me. Then when I feel like I fully understand what's upsetting me, and I am rational about expressing it; if I feel that any good can come of it - I talk to the source of frustration. But I do notice that I really do get very stressed during the same times she did. Last week before my flight I thought I was going to explode. All the same, I didn't say anything mean to my partner or my coworkers or clients.

I don't hide what I eat. Well, when I was younger, I did. But over the past ten years, I've grown to realize that it's a diseased way of thinking. I eat healthfully, and I have a treat from time to time. And when I do, I own it and I'm not ashamed of doing it in public.

I don't vote Republican. But then, they don't either, anymore. It took a couple of terms of terrible administration for them to realize that it isn't a single-issue world, and just because their former party was on their side of their pet issue, all of the OTHER issues they disagreed with aren't without merit.

I didn't stay in a small town. But then, we knew this would happen even when I was wee and would squeal the first moment I would catch a glimpse of skyline on vacation. I don't begrudge them their small-town living or my small-town coming-of-age. But I certainly appreciate where I've chosen to live now.

But there are a great, great many things I DO do because they did them. They built a family where children should be playful and ask questions, and I certainly encourage that of my nieces and nephews (hopefully children someday, too.) They were always there for their friends and family, and I try to be, too. They used humor to get through tough situations, and I do that as much as I can. They felt a real responsibility for their work, and would work very hard until it was completed. They played as hard as they could when they weren't working. They did what they could to understand those around them and metaphorically walk in their shoes. All of these things make me who I am, just as much (or more) than the things they taught me not to do (by doing them.)

08-14-2008, 04:22 PM	#17
LSPoorEeyorick scribblin' Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: in the moment Posts: 3,872	I tip very well. My parents never worked in a service industry that paid in tips, and I had several arguments with them after I'd had lots of waiter friends who lived on what people tipped. Even if your food is not perfect, or if it didn't arrive in a timely fashion... usually not the waiter's fault, and they rely on what you give. I don't lash out angrily, I (rarely if ever) say things I don't mean because I'm frustrated, I try my damnedest not to take things out on the people who haven't made me angry. My mother was a very angry woman when she was younger. Particularly when she was stressed because of vacation or holiday preparation, it would seep out of her and fall on anyone nearby. I imagine that due to both nature and nurture, I am one of those people who really chews on things before responding. I take my time coming to terms with what is frustrating me. I vent to other people, usually the people who are not involved in what's frustrating me. Then when I feel like I fully understand what's upsetting me, and I am rational about expressing it; if I feel that any good can come of it - I talk to the source of frustration. But I do notice that I really do get very stressed during the same times she did. Last week before my flight I thought I was going to explode. All the same, I didn't say anything mean to my partner or my coworkers or clients. I don't hide what I eat. Well, when I was younger, I did. But over the past ten years, I've grown to realize that it's a diseased way of thinking. I eat healthfully, and I have a treat from time to time. And when I do, I own it and I'm not ashamed of doing it in public. I don't vote Republican. But then, they don't either, anymore. It took a couple of terms of terrible administration for them to realize that it isn't a single-issue world, and just because their former party was on their side of their pet issue, all of the OTHER issues they disagreed with aren't without merit. I didn't stay in a small town. But then, we knew this would happen even when I was wee and would squeal the first moment I would catch a glimpse of skyline on vacation. I don't begrudge them their small-town living or my small-town coming-of-age. But I certainly appreciate where I've chosen to live now. But there are a great, great many things I DO do because they did them. They built a family where children should be playful and ask questions, and I certainly encourage that of my nieces and nephews (hopefully children someday, too.) They were always there for their friends and family, and I try to be, too. They used humor to get through tough situations, and I do that as much as I can. They felt a real responsibility for their work, and would work very hard until it was completed. They played as hard as they could when they weren't working. They did what they could to understand those around them and metaphorically walk in their shoes. All of these things make me who I am, just as much (or more) than the things they taught me not to do (by doing them.)
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