Compiled by Ameera Steward
Our parents are our first teachers. We asked Birmingham-area residents, What’s the most important lesson you learned from your mother or father?
Cynthia Copeland: “The most important thing that I learned from my mother is always be honest with people…honesty is the best policy and always treat people how you want to be treated…because I find even though… it’s hard to be honest sometimes but it’s the best policy …to me that’s just God’s way of being honest and…your life will be so much better. You’ll be more at peace with yourself when you’re honest.”
Nathan Dawkins: “My mother taught me that no matter what I’m doing it’s important to take time to appreciate the people and the things around me…it’s so easy to get caught up in life being busy and making sure to take time really shows you what you can enjoy about what’s around you…for me it’s intentionally carving out time in my day to spend with my wife or my cats or play a board game, stuff like that…that I enjoy.”
Aubrey Pickett: “The most important thing I learned from my mom was to always question things, don’t accept anything at face value, to stand by what I believe in and to not be afraid to say ‘no’ or make myself known to people. I think it’s important for anyone, any young person really but especially as a woman of color it’s important to not be afraid to assert myself in front of other people.”
Morgan Lakey: “The most important thing that I learned from my mother and father is how to communicate. Being an only child… they really emphasized in raising me was making sure that I knew how to talk to them about serious topics and that’s something that’s carried over into my personal life and in the workplace as well, being able to talk through issues. I feel like a lot of people would be better served if they were better communicators and could maybe set back a little more easily and articulate their thoughts in a way that is respectful but also that gets their point across in an effective manner.”
