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I follow them on FB and one that kid was incredible, his mom did/does something right with the way he was raised, the fact people called her lazy is just ridiculous, they don't know the situation so why be so quick to judge.

My parents did a pretty good job although my mom's biggest regret was not teaching us how to cook better, I was CLUELESS when I moved out on my own, I ate a lot of pizza, salads, and pasta. She said she wish she would have taught us the basics, so when my DDs get older I'm going to for sure have them help out more in the kitchen. Otherwise I worked, I did chores, I had to balance my money and that came straight from them teaching me responsibility!

Yes for both DH and I. I think that sometimes being the child of a single parent will prep you for adulthood, sometimes faster than you want to be prepped. I was the oldest and my sister a year younger, so we handled a lot of household duties, especially when my Mom had to work 2 jobs. We did drop-off and pick-up for our younger brothers, cooked dinner, cleaned the apartment, laundry, etc.

I would have liked to have been more educated about finances, but other than that I felt like an adult long before I actually was.

I think my parents did a good job. Paired with my naturally independent personality I think k my parents struck the exact right balance of giving me things and making me work for them. I also have a great deal of gratitude instilled in me that I feel I owe to them. I don't think they pushed me hard enough in school but it worked out and I'm where I'm supposed to be in life right now and I think it's because they kept me well grounded.

DH'S parents dropped the ball and while DH has overcome a lot, I still sometimes feel like I live with a selfish short sighted baby that needs a lot of care because he is just too lazy to use his brain. That sounds really mean, those are just things I blame his parents for. He had to drop out of school and his mom said that when she tried to homeschool him she "couldn't get him to do anything." He's never haf to do a chore a day in his life and his parents have always handed him everything. That being said, he is WAY more responsible that his parents and his older brother. He makes better financial decisions and though he stresses me out sometimes, he doesn't make rash decisons that will affect us negativelY where as his dad continues to make rash decisions. I guess he's overcome a lot and is doing really well despite them dropping the ball.

My parents did an okay job. I'd give them a B-.

Nope. I love my parents and they nurtured my creativity but they are very irresponsible people. They still don't have their own shit together so preparing us for adulthood would have been surprising.

Me: I think my parents did a great job. I'd give them an A- because there were obviously things that I think they could have done differently. They made me a saver and a planner and I've been more responsible than most people my age for a loooooong time.

Husband: I, obviously, think they did a good job preparing him to be an adult. He's very responsible (now), a saver like me, courteous to others. There are definitely things his parents did wrong, though, too.

Overall, though, I would say both our sets of parents did a great job of preparing us for adulthood!

I'd say my parents raised me well. I was taught to be really independent early on by doing chores around the house and helping with cooking dinners. I wouldn't have learned it otherwise. My mom also suggested that I volunteer at the hospital in HS and I chose the pediatrics ward. Loved it. My mom was big on volunteering for as long as I can remember. They always told me and my sibs to not worry about working and to do well in school so we can find a good career to support ourselves when we got older. We were fortunate enough to not have to worry about money. But that didn't stop me from finding summer internships or internships while going to school. Although, my mom said maybe she taught me too well b/c I do too much for myself and others and am just way too independent. I don't think that's a bad thing because I am happy to do it. It's one thing if I felt forced into it, but I wasn't. I feel it gave me the strength to be brave and tough when I needed to be as an adult.

I think my parents and DHs parents raised us well. They all raised us to work hard, we both had to do a lot of chores around the house, study hard, etc.

His parents pushed more studying and less housework. My parents pushed more housework and kind of just expected me to do well at school without a lot of support (I did fine, but I lacked focus). No one is perfect, but I think all of our parents rank pretty high up there in how well they prepared us for real life.

For the record, I think it's bad parenting to *not* give your children chores. Children aren't mini slaves, but they are family members and should contribute to running the family and all that entails.

I have been following this story intensely, and love it so much. Teared up a couple times. Just so incredible and heartwarming. I was surprised (but then surprised that I was even surprised) that people were so quick to judge his mom, and jumped down her throat because he helps around the house. She is a single mom doing the best she can with very little resources, and in this case... it's obvious she played a strong role in shaping her son!

I think overall they did a good job. I was really pushed to be independent and self-sufficient. I was encouraged to try a lot of different activities and given a lot of resources to succeed. I learned to help out around the house early - clean my room, cook my own food, etc. I was taught to take ownership of my mistakes, and they let me fail and fall when I needed to. They gave me a lot of praise and encouragement. They asked me about my dreams, and what I wanted to be when I grew up... They never pushed their agenda or hopes on me. I very much felt loved and accepted for who I was/am and was allowed to make my own choices and do with my life what I wanted. There was a lot of autonomy! The bad thing is, my mom was very very permissive. That has its own dangers. And while my mom let me be independent and do my own thing, that can come off as not caring. She's not exactly the nurturing type.

DH was raised by the most loving, gentle, kind parents you could ever ask for. My in-laws are just so kind and sacrificial. The main downfall I see is that him and his sisters never had to do anything for themselves because his mom cooked, cleaned, picked up after them... even to this day, the moment DH gets sick she'll make him a big batch of homemade chicken soup, or if his sister has work she'll wake up extra early to make her a really hearty breakfast. She's just one of those super nurturing, loving mom's. His dad worked long and hard hours, and is a man of few words... but it was all done for the sake of his family, and they all know that.

Overall, I would say I was prepared bc I was pushed to be very independent and self-motivated. And I would say DH was prepared bc his parents have such amazing character and heart that his whole family is just made up of incredibly sweet, selfless, committed people with strong work ethics.

@Mrs. High Heels: your in-laws sound just like mine! They are the most sacrificial people you've ever met--they would never have something nice for themselves if they could give something nice to a family member instead. But they are also very modest, so they didn't spoil DH or his sister at all! Tough line to walk.

That's a really hard question! My parents did an amazing job in so many ways & I truly believe they made the best choices they could for us at the time. I wish they had stressed planning for the future better, that they had kept me a bit more grounded. My older brother is very disciplined & driven, I think they thought they could do what they'd been doing & have similar results, but I am very much a stereotypical baby of the family, I'm a bit of a wanderer, I lack focus & have trouble staying motivated, I can be impulsive & don't always plan well enough for the future. Things I wish they'd made me do: clean, organize my schoolwork & have better study habits, prioritize financial stability. It was stressed that I should do something that contributed to others, that made me feel good, but there was never any discussion about how much tuition would be at a school, what more earning potential could be in any profession, basically money wasn't talked about, ever. That said, they valued my individual spirit & allowed me to follow my own path & make mistakes, they've always accepted & respected me. I'd never trade my childhood for one where I was put into a box & told who & what to be, even if it meant I'd be better organized & driven.

Mr. Bird. Oh mr bird. His parents were very young & poor, they had just arrived in the US from Nigeria & didn't have a support system. I'm sure they tried, but they were so busy trying to learn how to survive here, they just didn't have much left to effectively parent with. He's working on overcoming all of their shortcomings & their lack of parenting (and life) skills have had a profound negative effect on him & his siblings. None have grown up to be successful, secure, healthy, independent adults.