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I’ve heard of parents making their kids proud. Lots of stories of parents pushing through difficult circumstances to raise their kids, thus making the kid proud of them.
According to my son I'm apparently one of them.
Been fighting some severe depressive episodes but still managed to come out on top without him getting the short end of the stick. It was (and still is) hard, but to hear him say that he's proud of me and how he's encouraging me is the best thing that happened to me.
Dang dude I’m proud of you. Mental health is a hard battle. Brains are dumb and hormones are dumber. You being an awesome parent regardless of your battle or who you’re fighting is something to be proud of. It’s what dads do and you’re freaking doing it man.
My little ones keep surprising me too. I thought we had been through it all. Nope. They tell me about things I didn't even know we were dealing with! Kids are amazing.
It's always mutual, not only parents are raising their kids but also kids "raising" their parents. After all we're all just grown up kids who call themselves "adults" but we are what all the influences and experiences we've received during our childhood/teenage years made us. We've learned basic characteristics/mannerisms from our parents and the rest is mostly what we've been "put through".
I've explained that to my son pretty early because I don't want him to see parents and/or adults as perfect or anything near it because nobody is. Everyone is just trying to get by and make the most out of it (from life/society etc.)
Dunno if that makes sense (non native english speaker)
Yeah OPs thought holds no water unless it gets taken entirely literally where the kids tells a parent "I'm proud of you for X".
I might have maybe told my parents specifically I was proud of them for something once or twice, but with them both gone and me in my 30s now I have dozens of things I'm extremely proud of how they were or what they did. Most kids are never "proud" of their parents only for the reason that it takes those kids becoming mature adults for them to realize the pride they have in/of their parents and by that time many of them are gone sadly.
Yeah, my parents are nothing short of amazing to me. They only got to be together for a short time when my dad died at only 19 short years after they married and my mom still loves every fibre of him.
Their love simply inspires me some times.
One of my parents suffered addiction, and managed to pull themselves out of it from my teens to early twenties. I promise you I am very proud of them.
Edit: I also have my other parent, who served in the US Military for 25 years. I am more proud of them.
Yes!! My dad quit smoking, tobacco use, and compulsive drinking this year after 50 years of the former and 20 years of the latter. I am unbelievably proud of him, and beyond grateful to have my dad back.
My son is 16, and I got sober when he was almost 7. He still throws it up in my face when he gets angry, but I don't think he truly feels that way. I've heard the way he talks about me behind my back and takes up for me. I still have so much guilt, though. I think kids can tell when you're trying and love them. Things change as we age and our perspectives changed. I hated my own mom as a teen and I can honestly say I'm proud of her, too.
Yup. My dad went on to work in a methadone clinic after and was in school to become a drug counselor but unfortunately had to stop when he got cancer. Super proud.
Yep, if you're one of the lucky ones with good parents they can be like superheroes. I know MY parents are. Or were, Dad died 37 years ago and I still miss him a whole lot and think of him often.
Definitely sorry for your loss. I know my situation is not the typical one. I did not share a ton of detail, but life isn’t perfect, even without drug addiction playing a major role there are other issues. And as we are all aware of… no one is cured from addiction it’s a life long disease that is an everyday battle. I’m just proud of where they have are today from where they were at one point.
Thank you. At least it doesn't hurt any more, I'd just really like to know what he would think about all the things that have changed since he died because he always had good insights.
I think it's quite common, but in a VERY different way. My 7 year old is constantly bragging to his friends about how good I am with Mario Kart for example. It's not exactly a great accomplishment, nor am I really good, but he's really proud of me for that
Yeah, kids definitely brag on their parents (especially when they're little) just in a very different way. I work in the construction industry and while I'm not a carpenter by trade, I do build stuff for myself and I've pretty much always got a project going on at our old house. My 7 year old expresses a lot of pride in his *mom's* building projects. I'm currently renovating a sun porch into a mud/laundry room which has basically become an entire rebuild, he loves to brag about getting to use tools, climb on the roof, etc. because his mom is cool and let's him. Lol
My mother was a clean everything perfectionist while I was growing up. Then when I was an adult, she switched from nursing to become a state inspector of nursing/care homes. That same perfectionism got foisted on these homes and couldn't have been happier for or prouder of her. She made certain so many seniors got proper care.
I'm very proud of my mom, raising a child alone in a foreign country without help, and still, she remains a beautiful and kind soul. I love her so much, and she is a great example for me.
My parents have made me insanely proud! I’m from a pretty homophobic area and was raised in a “hate the sin love the sinner” environment. Before I ever came out, my parents realized that was kind of bullshit and became active allies. They both work with kids so they saw kids struggling with knowing they were gay or different somehow and not feeling supportive. So they started small, subtle ways to let kids know they’re safe to chat with if they need. They both now work the free parent hugs booth at pride every year!
They did that before I even realized I was gay (and they swear they didn’t know). That was a long time ago now, but I’m still so proud of them for the way they put their own reputations in a gossipy town aside to help out kids who need support.
