What do you NOT do because your Mom/Dad did?

[BarTopDancer]

I tip well. I was completely embarrassed when I found out how much my parents were tipping.

I don't collect a lot of stuff. My mom has figurines all over the place. I did collect Disney figures and shot glasses until I moved out. They are all in boxes now because clutter bugs me.

I don't keep things I *might* use. My parents garage is full of things they might need some day. Tons of empty boxes in case they need to pack something away. My mom wanted me to save the broken bed frame when my new bed gets here, in case they might need it. I told her if she was at my place when they picked up the bed she could take it. As bad as this sounds (because I'm sure everyone dreads this) I am dreading having to go through their house.

I generally don't make my bed. I had to have it made every day before I went to school, or played. I'll straighten the sheets, if I care enough. I also don't empty the dishwasher the moment it's done running, nor do I fold my sheets and towels the second the dryer stops.

[Tenigma]

I like very mundane 9-5 salaried jobs because my dad was self-employed and I hated the lack of predictability, living between flood and famine.

[katiesue]

I don't make my bed either. And my Mom asked Maddy once when she was little if she made her bed and Maz literally had no idea what she was even talking about.

My Mom is queen of the "might need" stuff. It will literally take us years to go through the house.

[Gemini Cricket]

I don't smoke.
I don't want kids.
I don't go to church.

[BarTopDancer]

Originally Posted by katiesue

It will literally take us years to go through the house.

I'm getting a dumpster or 2, a bunch of beer and wine and a certain person who knows who they are.

I'm encouraging my mother to take all the 80s clothing she has (hers and mine) to Goodwill and donate it while it's in fashion.

[~MS~]

1. I don't iron except when doing crafts that require it

2. I never allow food to be an issue at meals ...ever...I had a 3 bite rule for my kids, at the end of 3 bites if they hated a food they never had to taste it again.

3. I have no problem tossing leftovers. We don't like them and won't eat them so I see no point in saving it.

4. I will spend a few cents more and buy a thicker garbage bag even if it does cost a whole 25 cents more per box.

5. I have never once served my family any form of poweder milk intentionally (I say this because it might be an ingredient in some thing I'm unaware of)

6. I don't let my husbands dislike of foods or amusement parks keep Missy and me from enjoying things we like. I also don't expect him to sit home 24/7 doing stuff we like either. He's more than welcome to go on rides on his Harley to just "be".

7. I do not WAIT on my husband, If I happen to be in the kitchen I'll ask him if he wants a drink or snack if I'm already making it, but he knows better than to do 'make me a sammich woman' .....by the same token, he'll ask me if I want something if he's in the kitchen making a snack...we call it respect.

8. I don't believe that using corporal punishment is the first line of response in raising children.

9. I believe in letting Missy have a voice even if she is disagreeing with me...it doesn't mean she's allowed to be a brat but she's allowed to disagree and we'll discuss things.

10. I do not now nor will I ever eat liver and onions...this is seperate from the 3 bite rule.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

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.)

[€uroMeinke]

I don't smoke cigars

[3894]

There are a lot of differences. I can think of one right now:

1. I don't buy a lot of packaged foods. My mother made a lot of Swanson's tv dinners, Kraft mac, and faux maple syrup from maple flavoring and corn syrup and water. My dad made cornflakes and also instant pudding. I cook and so does my husband and our kids. We make bread in the bread machine and our own strawberry jam. We make pancakes from scratch and eat them with real maple syrup, etc., etc., etc. Slow food is important to us.

[JWBear]

Originally Posted by 3894

...Slow food is important to us.

And so much better tasting, and better for you!