Lessons from the Past: What My Upbringing Taught Me About Life

M
Nov 17, 2023
3 min read

We all learn lessons from the way we were raised. Some lessons stick and others don't. We all have learned things that we want to break the cycle of, other things we want to carry on. Sometimes things are carried on throughout the generations, I know there are definitely some things that I have learned from my upbringing that I am trying to pass on to my son, A. Below are some things that I learned from my upbringing.

Be Content With Little

Often throughout my childhood, my siblings and I were reminded to be grateful for what we had because not everyone is as fortunate. Some, my parents would say, could not afford much. I was told that my grandmother had something like two blouses and one skirt to wear when she was growing up. She and her siblings grew up using milk from a goat they had to help feed the family. Being that my father traveled globally for work, he was able to see how people lived in some third-world countries and even get to know some of the people. My parents would show us pictures of people who really did not have much at all. People who lived in structures with dirt floors, no separate rooms for their children, and no access to health care. Yet, my dad talked about how happy they were.

Growing up, I learned that we did not need the coolest new things to be happy or to spend lots of money to go places to have fun. I learned that life can be good without much of the "extras." Extras can be nice in moderation. With raising my own son, I hope to teach him this too.

Be Active

During my younger childhood years, we often went camping and hiking. It was really fun to go on adventures, be outdoors, and use up my energy. During a portion of my teenage years, I got into running. I loved to run 5Ks because I was competitive. I was allowed to compete in one 5k each month. To do this, I had to eat healthy and train. When I was preparing for a race, I would not consume any desserts, sodas, or anything else unhealthy. To train, I would run a 5K around the track in the mornings and do the same again in the evenings. Whatever I was doing, whether it be hiking or running, it always felt really good to be outside and moving around. Now that I have my son, we try to go on lots of hikes and walk to the park. Being active is something I really hope to teach him and I am trying to start while he's still young. In fact, a month after A had turned two, we participated in a 5K together (without a stroller!). He ran a lot of the way. Since training for that, we haven't used the stroller.

Good Manners go a Long way

Something that was always a big deal when I was growing up was that we had to say "please" and "thank you." We were always taught to say "please," and "thank you" was much more emphasized. Any time anyone had ever given us anything or did something nice, my mom would say "make sure you say 'thank you!'" or "I hope you said 'thank you.'" Not only were people more likely to respond politely when I used good manners, but I feel this also reminded me often that nothing should be expected. By saying "please," I remember that I am asking and that it is up to the other person whether I receive what I am asking for. When I say "thank you," I am reminded that I should be grateful for whatever it is that someone did for me. I for sure work with A to make sure he learns to be polite too.

What did you learn from your upbringing?