Monday Listicles: 10 things my parents did right

Today's Monday Listicle is "10 Things My Parents Did Right." Instead of reinventing the wheel, I am going to revise a post I wrote last summer in honor of my parents' 50th wedding anniversary.

Germany, early 1960s
10. Taught me that beauty grows from the inside. When I was born with a cleft lip and palate, my parents did not blink: they counted their blessings that my birth defects could be repaired.

9. Urged us not to let gender or circumstances get in the way of pursuing your dreams. Dad worked hard so Mom could stay home, but then she earned her master’s and went to work as a mental health therapist. We were taught we could grow up to be anybody we wanted.

8. Inspired us to pursue education. Mom and Dad both started out as teachers, and between them, they have two bachelor’s and three master’s degrees. They helped all of us in our college studies.

7. Made their marriage and own social needs a priority. My parents loved to play pinochle with friends. We’d be put to bed at another family’s house, only to go home around 3:00 a.m. I didn’t like the waking up part, but it was better than having a babysitter. We had a lot of babysitters over the years. But the one who called us brats? Mom never called her again.

6. Gave us a love for travel. Even though we did not realize it, Mom & Dad instilled us with a love of travel. In 1986, I left for Japan, and a week later my sister Nadine left for China. They supported our desires to see the world and later saw those countries’ wonders through their own eyes.

5. Taught us to resolve disagreements and not let them fester. My husband Mike and my brother-in-law David learned early on that our family talks things out. Sometimes it’s painful and takes awhile…but after we talk about things, we can move on. And even when we are not having disagreements, we talk a lot.

4. Taught us not to rely on money for fun. We didn’t have a lot of money growing up, but that never stopped us from having great adventures. We traveled around the country by car, sleeping in tents. In 1981, we took a six-week trip across country, staying with friends and relatives and camping. We survived record rainfall—in our tents. We didn’t need a fortune to experience the wonders of the country. And this was before portable DVD players! That trip was the high point of my childhood.

3. Taught us the value of earning something rather than having it given to you. I worked through my college years and shared the financial burden. When Mike and I decided to get married, we paid for the wedding ourselves. My parents have lent all of us money, but we always try to pay it back.

2. Surrounded our family with a loving community. My parents’ marriage has endured many crises—these are just a few:

• 1964: I was born with three birth defects and had multiple surgeries and hospital stays throughout my childhood.

• 1980: My brother Stephen fell out of a tree, 40 feet to the ground, after touching an electric wire, and had third degree burns on his hands and feet from the electricity that traveled from his hand and exited out his Nike shoe. He received painful skin grafts and shared a room on the Emanuel burn unit with a victim from the Mt. St. Helens explosion.

• Early 1990s: Dad’s serious back infection incapacitated him for months, and could have been fatal were it not finally treated effectively.

• 1996: Our oldest son Christopher was born at 24 weeks gestation and teetered between life and death for 17 weeks in the NICU.

• 2003: Nadine was on bedrest with the twins while experiencing premature labor for weeks. Fortunately, she made it to full term.

Over and over again, our family has found that community can lift you up when you feel like your world is in crisis.

And finally, number 1. Said “I love you” every day. We never doubted, for one second, that our parents not only loved us…they loved each other completely.

What did your parents do right? Thanks to Monday Listicles (organized by Stasha at http://www.northwestmommy.com/) for the inspiration. Check out some more!




Comments

  1. Number 10 is hands down my favorite, but this list was amazing. Your family sounds simply wonderful. Great list. Erin

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  2. As a professor of tourism, I love your parents!

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  3. Awesome article Marie ! I'll never forget sitting down and talking with your Dad as he made homemade sour kraut in a garbage can...I thought to myself...what a gentle loving interesting man. The only sour kraut that I ever liked ! What a nice family to be raised in.

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  4. Loving each other completely is just as much a gift as their loving you. They sound AMAZING!

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  5. Thanks to all of you for your comments. Yes, they are/were amazing parents, and I feel incredibly fortunate!!

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  6. What a strong and loving family. You cross these obstacles with such passion for life. Even to this day!

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  7. This is a great list, you're parents sound pretty amazing.

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  8. What a fantastic list. I think that saying I love you every day is is important, and something that I am continuing with my own family now. Your parents sound very supportive and like you had a great childhood.

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  9. Beautiful post. Your parents sound like remarkable people!

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