Weird lessons from childhood?

[Djamila]

What are some of the weird things your parents and teachers taught you in your childhood?

For me, the most obvious example is my father. Whenever I came home with a cut or a scrape or anything like that, and was throwing a fit crying, he'd always slap me in the back of the head - hard - and say: I bet your knee doesn't hurt now? Don't cry over silly things, be stronger.

That still makes no sense to me.

But even worse was at school. Whenever there was something to be had - a prize, or a book, or anything... if you raised your hand first they wouldn't give it to you, and they'd say: The first to ask is the last to have.

I still can't even figure out what that was supposed to teach us? LOL

Also the emphasis on beauty I've noticed was a little strange. You don't see girls of 9, 10 years old wearing make-up in most other countries. I think if you're small enough to be held up by your parents holding one leg, they shouldn't talk about how beautiful you're going to be and how many hearts you'll break like it's a good thing. lol

That's it.

[BFD_Zayl]

mine would have to be "if you find a mysterious black powder, dont put it in daddys ash tray...because it is probably black powder...."

[Booko]

Originally Posted by Djamila

What are some of the weird things your parents and teachers taught you in your childhood?

That if I'm playing a game with a guy I'm interested in, I should lose, on purpose. That's what it takes to "get a man."

I always thought that was rather insulting to men.

[ayani]

my father was an interesting guy- he discouraged me from dating yet turned a blind (and rather amused) eye when i'd quietly ask to see the Frederick's of Hollywood catalogue my mom was going to throw away.

good times.

[BFD_Zayl]

my lesson i learned the hard way, my dad keeps commercial black sand in his ashtray, i noticed it was old, emptied it, could not find anymore, found the black powder and put it in the tray, dad came home, lit up, smoked, and put it out..FOOM!!! he now has no arm hair...

[MidnightBlue]

Originally Posted by BFD_Zayl

my lesson i learned the hard way, my dad keeps commercial black sand in his ashtray, i noticed it was old, emptied it, could not find anymore, found the black powder and put it in the tray, dad came home, lit up, smoked, and put it out..FOOM!!! he now has no arm hair...

Ha! I'll have to tell my dad that one. He thought he had it rough because I saw a tv show that said Japanese people put water in ashtrays to make them easy to clean, so I filled up all the ashtrays with water.

The stuff my folks taught me wasn't unusual for that place and time:

• Always address an adult as "Sir" or "Ma'am."
• Never talk back or contradict an adult.
• Don't fight with your brother or your cousins, but if anybody else starts something, you finish it.
• Sit up straight, pay attention, and stand up when you say the Creed.
• Sit up straight, get your elbows off the table, and don't talk with your mouth full.
• Turn off that television and go play outside.
• I don't care if Grandpa said it, I don't want to hear you use that word again.

[MaddLlama]

My favorite is: "Does it hurt when you do that? Yes? Well then don't do that!". It doesn't sound funny, but when you've just tripped and fallen down the stairs, I don't know what it's supposed to teach you, other than the fact that your mother has a deranged sense of humor.

[Tigress]

Figure out what people like, what makes them tick, and use that to your advantage.
Don't get mad, get mad and even.
Be mindful of who's around you, and say only the things you don't care that they hear.
Cars were meant to actually be driven. You only need to leave ten minutes before an appointment that's twenty minutes away. (Thanks Dad! lol)

[Hacker]

As for my teachers, the "wierdest" thing to me was the being taught that people would potentially burn in hell someday for not accepting Christ as their savior, we were taught this because I attended a Catholic school.

And repenting to a priest was also very "wierd" to me.

Given that you asked about childhood, that's what most of mine consisted of because of the school I attended and the expectation to remain proper at all times, going to church services about 2 or 3 times a week...and I clearly remember NEVER understanding the teachings of Catholicism, SOME of it made sense, but as a child growing up exposed to this teaching, I was litterally scratching my head during the learining process of Catholicism, I just didn't get it, and I thought it was the ONLY truth and nothing else, till I got older of course.