Parentisms: What I Blame My Parents For Instilling In Me

The glorious people you're raised with shape you in ways that society and your neighborhood can't.  I moved around a lot as a kid, but my well-rounded nature didn't just come from the places I lived but with who shaped me: my parents.  They've been happily married for over twenty-five years and counting.  Each of them have their own mannerisms and personality traits they received from their families, and some of those transferred to me and my sister both intentionally and unintentionally.  In no particular order, here's a list perspectives, mindsets, and habits I blame my parents for:

1. Be independent (Mom)
You are always the only person responsible for yourself and what you need, nobody else.  Do you want that new N'SYNC CD, Kid Mandy?  Do chores to earn the money for it.  Are your bills piling up, Adult Mandy?  They'd better be paid in full (or preferably more if you got it) and on time or you're gonna feel SO BAD it hurts.

My adorable parents.

2. Talk with your hands (Dad)
Words by themselves are boring without an action added to it.  Pretend your words are strings to the puppets that are your hands.  Your point will come across SO MUCH better when your hands tag along.

3. Always stay goofy (Both)
Keep that kid-like sense of wonder and excitement in everything you do.

4. Work ethic is everything (Mom)
Being goofy is great, but it's not good to transfer too much of it through work.  Everything you work for determines your self worth and your worth to others in your field.  Giving up is laughable because you can do anything and do it well when you put your mind to it.

5. Always talk to yourself / think out loud (Dad)
Regardless where you are or who's around you, your brain's filter is not guarded very often.  Talking out what you're thinking may look like crazy-person behavior, but it's the only way to set thoughts into stone.

6. There's a silly word for everything (Both)
Doohickey, thing-a-ma-bob, whatcha-ma-call-it are just a few awesome words you should use all the time.  Some words in other languages sound cooler than our boring English versions, so spread a little flavor in your vernacular whenever possible.

7. Respect and love others (Mom)
Respect is important to practice all the time no matter what.  Always treat others as you wish to be treated no matter how you feel about them.  This includes cleaning up after yourself in public even if everybody else isn't doing the same (i.e. movie theaters - one of my pet peeves GAH! - restaurants, and other social events.  Lead by example, for goodness sake!

8. Don't take life too seriously (Dad)
This may sound like the opposite of #4, but life is just too awesome to waste being super serious all the time.  You can take life seriously sometimes, but you're a pretty dull person if seriousness is always on your radar.

9. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder (Both)
Whether it's a piece of art or a shirt, everybody's got something they think is awesome that others don't understand.  Everybody's got what they hold up as beautiful, but if someone thinks it's ugly then that's their opinion and/or issue that you don't need to worry about.  Don't let it affect your view.

10. Stay creative at all times (Dad)
This includes always doing what you love no matter what.  It can be your career or your hobby, but keep a creative outlook on everything.

11. Cursing is unnecessary (Mom)
There's a time and place for vulgar language, and that includes how old you are and who you're around.  In the heat of the moment, one or two foul words are fine, but use as many fake ones as possible like darn, dangit, shoot, and fudge.  Especially around the children!

12. Your body is weird and that's OK (Both)
Every body has something "wrong with it" no matter how perfect it seems, and that's just what everybody is thinking about their own, too.  There is nothing wrong with the way you look so embrace it or your insecurities will run your appearance for you.

What do you blame your parents for?  If you do your own Blame Parents post, link it in the comments!  The more the merrier.