Parenting: Lessons from my parents
I’ve loved writing this post and thinking more closely about how my parents brought up me, my brother and sister and the lessons they have taught me. How you’re brought up has such an impact on how you parent; whether you want to do similar things and replicate traditions or how you might consciously want to not do certain things. I had a very happy childhood and was brought up in a very loving, ever-supportive home and for that I am always so grateful and will never take it for granted.
Here are some lessons I’ve learnt from the way I was brought up, that I will always keep in mind when parenting Florence…
1. Eat dinner together at the table – I have so many memories of sitting around the table with my family, talking and laughing. We wouldn’t do it every night as my Dad would get back home from work late, and so we’d eat early but at weekends we would eat lunch and dinner together at the table. It made our meals such a fun and social part of the day and we still do it now. We wouldn’t just chat about our days, we’d reminisce on holidays, talk about how we felt about certain things and talk about fun things like our top 5 sandwiches and what we’d do if we won the lottery. I definitely want this to be part of our family life.
2. Value and manage your money – My Mum was amazing at teaching us to value money and it’s something that is ingrained in me. She was always very purposeful with spending and hated to waste money. If we went to the cinema we would go to Woolworthes (ahh, Woolies!) and buy our drinks and pick n’mix there beforehand rather than paying the crazy cinema prices. She would also meal plan every week and when we were a little older we would have chores that we’d have to do in order to get our pocket money. We also had a savings account from when we were young and were taught the importance of saving. It sounds like really simple things but they have stuck with me and I will always value money and teach Florence to do the same.
3. Shower your children in love – this is my favourite one of all and makes me feel emotional to write about it. My parents were amazing at doing this – showering us completely in love. We were made to feel like the most special children in the world and that we could achieve anything that we wanted to. Even when we were going through that awkward teenage stage where you feel horribly insecure, we were comforted by the fact that we could come home from school and be back in that safe love bubble (as cheesy as it sounds). My lovely friend Emma sent me the quote below when Florence was born and I think it’s so true.
4. Play games together – some families hate games, others love them. We are definitely the latter and still play them now. It’s such a great activity to do together that is fun for everyone, and I have lovely memories of spending a whole Sunday just sat in the living room playing one after the other. I want to have regular games nights in our house when Florence gets older.
5. Invest in property – It’s a long way off for Florence but I was always told that property was the best investment and to get on the property ladder as soon as possible (something also echoed by my husband’s parents). Chris and I moved back in with my parents to power save for a deposit as it was so difficult to rent and save at the same time. We made sacrifices and it was so worth it in the end as buying our first flat has been one of the best things we’ve done.
6. Hanging out with your family can be the most fun – I think our family was slightly unusual in that we were super close (and still are) and would spend a lot of time together, even when we were teenagers. We’d love family holidays and outings, and just hanging out together. And we still do. I think it was because we can all be completely ourselves and always have a laugh. I really want Florence to have this too.
