Habits learned from our parents.

My great grandparents brough me up a lot. I always remember we didn't have a lot of money but always plenty of food in the house. I was out the door at 5 this morning to pick up a hog from the butcher. They came up in the depression so having plenty of food made them feel rich.

 

"The Look"
Dad is a quiet man. When he speaks, people listen. Back in the day, when we did something stupid, wrong, bad, etc we wouldnt get spanked or yelled at, we would get something much worse, "the look". When delivered properly it is very effective.

My oldest wasn't listening the other day. I smiled on the inside when I realized I was giving her "the look". It worked.

 

My folks always drilled into my pea brain, that being late wasted other people's time. I'm always 15 minutes early... 10 minutes early, and I think I'm late...

 

I learned to cook consistently good food.

 

Stinny I feel the same way.

 

My Mother was the 6th child in her family, born in '31...so every time I think I have it rough (one of my 3 vehicles won't start, etc) I try to imagine 6 kids during the depression! On top of that, no welfare, food stamps, unemployment, social security......and then my grandparents going on to be married for 70 years, I had to admire that.

 

Going about my business efficiently, and in a way that is not inconvenient to other people around me, aka being courteous and aware. Lots of people don't do that these days

 

Here's maybe a reverse habit. My dad rolled out before I was born and I swear I will always be there for my boys. Also my stepdaughter was always lazy in my eyes and I swore I'd never be like that either.

 

I learned how to cut, split and stack wood from my dad. He put me to work as soon as I was old enough to carry a split and either put it in the truck, the stack or throw it in the basement window to feed the old smoke dragon wood furnace. He also taught me about hard work (that didn't involve firewood) as well as a pile of things that I'm sure have stuck with me that I'm not remembering.

Wish he was still around. He's been gone almost 26 years.

 

My Dad's been gone 24 years now. Like you, I sure do wish he was here to ask him more questions. Loved talking with him about WWII.

 

343amc Stinny I loved listening to my great grandparents talk about growing up during the depression. The old man got into some chit when he was younger. Never anything super bad mostly just moonshine before it was cool. Definitely hard times and a different way.

 

My dad drilled respect for other people and their property into my head @ a very young age. He also had no problem, when I was in my "formative" years, warming my arse if I needed it. It didn't understand or agree with the concept @ the time , but as I got older and wiser I totally understood it then. He's been gone 20 years now, wish he was here so I could thank him.

 

Heard many stories about the depression era from my folks. Dad was born 1911, Mom 1913. As most of that generation did, they too never threw anything away, were very frugal. Dad would always re-cycle parts from a broken tool, long before re-cycle was in vogue. 2 of the very old firewood saws I have on the wall have Dad's funky handles on them. Stories from those years are like candy... can't get enough.

 

Every now and again my grandpa would hold his fork about an inch above the last piece of meat on the serving plate at dinner while saying "anyone want it?"

I started doing that about 10 years ago when it somehow popped back into my memory. My wife and mother in law find no humor in it, but my mom gets a chuckle out of it. It's become a Thanksgiving tradition.

 

My grandma was born in 1911 and had a lot of stories about the depression. I remember 'interviewing' her for an economics paper I had to write in high school. The info she had beat anything you could get from an encyclopedia.

 

Usually does. Makes you wonder just how much history, that's officially reported, has been embellished, omitted, etc.