‘What’s something your parents told you when you were younger that you brushed off as nonsense?’ – 19 ways your folks were 100% correct

The arrogance of youth, eh? We’ve all been there, thinking we know best despite our incredibly limited life experience, and we all realise our folly when we get older.

Over on the AskUK subreddit, PaddedValls posted their thoughts on the matter…

‘What’s something your parents tried to tell you when you were younger, that you brushed off as nonsense, but they were totally right about?

‘My Dad used to tell me all the time that the nights out with friends, staying up late and easily working with a hangover would all die out and life would become much slower and boring. At the time (late teens) I just thought that that’s what happened to him and wouldn’t happen to me.

‘Well here I am, 36 years old, more excited about a quiet weekend of rest and the thought of a night out has me exhausted before it’s even begun.’

Yep, we’re all well acquainted with that scenario. And lots of other people chimed in with the ways they’d come to revere the wisdom of their elders, like these…

1.

‘When my mum used to tell me my skirt was too short and I used to hitch it up so it was barely an inch or two peaking out… now I cringe seeing the teenagers walk to school and realise all along, my mum was right

2.

‘Planning holidays meticulously. It always infuriated me that they would spend so long on the nitty gritty like whether there would be enough wardrobe space in the hotel for all the luggage, the location of the rear seat air vent in the rental car or which three restaurants would be the best to go to on the fourth night.

‘Turns out doing that actually makes a holiday way more seamless and you can focus on actually enjoying the holiday totally stress free.’
–Key_Cell7071

3.

‘I used to show my Mam pictures in magazines of my celebrity crushes and be like “Isn’t he gorgeous?!”

‘She’d reply “Eeeeh….I don’t know. All kids (including early 20s) look the same when you’re older.” Used to think this was ridiculous. People have faces! They are individuals!

‘Aye, she was totally right.’
–Sad-Insurance1313

4.

‘That time accelerates as you get older. I used to think this was nonsense, however it seems like Christmas was last month, not in just over 3 months time!’
–CD696969X

5.

‘When my Mum and Dad had no clue about what songs were in the charts and who the artists were, and I thought ‘I’ll never be like that’. Well, here I am!’
–DifficultCraft2104

6.

‘Not finishing a book due to being too busy or not remembering things. When I was younger and very bookish, I’d think wow there’s no way I’d never finish a book as I’d just find time somehow. And now I have tons of books I want to read but haven’t.’
–bookbookgo

7.

‘Don’t pick your scabs. It makes them worse.’
–DrMacAndDog

8.

‘Every time I done something stupid and hurt myself like falling out of a tree, my nan will tell me I would feel that when I get older. How right she was.’
–LifeMasterpiece6475

9.

”These are the best days of your life, but you won’t appreciate it until you’re older.’

‘This was as a teenager in high school and he was right. I hated school but looking back now it was a piece of piss and my life was so carefree and fun.’
–chadgalaxy

10.

‘My parents never used to tell me stuff like that or offer advice, etc. My mum did pass on all her weird superstitions though, just incase I walked under a ladder, or put an umbrella up inside the house and killed us all.’
–Anna-Bombination

11.

‘To live within my means. Always ‘yeah Dad, yeah yeah yeah’ but now I swear by it and I see lots of people (through my work) who earn an obscene amount of money, but live wayyyy out of their means, and they have fuck all left at the end of each month.

‘Now in my life, payrise? Save the raise, you weren’t spending it before, don’t need to spend it now. Bonus at work? Don’t spend it all away, why not spend 25% and save 75%?

‘Something so small but honestly makes such a difference. I’m 32 and have zero debt, thanks Dad.’
–sotd1999

12.

‘That I should sit/stand up straight. My posture is shite now and I regret not listening.’
–beatski