What is the one most valuable lesson your parents taught you?
Before I answer to the question " What is the one most valuable lesson your parents taught you?", I should introduce them.
My father is a mechanical engineer who was his own boss and peon! He was a technical design consultant with office at home. Unlike, many other kids, I had this wonderful opportunity to spend a lot of time with him at home!
My mother was a homemaker and she is this ideal mom anyone can have!
Now my parents have shifted to an ashram in Kerala leaving behind all the materialistic pleasures and in search of the ONE THING that can give you eternal peace.
So coming to answer the question - Do what you want your children to follow is the most valuable lesson they taught me. After all, actions speak louder than words. Hours and hours of preaching or advising will never have this profound effect on children!
Here are a few lessons learned by me from my parents, from their actions:
Mother first:
1. How to manage a household without any hassle: Be it keeping the house clean, managing finance, buying things for the kitchen and the house in general. She was perfect!
2. Kitchen is the best route to enter your man's heart: She is the best cook I have ever met! Cooking and serving delicious food on time is her specialty, I would say!
3. Be efficient: Be it any work you do, be efficient and smart. Managing the entire house as a home maker requires efficiency and she was too good at that.
4. Reduce Wastage: She taught not only me but my entire family not to waste anything - food, electricity, water etc. Buy only what is necessary and do not overload the house with anything extra.
5. Reduce desires as you age: She was a role-model for me to reduce interests in monetary pleasures like jewellery, cosmetics etc as you age.
6. Have dinner together: My mom ensured that we had dinner together and I have many many memories of fun during dinner when we would exchange a lot of things.
7. Mother is the first best friend for a girl: My mom always had ears to all that I had to say. She was open for discussion on anything which made me not hide things to her and also be truthful to her which in turn taught me never to lie.
Father now:
1. Be principled and stand by it: Have certain principles for yourself like honesty, straight forwardness etc and do not leave them even if you are subjected to adverse situations is what my father lived by and I learned them from him
2. Be a good listener: Listeners are very few in this world and being a good listener will make people like you is one of his best policies. He asks interesting questions to people and encourages them to talk thus making people like him for being interested about them
3. Lead a simple life: Do not be extravagant in anything. Simplicity is the one thing that can take a man to great heights!
4. Read a lot of books: Reading books is the best hobby and I learned that from him. He narrated a lot of stories that he read which made me to read a lot too.
5. Money is not everything in life: Life is not all about money making. There are things worth more than that! Do not run behind money is one thing I saw him practice.
6. Spend quality time with kids:
By seeing him spending time with me and my brother, I made it a point to spend quality time with my kids, narrating my experience, sharing thoughts on different things and discussing anything under the sun, once I become a parent.
7. Let the child think:
My dad never forced me into anything when it came to choosing my career. He was just a guiding factor and never the deciding force when it came to taking decisions. he gave me the freedom to think for myself and act accordingly.
I am indeed proud and lucky to have got such parents! And I am just hoping my kids would feel the same about me in the future!
