# What do you/did you admire about your parents?



## Bretrick (Nov 22, 2021)

My Father was a brilliant man who would go out of his way to help people get through the troubles of life.
He would go in to bat for them when bureaucracy would try to bring them down.
Always fighting for the working man. Always taking it up to the bosses who tried to stifle the work force.
He was a great Union man who fought for the rights of blue collar workers.
He was awarded the Order of Australia Medal, OAM, from the Queen for services to Trade Unionism and the community over a 50 year period


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## Sassycakes (Nov 22, 2021)

There are so many things I admired about them, that there were too many to mention. On the top of the list would have to be they were loving, caring, generous parents and then Perfect grandparents.


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## Pinky (Nov 22, 2021)

They were hard-working individuals, and, despite my father's anger issues, we always had a roof over our heads and never went hungry.


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## win231 (Nov 22, 2021)

What I admire most about my parents is that they taught me what type of person *NOT* to be by their example.  Especially my mother, who was a raging, hating person.  She had two brooms - one for sweeping & one for riding on.


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## PamfromTx (Nov 22, 2021)

I admire my late mother during the time that she became a young (41 yrs. old) widow with 3 children still at home; oldest sister was already married.  Mom was a strong and very determined woman who only wanted the best for her children.


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## Nathan (Nov 22, 2021)

My mother was talented, her parents sent her to finishing school(IIRC)where she was taught to play the piano, well enough to have become a concert pianist. She also played the recorder(self taught) and was fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German and Russian. In later years she was a computer programmer, worked at several aerospace companies(Douglas, Lockheed,TRW).

My father majored in physics in collage, worked in the Library of Congress, and was employed by the State Department as a junior diplomat(vice counsel) in a number of U.S. missions(embassies and  consulates) abroad: England, Brazil,Cuba,Mexico.


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## hollydolly (Nov 22, 2021)

Aside from the fact that my father was hard working and never gambled or drank..( he was a vicious barsteward tho')... and the fact I had a mother who had to withstand the violence against her ( although she watched while he meted it out to us).. I admire nothing of either of them!!


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## palides2021 (Nov 22, 2021)

Given the financial hardships that my family faced early in my childhood (my father became disabled), my mother worked hard in not only keeping the family together, but instilling traditions, like cooking good meals and going to church, and always challenging us to do better.  She was generous to a fault, and would give the clothes from her back to help others. I can go on and on, but I have loved both parents very much.


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## Ruth n Jersey (Nov 22, 2021)

It would be impossible to list all their wonderful traits.
In my mind they were perfect in everyway. 
They made it very clear by their actions and words that I would always be loved and that they would be there for me no matter what and they were. 
They have been gone for several years now and I still feel their loving presence.


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## Jace (Nov 22, 2021)

Sassycakes said:


> There are so many things I admired about them, that there were too many to mention. On the top of the list would have to be they were loving, caring, generous parents and then Perfect grandparents.


Sounds like MY parents, too.  (Good post.)


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## Sassycakes (Nov 22, 2021)

Jace said:


> Sounds like MY parents, too.  (Good post.)


  Thank you @Jace. Even though my parents are gone many years now the entire family
still, talk about how perfect they were and how much we miss them every day.


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## Shero (Nov 22, 2021)

Where do I start? What can I say that will compliment them enough. All I can say is that I still try to emulate them each day, my greatest role models


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## SeaBreeze (Nov 22, 2021)

My parents (RIP) were both good people who loved and took care of us kids and our needs.  We did not have a lot of money, I grew up in a 4 room apartment with my parents and 3 siblings.  I was a surprise, late in life baby, so had a lot of hand me downs and never complained, was actually happy to get some.  My father was the one who worked, and my mom was a housewife and took care of us, was an excellent cook and made the best of the money she had to work with.  I miss them both, and feel blessed to have had them for parents.


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## AnnieA (Nov 22, 2021)

Both are the type people who are going to be there for others in need ...many times behind the scenes.  I've heard from people years after the fact of things my parents did to help them out and sometimes not even the other knew about it.


