Readers remember
Sayings from childhood that parents (hopefully) no longer say today
You can no longer hear a lot of wisdom from your parents or grandparents
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Everyone knows them: old-fashioned sayings – disguised as well-intentioned advice – from parents and grandparents that immediately transport you back to your own childhood. Our readers have compiled their “favorite” wisdoms that modern parents will hopefully save their offspring today.
There are certain sentences that you will never forget in life. Often times they come from loved ones in the family who just wanted to give you well-intentioned advice. But even as a child you could often only shake your head at grandpa’s or mum’s wisdom.
After an initial collection of sayings in the editorial office, our readers also diligently collected wisdom and advice from their childhood, adding, ahem, true educational treasures to the collection.
Three categories full of wisdom
As a rule, the collected wisdom can be divided into three categories:
Belong to the first category awkward attempts at encouragement, how:
“Everything will be fine by the time you get married.”
“Other mothers have beautiful sons too!”
In acutely painful or lovesick moments, that wasn’t really comforting, sorry. But at least parents and grandparents tried.
Perhaps they have simply saved all their experiences and collected wisdom for the second, inflationary category. You guessed it: It’s about well-intentioned advice and wisdom for everyday use:
“That didn’t hurt us in the past either.”
“Life is not easy at the bottom.”
“You can not teach old dogs new tricks.”
Also very popular in this context: health tips!
“Don’t swallow the seeds or a tree will grow in your stomach.”
“If you squint, your eyes will stay that way forever!”
The last saying was often supplemented with eventualities such as a gust of wind or a clock that strikes twelve – you had to be creative!
And then there are sayings that no longer seem to fit into our times:
“A clever housewife does not take a step in vain.”
Do you just hear a feminist screaming?
“If you can celebrate, you can also work.”
Not a good saying for the generation affected by corona: For a celebration we would probably go to work very willingly at the moment …
And last there is there the hard gunswhich were only opened in special cases:
“I’m not mad, I’m disappointed.”
This sentence is probably one of the most painful things you could hear as a child. What screams or tantrums would not have given in these situations, because disappointment outweighs anger.
We rolled our eyes regularly
With the following sentences, on the other hand, you rolled your eyes because you heard them so regularly:
“Just wait until you have children of your own.”
“You’re going to put me in the grave!”
“Children, who want something, get angry!”
“I count to three…”
The latter of course never worked – even if the parents hopefully introduced the intermediate steps two and a half and two and three quarters during the subsequent counting.
As much as these sayings may have been annoying in the past: in the end they will always remain a memory of childhood days. And we all know for sure: Parents and grandparents only meant well – and are just as surprised about the things that parents are giving their children on the way today.
This article originally appeared on stern.de.