To me, the job of a parent entails a few key things: feed/clothe/shelter the child, protect the child, teach the child how to be a good person and functioning member of society, and prepare them for the future. My parents did a great job at raising me, if I do say so myself. As I sit here in quarantine in Waikiki with my mom, I've taken some time to reflect on some of the important things they taught me before I left my home state of California and began to write them down, in no particular order.
1) You don't take "no" for an answer
When my mom and I flew into O'ahu, one of our bags was lost by the airline. After being on the phone with them for quite a long time, she was told there was nothing she could do to get our bag back. Long story short, she didn't like that answer and figured out how to locate our bag and was able to get it to us within the next two days.
2) Apologize when you're wrong and make amends
Growing up with a sibling basically cements the fate of having arguments, fights, and hurt feelings. My younger brother and I were no different and fought like cats and dogs. We just had to make sure we apologized and made things right to make sure we could move forward.
3) Make use of what you've got
If it ain't broke, don't fix it, and if you don't need it, don't buy it. My parents wanted me to be resourceful and also wise about my spending habits. I didn't have the newest phone and I didn't buy the most expensive things on the shelves. Sure, an avid baker like me would have loved to have all of the cute Williams Sonoma spatulas and stuff, but the ones we had at home worked perfectly fine and weren't needing to be replaced.
4) P.O.M.B. meals are perfectly acceptable and the most delicious
My mom is an accountant, and a term they use to mark down calculations for balancing accounts is P.O.M.B., which stands for "Pulled it Out of My Butt". She's since incorporated it into our every day vernacular and we usually use it when referring to meals we've made without a recipe, using whatever we've got in the kitchen. Sometimes, letting those creative juices work their magic while you cook gives you the best-tasting food ever.
5) Keep your receipts
Keep them for tax purposes. That said, also keep copies of your bank and credit card statements so you can refer back to them and double-check for fraudulent purchases. Keep them organized into envelopes by month and year. It definitely helps when you need to find that one specific receipt from 5 months ago that you need.
6) Follow the 5 minute rule
Unfortunately, I'm notoriously awful at following this lesson. In our house, the five-minute rule applies to cleaning. The basic rule is to just take five minutes each day and clean up a bit of the mess. It definitely helps keep the messes to a minimum, and helps with organization too!
7) Use a spreadsheet
Honestly, these are so, so helpful. My mom uses them for her address book, a prepared shopping list, taxes, expense records, packing lists for trips, and so much more. I made my first ~adult~ spreadsheet to list out what my favorite skincare and cosmetics products are and where I bought them so I could reference it whenever I needed to replace them. It has saved me so much time shopping for them online and in-person.
8) Try new things
My dad and I are definitely the adventurous eaters in the family, and we're both down to try anything once. My dad wanted me to make sure I brought the idea of "try anything once" to other areas in my life. He stressed that it would help me better understand the world around me and understand other people better.