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## Gaer (Nov 22, 2021)

They always dressed with class.  My Mother was always the prettiest lady around and my Father always appeared so dignified.
They were both gentle , sweet, kind  and soft-spoken.  
My Dad went out of his way to always affect the day in a positive way and make life better for anyone. He was always shaking hands with strangers and incredibly personable.( always happy and joking)
My Mother was an extremely talented artist (of landscape paintings and murals) and an exceptional dressmaker, tailor and dress designer.
I was always so proud of them!


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## Irwin (Nov 22, 2021)

Isn't there a saying: never speak ill of the dead? I shall abide by that and remain silent in this thread.


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## Jackie23 (Nov 22, 2021)

My parents were both very hard workers, but mom was tough as nails, she was the one that you could always depend on to take care of just about any issue that she encountered.  I miss her and think of her often.


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## Warrigal (Nov 22, 2021)

My mother? Her generosity. She would give you the shoes off her feet if you needed them. She always said that there are no pockets in shrouds, and as long as she lived she helped others with her purse and her hands. She was good humoured and taught us to be kind to animals. She lived to be 91 and everyone loved her.

My dad? He was more of a mystery. He was in uniform when I was born and I didn't begin to know him until he was demobbed when I was three. He was a quiet man, read a lot and let Mum have her head on most things. He only dug his heels in on matters of principle and then he could not be swayed. He died suddenly when I was just 25 and I regretted that we had not had any deep conversations as adults. He loved children and could be trusted to care for quite young babies. I so wish that he had lived longer to see his grandchildren grow up.


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## Ruthanne (Nov 22, 2021)

My mom was totally devoted to her children in many ways but of course not perfect.  She loved animals, too, and at one time she had 6 dogs and 6 cats.  

She had been working for a Vet and many people brought in healthy pets to be euthanized just because for some reason they didn't want them.  Well, my mom talked to the Vet about such pets and took them all home to care for the rest of their lives.

She had a big heart.


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## dseag2 (Nov 22, 2021)

My father was a brilliant man.  He was very pragmatic and somewhat detached, but I always knew he deeply cared about me. He came from a family of 3 brothers who grew up in a boarding house.  He left and went to college at 15 years old and had to continually fish his alcoholic brothers out of the "gutter".  One passed away in his late 30's, the other in his late 50's.  My dad lived to 78 y/o.  He was determined.  He changed careers to become a stockbroker in his 40's and lived in a "dorm" in NYC with others who were in their 20's.  He canvassed for clients, sitting on the floor of our house and writing letters to prospective clients.  He became very successful due to his determination.  He was 30 years old and established in business when he met my mother, who was 20 years old.  

My mother was a housewife all her life who struggled with self-esteem, bi-polar disorder and depression issues.  We always said "you never know what you will get with her" and we chalked it up to her being a Gemini.  However, she tried her hardest to be a good mother, always encouraging me and telling me I could do anything I set my mind to.  Her best trait was that she could be very charming and engaging.  I saw her charm the pants off people during her time in assisting living.  The caregivers loved her.

I feel fortunate that I inherited my pragmatism, determination and work ethic from my father and my ability to interact with people from my mother.


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## Capt Lightning (Nov 24, 2021)

Where do I start?  Nah, can't think of anything.  Best I can say is that I never wanted to be like them.


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## WheatenLover (Nov 24, 2021)

My dad was the best advice giver I ever met. When I discovered this about him, it made my life a lot easier on important issues. He also firmly believed in living debt-free except for a mortgage. He was a quiet guy, but ask him anything, and he would answer, and a conversation would ensue. I thought he was a great guy. He was a good cook, and was brilliant in many, many ways. He was also a perfectionist - he called me once, upset that my sister had made all D's on her grade report from college. I misunderstood him -- he said all B's! I explained to him that it was probably because Elvis had recently died. She was crazy about Elvis. He understood that, although he didn't understand how she could be that way. Neither did I, but so what.

My mom was the best cook and penny-pincher I ever met. She lived in a popular city and wanted to sell her house. She didn't get offered enough for it, but talked to her neighbors and found out they were getting lowball offers. She found out that a developer was going to tear down the houses and put in condos. So she organized the neighbors to sell their houses together as one deal. They all got twice what they had originally been offered, thanks to her. She was also brilliant and talented in art and music.


