• Don't come looking for help unless you've tried to solve the problem yourself
  
• If looking for a helping hand, look no further than the end of your arm
  
• Independence and self-reliance
  
• Live up to your commitments and responsibilities

quote:

ORIGINAL: chamberqueen

I hesitated before I opened this thread, afraid I would see lots of mushy stuff that would make me feel like the only person with a bad father.  Instead, I feel more at home than ever.  : )

Probably the most valuable lesson I learned from him, through example, is that you cannot change a person.  What may be something very small for one person may be a huge sacrifice for another, so judge the action based on what they are capable of.  (This has helped me to become a better Domme.)  I also learned that if you act with enough confidence and authority that you can pass yourself off as something you are not.  You need to do your research, and approach the situation intelligently, but this has worked well for me when I have been with family members in hospitals and have been mistaken for a nurse because I knew the right key phrases - and the family members received better treatment. 

From my grandpa I learned to tell time, to see things in perspective (I remember him having me cover the moon with my thumb), to take the time to appreciate nature no matter how busy you are, to read and improve your vocabulary, to not make a fool of yourself by talking on a subject you know nothing about but to sit and listen, and to take care of loved ones even when it is difficult.  He taught me through example how to tell stories to children, to make a visitor welcome, and to see humor in a situation.  He taught me manners and when to disregard them (very rare cases). 

The first time I talked with my stepfather he told me that he loved me because he loved my mother, and because I was part of her there was no way he couldn't love me.  I learned from him that men can also be in an abusive marriage.  He told me that if I never learned anything else from him that I should never, ever allow myself to work at a job that I hate because it wastes your life.  He taught me that even though the people in your life that "should" love you don't act like it (mother, father, husband, etc.) that an outsider can; it doesn't mean that you are unlovable but that those people are dealing with their own issues.