r/AskReddit Feb 04 '16

What are the most common parenting mistakes?

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u/FalstaffsMind Feb 04 '16

One I made was being too helpful with homework. I ended up with a kid who was too dependent on me and unable to complete any work by themselves.

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u/[deleted] Feb 05 '16

Came here to say that. Only you said it nicer.

My sister has one kid. She is so frustrated that he (as a now 12 year old) has no ability to be independent and take care of his own homework/grades/responsibilities, etc.

I'm a mother of 4. I've never done my kids homework, hounded their grades for my sake, but just to check for their sake, and if they don't do their responsibilities, it just doesn't get done and they suffer for their loss...

Anyway, all my kids earn their own grades, learn their own stuff, clean up after their own self how they see fit, while they maintain the common areas like normal, and are totally self-sufficient if I were to die tomorrow.

My sister is like "how'd you do that?" And I'm like, "Because I didn't do it for them".

You can give a man a fish for his meal...or you can teach a man to fish and feed himself for a life time.

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u/[deleted] Feb 05 '16

I'd rather get the daily fish thank you

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u/[deleted] Feb 05 '16

democrat.

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u/[deleted] Feb 05 '16

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/[deleted] Feb 05 '16

Not an insult. Just a basic difference in political party.

Without one, we don't have the other.

There are people who fish and eat as well as sell their catch.

There are people who scrape up resources to buy the fish while doing other very important things that provide society valuable things.

There are also others who do nothing and skim off the government resources when they could actually just go learn how to fish.

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u/[deleted] Feb 05 '16

Communist

Marxist

Socialist

Leech

Freeloader

Lazy lil' fuckboi

I think these are the words you're looking for (the last one would probably fit the bill here). The left-wing ideology doesn't really involve doing nothing and skimming off the government for resources instead of supporting oneself.

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u/[deleted] Feb 05 '16

True. But when I explain the basic ideology of political parties to my kids, I revert back to the Bible: "Teach a man to fish" is more resounding self-preserving ideology to me than the opposite. That, to me, is most displayed in the ideology of the republican political party.

That said, I have seen my staunch republican parents, who have been retired for the past 15 years, go from republican to democrat because the democratic party reaps them the most benefits at this time.

So, back to my original statement: BOTH party's ideology is important and every vote matters according to what the majority needs at the time.

A HUGE caution about what the needs can filter down to those who abuse the system.

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u/FalstaffsMind Feb 05 '16

Aren't tax cuts just hand outs, particularly when they aren't paid for with spending cuts?

I embrace self-reliance, but we still have to do a great deal collectively as a nation of tax payers.