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## officerripley (Nov 24, 2021)

Irwin said:


> Isn't there a saying: never speak ill of the dead? I shall abide by that and remain silent in this thread.


Same here.


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## David777 (Nov 24, 2021)

They were of the conservative WWII generation, that post war had good Christian morals who provided for, protected, taught us, and loved us.  I loved my parents at an incredibly deep level that as an adult is reflected in all my being.


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## Colleen (Nov 24, 2021)

win231 said:


> What I admire most about my parents is that they taught me what type of person *NOT* to be by their example.  Especially my mother, who was a raging, hating person.  She had two brooms - one for sweeping & one for riding on.


Did we have the same mother??? My mother was verbally abusive to me and my father and when she passed away, none of the outside family knew she was like that. It was definitely hard to live with. Times have changed and more is known about mental illnesses and I honestly think she was bipolar...or something...because she could be nice one minute and nasty the next. 

Despite my mother's outbursts at home, she was a money-manager for sure. My dad worked for GM for 42 years and I can remember only 1 day that he did not go to work because he was sick. I was an only child (adopted when I was 3) so I didn't want for much. I can honestly say, I didn't appreciate them and the sacrifices they made for me. I put them through hell when I got older but I didn't realize what they were going through to protect me from myself and the bad choices I'd made. I wish I could turn back the clock and be a different daughter to them.


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## Lewkat (Nov 24, 2021)

Their undying loyalty to their children no matter what.


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## Tish (Nov 24, 2021)

I admired my Moms strength and endurance, she fought cancer for 19 years.


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## Ruthanne (Nov 24, 2021)

Tish said:


> I admired my Moms strength and endurance, she fought cancer for 19 years.


Wow that's a long time and much endurance.  My mom only lasted 8 years after her diagnosis.


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## palides2021 (Nov 24, 2021)

Lewkat said:


> Their undying loyalty to their children no matter what.


Same here! No matter what.


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## Murrmurr (Nov 24, 2021)

Especially now, what I admire most about my parents is their capability to reason rather than react. Mom practiced this more than Dad, but he was certainly capable.


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## oldpop (Nov 24, 2021)

My Father worked 38 years at the same base and never took a day of sick leave and never missed a day. He also invented an item that saved the U.S. Navy millions. My Mother worked 34 years on the 11:00 pm to 7:00 am shift and raised three children to boot. Hard working people they were.


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## Sassycakes (Nov 25, 2021)

I was looking through pictures today and I came across this picture. It's of my Dad and his parents and some of their kids. They had 3 more kids after this picture was taken. At the time my Dad was 13 yrs old and had to quit school to help support the family.  At 16yrs old he married my Mom. Because his family needed his money they hated my Mom and then they hated my older brother and sister and then of course hated me.Even though we visited them all the time we weren't allowed to ever eat there or get gifts. I admire my Mom for tolerating how they treated her. My Parents were married 63yrs before my Dad passed away. They were the best parents in the world.


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## Fyrefox (Dec 8, 2021)

My father put himself through college on a partial scholarship during the American Great Depression, and was an educated man at a time when such was a rarity.  He had a real work ethic, and stayed with the same company he started with for almost 40 years.  Although schooled in the precise discipline of engineering, he created wooden sculptures, drew and painted, and appreciated art and beauty.  He endured my mother, who was a malignant narcissist that left scars on us all.  People tended to remain in marriages back then, no matter how toxic…


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## horseless carriage (Dec 8, 2021)

PamfromTx said:


> I admire my late mother during the time that she became a young (41 yrs. old) widow with 3 children still at home; oldest sister was already married.  Mom was a strong and very determined woman who only wanted the best for her children.


Much the same as my father. Mother died aged 33, leaving Dad with four children under the age of ten to raise alone. It was tough, but he soldiered on, he even battled with the authorities that tried to put his kids into care homes. He kept us together and never gave up.


