5 Rules We Learned As Kids That We Should Still Follow Today
When we were kids, things were laid out for us pretty clearly. We were taught to respect others and their property, to not say anything unkind, and to treat others how we want to be treated. But for some reasons, some of these ideas haven’t quite carried over into many of our adult lives. Granted, adulthood is much more complicated than being in a classroom, and these “rules” will take on different meaning when applied to adulthood, but for old time’s sake, five school rules we should still follow.
1. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
Or, in adulthood terms: if there is something “not nice” that is important you say, be tactful, tasteful and respectful in the way you communicate. It’s not to say that we always have to be sugar-coating and complimenting, but rather, just communicating with respect.
2. Treat others as you want to be treated.
Self explanatory. Learn to evaluate the way that you treat others and compare it to how you want to be treated, or how you are or aren’t already.
3. Keep your hands and feet to yourself.
Do you remember when we were in grade school and our fidgety little young selves would always be touching and kicking and otherwise invading people’s personal space? Well, we weren’t all like that, but the kids that were were told over and over again: keep your hands and feet to yourself. I can’t help but wonder, where did that get lost along the lines of puberty? Why didn’t the concept stick? Because in my opinion, it’s one of the pillars of respecting others and it applies to a variety of current issues like rape, assault and other kinds of physical violence.
4. You get what you get and you don’t get upset.
Granted, in adulthood, things are a bit more complicated than getting a cupcake you don’t like on someone’s birthday. But really, when life hands you less-than-desirable circumstances, you do have a choice of whether or not to, literally, get upset, or accept it and move forward and work toward a different reality.
5. There are no stupid questions.
We just doubt ourselves too often. Understandably so: people are harsh and judgmental, and we’ve been conditioned to know we’ll be ridiculed for asking a question that may be obvious to someone else. But it shouldn’t ever stop us from asking. If something doesn’t make sense for you, it’s a valid question. Much like if you have a feeling and somebody tries to belittle you for it, it is valid just because you have it.