There are so many lessons that you learn from your family. Some lessons are good, some lessons…not so good. Family is everything to me. The things that have been instilled in me are things I plan on teaching my future children. Here are a few lessons I’ve learned from my family:

Family is Everything.

Looking back on my childhood, I used to think that everybody’s family was like mine. I mean, we all lived on the same street, we talked on the phone and saw each other almost every day, we took family vacations and trips together. As I got older I learned that not everybody grew up with 5 aunts, 3 uncles, and 20 plus first cousins, and that’s just on my mom’s side. I used to hate having that many cousins because it was so easy to become just another number. Now, I love having a big family…but family gatherings can be a bit much sometimes. If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that at the end of the day, family’s all you’ve got. Sure, we have our squabbles, but when we see each other, whether it’s been 2 days or 6 years, our love remains the same.

Hard work is an Absolute Must.

Oh the stories I could tell you about how my grandmother could find work for you to do even when your work was already done! ‘Come in here and clean my baseboards!’, ‘I’ll pay you $2 if you sweep off my patio,’, ‘Power wash the side of my house for me’. There is always something you can do to keep you busy. I think it’s pretty safe to say that all of my grandmother’s children and grandchildren have hung sheetrock, painted a house, or put down a hardwood floor at some point in their lives. At least we all know how to make a quick dollar, the legal way of course!

God is the Center.

I come from generations of people who believe in God. It doesn’t matter what type of family occasion it is, someone is going to bring God into the mix at some point. Oh the stories my cousins and I can tell about driving to Florida with my Aunt Marsha (Sorry Mickles!) in her Green Astro van Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday to sing in her makeshift choir. Or how my grandma would make my brothers and cousins sing in the choir at her church while my aunt Angie played piano and rocked her Jeri Curl (I love you Ann!). It doesn’t matter if we go to church every Sunday or not, the word of God has been implanted in all of us.

You Must Be Able to Laugh

This is probably the best lesson I’ve learned; you have to know how to have a good laugh. In my family, there’s always someone somewhere doing something that makes you laugh until you’re in tears (literally). Whether it’s my Aunt Evon and her outrageous ‘gifts’, or our infamous Monopoly games (Jeff, you’re still a cheater!) there is always some sort of shenanigan that you can look back on years later that will have you in side splitting laughter…like how we all used to go to my Aunt Marsha’s house and my brothers and my cousins would have us doing something stupid like, jumping off of the roof, or pledging their stupid fraternity, or our ‘no holds barred’ wrestling matches. Good times…

The Women in My Family are All Fabulous!

It doesn’t matter what age you are, if you’re a woman in my family, you are fine, sexy, beautiful, gorgeous, a diva, and don’t you ever forget that! You got your looks from some woman in the family and in some cases, your name too. You are also expected to carry yourself like a lady at all times; ‘a lady should be seen and not heard’ my grandma constantly reminds us. If someone catches you slipping and not looking your best, they will tell you! Oh, and if you’re 18, you can expect to hear more risqué talk (like sex) from the older ladies in my family…my grandma can usually be found leading the conversations!

Music is Good for the Soul.

I was blessed to be born into a musical family on both sides, which is a good thing. If someone finds out that you are related to the Perryman’s, the first thing they ask is ‘okay, so do you sing or play an instrument?’, because apparently it’s a given that you must do one or the other, or both. Singing is perhaps the third most important thing behind God and family. My family is filled with musical geniuses; my great grandmother played the guitar, my grandfather and his brothers all sang in a gospel group, every generation has a piano player, a guitarist and a drummer. Even the babies in my family can sing, in harmony and almost perfect pitch! My dad’s family is pretty talented as well. My dad played trumpet way back when. My Uncle Calvin was once a musician for James Brown and his daughter Marquita is an incredible Gospel singer. Growing up, music was a natural passion; it was singing about our faith that got us through hard times (and it still does).

What are some things that your family has taught you? Leave your memories and life lessons below in the comments!