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## Sassycakes (Jan 7, 2022)

This reminded me of my daughters MIL. Because I am Italian she thought my daughter wouldn't look good at the wedding. She wanted to come and help my daughter pick out her wedding gown. She even sent me a picture of a dress she thought I should wear. The day of the wedding she made her daughter come early to check on how bad my daughter would look. Do you think my daughter looked like a Greaseball? (Her definition of Italians)


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## dobielvr (Jan 7, 2022)

She looks beautiful Sassycakes!

Love her dress, is it light blue?  Or is that just the lighting


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## Jeni (Jan 7, 2022)

Nothing I can think of ....
if you asked me 5 years ago I might have said things like carrying on despite hard circumstances etc
but I discovered most of the story i knew of my parents was fake.  

have you ever looked at a photo and then looked again later and saw something you  totally missed.  
I see just sadness  in their wedding album.  dads parents never liked her...  it shows...... her parents not a smile but a wince as if they knew it was a mistake. 
he looks like he just ate bad fish and wanted to throw up ... she had the smile i always knew was FAKE. 
 The only person happy in photos was my aunt  and she was a real life Edith Bunker, clueless to reality

After my mothers death many items became clear. The stories did not add up never did really but she would distract you if you tried to get clarification. the versions always changing ....

No one was happy in that marriage and they should have never had any more kids besides my sister ( the reason they married). 
Different times I guess... stay the course even if it was a bad one. 

He died at 40 leaving her with 4 kids 
She did her best  I think,  but her mental health ........i believe had some negative effects on me and siblings. 
She should have sought help, but was so devoted to keeping up her stories about life it would have been a train wreck.
There are so many issues she had and i think that is why 2 siblings lie constantly and are complete failures


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## Sassycakes (Jan 8, 2022)

dobielvr said:


> She looks beautiful Sassycakes!
> 
> Love her dress, is it light blue?  Or is that just the lighting


Her dress was white, the lighting must have made it look light blue.


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## oldpeculier (Jan 8, 2022)

@ Bretrick - Their unconditional love.


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## Aunt Bea (Jan 8, 2022)

My parents did the best they could to provide for us.

They didn't give up, look for excuses or handouts.

They doubled down and did what they had to do to take care of us.


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## Jace (Jan 8, 2022)

Sassycakes said:


> This reminded me of my daughters MIL. Because I am Italian she thought my daughter wouldn't look good at the wedding. She wanted to come and help my daughter pick out her wedding gown. She even sent me a picture of a dress she thought I should wear. The day of the wedding she made her daughter come early to check on how bad my daughter would look. Do you think my daughter looked like a Greaseball? (Her definition of Italians)
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 202665


That is a beautiful family picture.


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## IFortuna (Jan 8, 2022)

Nathan said:


> My mother was talented, her parents sent her to finishing school(IIRC)where she was taught to play the piano, well enough to have become a concert pianist. She also played the recorder(self taught) and was fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German and Russian. In later years she was a computer programmer, worked at several aerospace companies(Douglas, Lockheed,TRW).
> 
> My father majored in physics in collage, worked in the Library of Congress, and was employed by the State Department as a junior diplomat(vice counsel) in a number of U.S. missions(embassies and  consulates) abroad: England, Brazil,Cuba,Mexico.


I see, overachievers.


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## JimBob1952 (Jan 8, 2022)

My dad started working at 15 as an "office boy" at Vogue Magazine.  Then he got a similar job at an insurance company.  One of his jobs was filing index cards.  He apparently talked his bosses into letting the young women attending a secretarial school in the same building do this work as a training exercise.  He worked there for 40 years and became a senior vice president.  I remember him for his incredible kindness and generosity.  

My mother had a few more rough edges but she was also very kind and generous.  She had dropped out of high school but she read a lot and was very smart.  (She got an equivalency diploma when she was in her 50s).  I tried to follow their example as a parent.  I was the youngest of four (three girls, a ten year gap, then me) so I was spoiled rotten, but worse things have happened to people.  

Work ethic, treating each other with courtesy and respect, being nice to people, these are my main takeaways.


