Grade How Your Parents/Guardians Did

[punkass]

Or how they're doing for you adolescent folk.

Mine were typical first generation Korean parents. They came to US, set up own business, and elevated into the middle class with no degrees. Didn't really worry about money when growing up, but due to working lots, had no time for activities. No little league games, boy scouts, music recitals, etc. I played sports in high school, but my parents never came to games or anything. No vacations in youth either.

I give parents B-. They, like most Korean immigrants, had little to nothing when they get here. So I give them a whole lot of credit in where they got, especially with little understanding of the language. I have no major psychological problems stemming from childhood. I do wish my parents were more involved in my activities in middle and high school, but that was unavoidable. As parents and providers, they did an excellent job in giving me the opportunity to do what I wanted to do post-high school.

I do wish I could have went to Walt Disney World like all my other friends though.

How were yours?

PS - Make a poll if you want.

[Los Feliz Slim]

punk, I don't think you're giving your parents nearly enough credit. A B- after moving to a new country and starting over and making it work? Jesus, you're a tough crowd.

Both my parents were the first in their families to go to college and came from lower-middle-class to lower-class backgrounds and became very successful. They were hard on me at times and very clueless about the nefarious things I was up to, but I can't imagine what they could've done differently. They get an A, mostly because I turned out so awesome.

[CappyAA]

A-

I love both of my parents. They are both great to me and supportive in whatever I choose to do.

Only problem I had growing up was that my dad drank too much and would yell at me/my family too much. However, he gave up drinking when I was 14 and has been sober ever since, so after that, it's been great.

[Dids]

I've thought about this a lot.

In terms of raising a decent, moral human A

In terms of raising a well socialized person C

My folks weren't big on direct instruction, so I picked up a lot through observation and osmosis.

Neither of them are joiners, and I think they allowed me to be antisocial to my extreme detriment. I wish they'd forced me into more activities that would have kept me active, expanded my social cricle, and just helped me be better and being around the other humans.

[gamblore99]

Besides my mom trying to have the sex talk with me and my brother when we were 21 (this was absolultely hilarious and awkward) my parents were awesome. Vacations, lots of family time but still respected privacy and personal space. They made very few rules and had lots of trust in us. Also really really encouraged education. Another really awesome thing about my parents, moreso my dad is that he really encouraged learning new hobbies/sports. If I ever wanted to take anything up, he would always encourage it and pay for lessons, and get involved. My mom also, she is just great, always looking out for me. When I am sick, she is awesome.

I also remember my dad telling us bedtime stories about drug dealers, with the moral of the story being drugs are evil. A+.

I think I will call them today.

[DrewDevil]

I give my parents a solid A-.

They stayed married and kept a stable home, and they genuinely like and love each other (this is huge). They taught me right and wrong, and how to be polite and not a brat. We weren't rich but they made sure we always had anything we needed, and most everything we wanted. The whole time I was growing up, my dad only missed 2 or 3 of my sports contests total. They sacrificed to see that I was highly educated and prepared for the real world.

I wouldn't change much... my mom was a little crazy/fanatical about my academic career and pushed way too hard at times... but of course it worked by driving me to overachieve. My dad didn't teach me anything about women, but I don't think he really knew anything, so I will let that one go. My parents were and are way too much into church/Christianity and they should have been a little more moderate about it with me, but they gave me a strong ethical background. I wish they had not let me quit playing the piano when I was 9.

They did a great job overall though.

[blinden84]

Biological father gets a solid F for leaving me and mom when I was 2, thanks, ass.

Mom did pretty decent in getting along single, and managed to get remarried when I was about 5 or 6 and I was adopted, thus removing jerkass from the equation and allowing my parents to raise me alright, I was a tough kid, so, solid A's there.

[thirddan]

dids,

i can only speak from my experience, but i doubt that your parents had much to do with how social you are...my sister is a social butterfly and pretty much always has been, while i am introverted and somewhat antisocial...

[Aloysius]

My parents are great, I'm lucky - stable, stayed together, very much in love etc. When I was younger I had some hangups but now that I'm older, I'm just grateful that they provided so well for me, and that they helped teach me to be a good person (I hope I am a good person). A++.

Side note - can't find it but CMI made an interesting post once about nurture vs. nature wrt parent's influence on their children. (I also think CMI might be a biological determinist and study biology, but I am not sure.)

The gist of his post, IIRC, is that parents don't have much conscious influence over their kids - that if they choose to do X vs. Y, doesn't make much of a difference in how the kid turns out. Alot of parental influence is in subconscious cues determined by their own biochemistry, and what gets passed on - the true influence - on their kid is not controllable.

-Al

[dlk9s]

A+