THings my parents never told me

I can remember as a kid, swinging on the garden gate and my mum or dad telling me to gerroff of it cos it’ll break, It never did but now I can see their point of view.
That’s the trouble, I didn’t see their points of view, well hardly ever. Now I’m 64 I understand their concerns. I wonder if you remember your parents chiding you for something or gave you advice that you ignored .

What do you wish for that you now know but would like to have known then?

I think I should have listened a bit more and for their part I would have liked them to fill me in on the birds & bees a little earlier than they did

Re: THings my parents never told me

Trouble is with parents is that they always told lies..

They said if I ate my greens they'd put hairs on my chest, but they didn't.
They said if I kept pulling a face it would set like it, but it didn't.
They said if I told lies Santa wouldn't come, but he always did.

So after all that lying from my parents I decided if I wanted to know anything I would just ask my mates, or their sisters, or their mates, or their mothers, or their mothers mates, anyone, in fact other than your parents......

By the way RJ, did your parents really tell you about the birds and the bees?
Not me, I just asked my mates....

Re: THings my parents never told me

[[I think I should have listened a bit more and for their part I would have liked them to fill me in on the birds & bees a little earlier than they did]] QUOTE

Mine never did fill me in on the birds and the bees and I would have liked them to explain what "Chincough" was , you got it from sitting on cold steps apparently, I did warn my grandchildren about it though.

Re: THings my parents never told me

Plantman, my parents did not ever tell me. I had an inkling from my mates at school, most of it incorrect, but I found out in good time, although I found it difficult at the time to think why my parents had taken part in such extraordinary behaviour to produce me.


When I was 18 my father said "Do you want to talk about the birds & bees"
I said "What do you want to know" He was very relieved.

I don't remember talking to my children but I am certain my wife briefed them, she was a nurse.



My gran had her daughters sing when they were little
"Keep yer 'and on yer Ha-penny" I guess that was it for them too.

Philip Larkin wrote "THIS is the VERSE" & it goes

They -uck you up, your parents
THey don't mean to, but they do.............

Re: THings my parents never told me

Robert says "They muck you up your parents" - but the trouble is I don't think you can really practice being a parent - and you don't have a clue what you are in for when you start - even if you read all the books you can lay your hands on. No two children are the same and what appears to be the right thing to do for one won't necessarily work with the second/subsequent ones. There is no going back to begin again if you make mistakes - Its trial and error I think and you have to do the best you can and hope/pray/cross your fingers. Hopefully, by the time they are grown our kids will understand that and forgive us our shortcomings - and if they don't forgive us they certainly should understand when they have their own.

AND NO - mine never told me about the "birds and bees" either - it was all too embarrassing for them and I thought it was impossible that they had actually had sex to get my sister and I. Totally unimaginable.

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Well, the wind did change, and I did stay like that.

Re: THings my parents never told me

Philip Larkin wrote "THIS is the VERSE" & it goes

They -uck you up, your parents
THey don't mean to, but they do


EDIT

I didnt check my post properly. Please note that the extract "They -uck you up" was written by PHILIP LARKIN & not my gran.

Re: THings my parents never told me

BTW,

whatever happened to CHILBLAINS?

Re: THings my parents never told me

My mistake Robert - of course it wasn't you or your gran, I've read his poem now - bit depressing isn't it. If only I had read it before I had my kids.

Re: THings my parents never told me

Well, I s'pose it is a bit negative ,yon Philip Larkins poem. But it strikes a chord, just as Jenny Joseph of Red hat & purple fame.
"When I'm an old woman I shall wear a red hat & purple which doesnt go & doesnt suit me" (and learn to spit)

I wonder if she was a good mother. One of my favourite poems is "Not waving but drowning" by Stevie Smith.