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## JimBob1952 (Jan 8, 2022)

Sassycakes said:


> This reminded me of my daughters MIL. Because I am Italian she thought my daughter wouldn't look good at the wedding. She wanted to come and help my daughter pick out her wedding gown. She even sent me a picture of a dress she thought I should wear. The day of the wedding she made her daughter come early to check on how bad my daughter would look. Do you think my daughter looked like a Greaseball? (Her definition of Italians)
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 202665



Beautiful photo.  People are amazing in their prejudices and dislikes.  You see that a lot in the Northeast US where Jews, Italians, WASPs and Irish people intermingle.  I do find that a lot of the old ways of thinking are disappearing, however.


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## officerripley (Jan 8, 2022)

Jeni said:


> Nothing I can think of ....
> if you asked me 5 years ago I might have said things like carrying on despite hard circumstances etc
> but I discovered most of the story i knew of my parents was fake.
> 
> ...


I can relate to a lot of this.


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## Sassycakes (Jan 8, 2022)

JimBob1952 said:


> Beautiful photo.  People are amazing in their prejudices and dislikes.  You see that a lot in the Northeast US where Jews, Italians, WASPs and Irish people intermingle.  I do find that a lot of the old ways of thinking are disappearing, however.


I hope they continue to stop their prejudices ad dislikes. Both my sister's husband and my husband are Irish and we are Italian. My oldest grandson is dating an African American and I love her.


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## Nathan (Jan 8, 2022)

IFortuna said:


> I see, overachievers.


...and then there was_ me_.


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## Geezer Garage (Jan 8, 2022)

I loved my parents, and I believe they loved me, though you wouldn't exactly call my dad gushy, but it was a different era. I think they did the best they could, worked hard, and taught me by example all those qualities that sometimes seem in short supply today, honesty, honor, empathy, and a thrist for knowledge. Mike


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## CinnamonSugar (Jan 8, 2022)

While far from perfect, my mom worked hard to make the money stretch and she made 95% of my clothes.  She even made *doll* clothes and from the vantage point of age and experience, I know that was a labor of love in itself!

My dad was a sweetheart, a loving, gentle soul.  He had a lovely tenor voice and could sing harmony by ear.


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## Alligatorob (Jan 8, 2022)

Sassycakes said:


> Greaseball? (Her definition of Italians)


Don't understand that one.  I am not Italian but spent a lot of time in Italy, very nice looking people.  Beautiful women for sure.


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## horseless carriage (Jan 8, 2022)

Alligatorob said:


> Don't understand that one.  I am not Italian but spent a lot of time in Italy, very nice looking people.  Beautiful women for sure.


American/Italian gangsters of the prohibition era were all impeccably dressed with immaculate hairstyles. The wayward strands of hair were slicked down with hair oil that went by the names of "Brilliantine." There were many other hair brands that were popular of the period. Can you recognise actor Gary Cooper, portraying such a character?


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## officerripley (Jan 8, 2022)

Geezer Garage said:


> I loved my parents, and I believe they loved me, though you wouldn't exactly call my dad gushy, but it was a different era. I think they did the best they could, worked hard, and taught me by example all those qualities that sometimes seem in short supply today, honesty, honor, empathy, and a thrist for knowledge. Mike


Unfortunately, as some of us can attest, those good qualities were in just as short a supply in some cases--like in our own families--back then as they are now. I think maybe people tried to hide more of it back then. I think it might be better that it comes out more often now since it's been proven that repressing too much bad emotional stuff is bad for people (except socio/psychopaths, of course).


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## Irwin (Jan 8, 2022)

My mother came to visit me when I moved to Colorado and while here, I noticed she was reading Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. I had no idea what it was about, but had heard of it. I actually thought it was well respected literature.

My mother came to visit me a few years later and I remember her sitting next to me, still reading Atlas Shrugged. She made sure I knew what she was reading. WTF? I still had no idea what it was about but I thought it strange that she was reading the same book. I wondered, although not out loud, if that was the only book she owned.

Since that time, I've gotten interested in politics and learned about Ayn Rand's Objectivist philosophy. She was a nasty person and a hypocrite, but I won't get into that here.

My mother died a few years ago. I wonder if she ever finished her book.


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## Jeni (Jan 8, 2022)

officerripley said:


> Unfortunately, as some of us can attest, those good qualities were in just as short a supply in some cases--like in our own families--back then as they are now. I think maybe people tried to hide more of it back then. I think it might be better that it comes out more often now since it's been proven that repressing too much bad emotional stuff is bad for people (except socio/psychopaths, of course).


It was a different time ...   i wonder if it is all in a perspective. 
I have known friends and family tell such glorious stories of a parent that passed.

 i am left dumb founded ......as i was aware of a whole different story............... either by witnessing it or opposite stories told to me from the same  person now painting such a lovely picture


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## mrstime (Jan 8, 2022)

Sassycakes said:


> This reminded me of my daughters MIL. Because I am Italian she thought my daughter wouldn't look good at the wedding. She wanted to come and help my daughter pick out her wedding gown. She even sent me a picture of a dress she thought I should wear. The day of the wedding she made her daughter come early to check on how bad my daughter would look. Do you think my daughter looked like a Greaseball? (Her definition of Italians)
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 202665


I think she is beautiful!


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## mrstime (Jan 8, 2022)

I fortunately was raised by my paternal grandparents. Grandpa had a very rough childhood and he was quiet for the most part. He adored grandma and no one had better disrespect her, that was the only thing that seemed to anger him. Grandma never said she loved me, but I know she did. I have missed her everyday of my life since she left us  in 1975 she was 85. She probably didn't know how grateful I was to have her be my grandma.


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## Geezer Garage (Jan 8, 2022)

A little dab will do ya. Mike



horseless carriage said:


> American/Italian gangsters of the prohibition era were all impeccably dressed with immaculate hairstyles. The wayward strands of hair were slicked down with hair oil that went by the names of "Brilliantine." There were many other hair brands that were popular of the period. Can you recognise actor Gary Cooper, portraying such a character?


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## IFortuna (Jan 8, 2022)

Nathan said:


> ...and then there was_ me_.


You were made in a precious image and that is enough.


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## win231 (Jan 8, 2022)

horseless carriage said:


> American/Italian gangsters of the prohibition era were all impeccably dressed with immaculate hairstyles. The wayward strands of hair were slicked down with hair oil that went by the names of "Brilliantine." There were many other hair brands that were popular of the period. Can you recognise actor Gary Cooper, portraying such a character?
> View attachment 202795


Yeah, their hair always had that look in movies.


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## dseag2 (Jan 8, 2022)

Since this thread continues and we are introducing our extended families, I'll add this...

Father's side:
My grandfather was a carousing alcoholic who later found religion and used to deliver pies and cakes to neighbors in his old age.  He became a very good man in his later years.  His name is on one of the bricks in the First Baptist Church in his town.  He always gave me a Silver Dollar when I visited him and took me with him when he painted houses.  I only saw the good side of him.

His carousing had already driven my grandmother crazy.  She was nothing short of psychotic and she would say horrible things to my mother and never treated her well.  She used to sit me on her lap and tell me how I would go off to war and be killed.  (Nice!)  One funny memory... She wore lots of powder and my grandfather used to say "you look like you just dipped your head in a flour barrel."  She later developed Alzheimer's disease and passed away in a nursing home.  Perhaps what I experienced was the early stages of this horrible disease.

Mother's side:
My grandmother contracted rheumatic fever and passed away from heart disease when I was very young.

My grandfather got remarried to a woman that was at least 20 years younger.  Growing up, his children always fought for his attention because he wanted it that way.  They were so competitive that none of them were close.  My mother got close to her brothers as they got older, but when her sister passed away she didn't even care.  She hated her sister because she went to college.  My grandfather put my step-grandmother through hell, demanding that she cater to his every whim, especially in his declining years... and she did it until she was completely worn out.  He was good to me, but I saw how he treated his wife.  Talk about a dysfunctional family.

So, my father had to grow up with these parents, and two alcoholic brothers, and was able to rise above it all.  I have so much admiration for him.  I'm not sure I could have done the same.  My mother had very little chance from the start because she came from a dysfunctional family and married into one.  I admire her for doing the best she could under the circumstances.

I'm happy to be a relatively normal, caring person.  I chose my own path.


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## Rah-Rah (Jan 16, 2022)

I grew up with parents who raised me in the church and expected me to have certain values that were representative of a proper girl. I tried my best to live up to those standards , but no one is ever perfect for sure, but one thing I remember about my parents while growing up and as a teen is they trusted me. I think this is because the entrenched in me these values and that is what they really thought I strive to be at all times. I was a good kid and teen for sure so I did not let them down, but not perfect and when I did make mistakes I would get a good talking to, but the trust still was there. I really appreciated that in my parents.


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## debodun (Jan 18, 2022)

They didn't have any bad habits (alcohol, drugs, etc). Didn't punish without a reason and when they did, explained what the reason was. Mother didn't work and was a stay-at-home parent. Dad worked, sometimes double shifts, to make enough to support a wife and child - at a pay scale that was probably much less than the minimum wage is today.


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## Silverfox007 (Feb 8, 2022)

They were the best .


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## timoc (Feb 8, 2022)

What do you/did you admire about your parents?​*Oh yes, I used to look up to both parents*, in fact I had to crane my neck, because their faces were so far away, then after eating my porridge for a long time like a good boy, I sort of grew and grew, then, I had to crane my neck to look down to them, because they had somehow .......shrunk.


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## Signe The Survivor (Feb 8, 2022)

Mom to me was the strongest person I ever knew. She gave birth to me and then brought me home with my dad and if that wasn't enough of a life change in having a newborn to deal with less than a week later she lost her husband who was killed on the job while working as a Police Officer. Mom never showed weakness to me. I really think that is where I got my strength from in all the adversity I had to face in my life. Even is her last bit of life she was strong. She never showed that she was tired or was ready to give up. She just let life take its course. That is really the way I want to go.


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## caroln (Feb 9, 2022)

I'm kind of ambivalent about my parents.  As I think back, I can think of both good and bad qualities they had...they were just being human I guess.

I wonder what my daughter will remember most about me.


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## Autumn72 (Mar 21, 2022)

Warrigal said:


> My mother? Her generosity. She would give you the shoes off her feet if you needed them. She always said that there are no pockets in shrouds, and as long as she lived she helped others with her purse and her hands. She was good humoured and taught us to be kind to animals. She lived to be 91 and everyone loved her.
> 
> My dad? He was more of a mystery. He was in uniform when I was born and I didn't begin to know him until he was demobbed when I was three. He was a quiet man, read a lot and let Mum have her head on most things. He only dug his heels in on matters of principle and then he could not be swayed. He died suddenly when I was just 25 and I regretted that we had not had any deep conversations as adults. He loved children and could be trusted to care for quite young babies. I so wish that he had lived longer to see his grandchildren grow up.


Forgive me for asking...  it confuses me that you said your father was demobbed....?
What is the meaning? Was he with the Mafia, sorry to ask living in America brings up 'AL Capone


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## Warrigal (Mar 22, 2022)

Demobbed is Australian for "demobilised" at the end of the war.
They are released from duty, hand in their kit and go back to being civilians.
He kept his great coat, boots and slouch hat.


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## RFW (Mar 22, 2022)

Warrigal said:


> Demobbed is Australian for "demobilised" at the end of the war.
> They are released from duty, hand in their kit and go back to being civilians.
> He kept his great coat, boots and slouch hat.


I had the same idea as Autumn72's.


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## Capt Lightning (Mar 22, 2022)

In the UK, we also use the term, "Demobbed".  At the end of the war, service people would be given a set of civilian clothes and this was known as a "Demob suit".


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## Silent Rose (Mar 27, 2022)

Mom... the hardest worker I know. She taught me the proper way to live in a world that was so difficult for me to fit into as a child and as a teenager. Even though I fought her tooth and nail she stuck by me all the way and was persistent with the way she thought I was suppose to live as a child and teen.

I really think all of this mom did for me when I was young set me up for success in my later life and for me search further later in life what she was always preaching to me and finally accepting it.


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## spectratg (Mar 29, 2022)

My parents came of age during the Great Depression and were always frugal in their expenditures of money, not that the family’s income was ever that great.

I thought about my parents a lot after my wife died (8 years ago), and talked to my therapist (back then) about them, part of a retrospective on my own life I guess. I am the youngest of three children, the only boy, and have two older sisters. So I guess perhaps I was spoiled a bit (or more) by my mother. She was the major influence in my life up until I graduated from college, and I certainly loved and respected her. But you know, when I talked to the therapist, it was my father whom I came to understand and appreciate more so then at any other point in my life. I always thought that I was greatly different from him, but maybe not so much.


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## Betty Boop (Apr 15, 2022)

My parents always supported me in my decisions. I remember back in the day when I told them I wanted to go to college and back in my time that was one thing for a female to be taking that step, but also to be going all the way across the country to do so was another thing. My parents supported me all the way. 

My parents were also very supportive with my choice of a man who they never met since I met him in college. They approved of him.


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## Timewise 60+ (Apr 15, 2022)

How they loved and romanced each other throughout their lives.   They danced, hugged, kissed passionately, throughout their 49 years together.  Dad died at 65 years of age and mom lived to be 85.  She lived a good life after he passed, but said many times that after Dad, she could not ever consider being with another.   

They taught me how to love....at we will celebrate our 52 anniversary this year...


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## Em in Ohio (Apr 15, 2022)

win231 said:


> What I admire most about my parents is that they taught me what type of person *NOT* to be by their example.  Especially my mother, who was a raging, hating person.  She had two brooms - one for sweeping & one for riding on.


I have mommy issues that will never pass, but to both of my parents' credit, they did not teach racism.


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## Bretrick (Apr 15, 2022)

Timewise 60+ said:


> How they loved and romanced each other throughout their lives.   They danced, hugged, kissed passionately, throughout their 49 years together.  Dad died at 65 years of age and mom lived to be 85.  She lived a good life after he passed, but said many times that after Dad, she could not ever consider being with another.
> 
> They taught me how to love....at we will celebrate our 52 anniversary this year...


What a truly beautiful story.
52 years is a very long time, your parents surely showed you the best way to live as a couple.


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## Timewise 60+ (Apr 15, 2022)

Bretrick said:


> What a truly beautiful story.
> 52 years is a very long time, your parents surely showed you the best way to live as a couple.


Bretrick....thanks for the comments...I am blessed by my late parents, my kids, grandkids, and wife who loves me!  
My blessing to you and yours on this special Easter weekend.


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## Pinky (Apr 15, 2022)

Despite a dysfunctional family unit, my parents both worked hard all their lives. It was nice to finally be able to send money home once I finished school .. to make their lives a bit easier. 

Mom always had fabric leftovers that she made our clothes with. She sewed beautiful gowns for clients. We never went hungry, and were always clean. She was a sweet-natured woman who never complained.


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## MountainRa (Apr 15, 2022)

I could list many things but one thing that always amazed me about my mother when I was a child  — you could look in our kitchen cabinets and refrigerator and swear there was nothing to eat. But my mother would still manage to put a meal on the table. Might have just been biscuits and gravy but it was good.


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## StarSong (Apr 15, 2022)

My parents both worked hard and were gracious hosts.  My father was exceptionally bright, my mother was extremely kind.

Unfortunately, their marriage was not good and their children paid a high price for their unhappiness.


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## jerry old (Apr 15, 2022)

There is still much to say and feel that remains beyond us


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## Bretrick (Apr 15, 2022)

StarSong said:


> My parents both worked hard and were gracious hosts.  My father was exceptionally bright, my mother was extremely kind.
> 
> Unfortunately, their marriage was not good and their children paid a high price for their unhappiness.


One of the drawbacks of "Staying together for the children's sake"
Grown children can have a really hard time as a result.


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## Michael Z (Apr 16, 2022)

My mom was selfless and loyal. She had a servant's heart.

My father was a hard worker, never missing work for any reason.  

Were things perfect? Far from it! But out of honor for them, I remember them this way.


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## Lavinia (Apr 16, 2022)

win231 said:


> What I admire most about my parents is that they taught me what type of person *NOT* to be by their example.  Especially my mother, who was a raging, hating person.  She had two brooms - one for sweeping & one for riding on.


I'm sure it made you a better parent. It certainly had that effect on me.


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