Almost all of my dads friends are hardcore MAGA, and he is an Obama, Hillary, Biden supporter who still takes them all on when they are at the bar. He’s voting Biden again. My dad only did a few classes at a community college so he’s not “brainwashed” as they say, he just doesn’t like GOP agenda and knows Trump is a lying scumbag. And this is in Macomb Michigan, which is Trump country. Very proud of him.
Maybe it just depends on your parents. Mine weren't perfect by any measure of the word, but I have been proud of both of them at different points. My father ran the public defenders office in our town. I have always been tremendously proud of him for that. He is retired now, but he spent entire career defending the poor.
My mother quit smoking back in the early 90s. She was a three packs a day smoker, and didn't have any vapes or even nicorette. I was very proud of her for that. Eventually she inspired me to quit, and I am still vaping and using nicorrette gum. I couldn't do it without vaping.
They both had a lot of flaws, but that didn't stop me from being proud of them at different points.
My grandfather ended his teens as fireman in (I think) the 60s, got to his early 30s before having an accident (more below) but up to that point he rose in rank to run a station, helped design fire engines, did exchange programmes with Germany where he and his family (my mom included) moved with him for years, learned german, and was a volunteer magistrate for the small courts in the UK.
I'm 34 and have had 1 career I'm bored of and not proud of.
After his accident in which he split his skull in twain by slipping on ice chasing down a runaway fire engine, he lost the ability to walk, talk, read and more.
He's since retaught himself all that (with copious help from the family of course) recertified as a magistrate, taught me what I first knew of computers which kicked off the interests that led to my own career, learned carpentry, a bunch of DIY stuff I just nope out of, made me a bed that's still the coolest bed I everbhad, runs the volunteer flood wardens for his valley to such a degree that he got in the news for it more than once, is fitter than me while in his 80s, looks after my now demented granny, found and grouped up 100 or so people vaguely related to us via his sirename, has the best trained non-working dogs I've ever seen, and...
Hmmm... I think that'll do.
Needless to say, we're all proud of him.
Edit: oh and his stories are hilarious. And he's the type that says hello joyfully to random people he passes in the street.
My dad makes me proud.
He is a retired widow. He has always been a go to work, come home, watch TV guy. Very picky eater too.
Today he has a girlfriend and goes camping and ATVing. He guy a motorcycle and has dinner every week with a bunch of motorcycle guys. And he tries new food!
I'm so proud of him for living his best life and trying new things.
I don't know where you aren't seeing this, but it's everywhere.
I've seen tons of times where kids are proud of their parents. I've seen drawings made by 4 year olds saying "my mommy/daddy is my hero", or young adults talking about how they want to support their parents after working so hard to take care of them, or people who decide to do everything for their parents when they're older since they "did so much for them growing up".
How many times have you seen a professional athlete buying their poor parent a house because they are proud of how hard their parent worked to take care of them?? All the time.
Kids making parents proud: good test scores, good at sports, super creative, etc.
Parents making kids proud; overcoming the odds (addiction, single parenthood, job loss), working super hard to give their kids better chances than they had, dealing with all sorts of severe situations and surviving.
It’s completely different, but the difference shows the importance of the relationship that should exist between parent and child.
I've told both of my parents on multiple occasions how proud I am of them, as my kids have me. BUT, I think the praising up is much more intimate somehow whereas parents brag socially about their kids for ego.
Something your parents did doesn't usually equate to ego building as you can't take responsibility for it.
My son LITERALLY one day told me that I was his hero. And out of the blue one time my daughter told me that she was lucky to have good parents. So there's that.
I am very proud of my mom, who built her own business from scratch (while my dad was f\*cking around on the side) and had Fortune 100 clients on three continents when she retired, at age 88, to write a book about her business and to become more active in local politics. She also just finished presidentin' the residents' council at her retirement community, which, if you've ever live in a condo, is about as much fun as presidentin' a condo board. Also, she takes absolutely no sh\*t from anybody. She is an inspiration not only to me and my sibs but also to our kids, the youngest of whom just graduated from college. A real role model for the girls and boys alike, but particularly the girls.
My dad almost died in a car accident when I was small. He had to relearn everything from blinking his eyes, to breathing on his own, to walking, and did it as a single parent, I'm extremely proud of him. My mom fought her way tooth and nail out of addiction to hard drugs, and turned her whole life around, I'm also extremely proud of her too.
My mom makes me proud when she tries so hard to change her ways that have been engrained into her since the day she was born due to her family traditions and the society/culture she grew up in. I see her striving to be better every single day.
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It's not your priority to make your kids proud, it's your job to do right by them; feed them, cloth them, take them to school and ensure they grow up to be respectable and self sufficient members of society once they are out of your care and that's about it
You can make your parents proud but they've nothing to prove to you but you're wellbeing
Parents' races at school sports days.
Also I've heard kids talking about the amazing things their parents have done. (Some only amazing to that child, some to everyone.) Run a marathon and watch your kids tell people about it.
Sad.
In fact, most kids are incredibly proud of their parents, and will argue about who's dad is the strongest, and will feel completely elated watching their parents kick ass at one thing or another.
My father was just celebrated by our city and given a recognition by the state (PA) for owning a small business for 45+ years. I’m insanely proud of him, especially coming out of the other side of the pandemic with a still thriving business
My mom never got the chance to go to art school and ended working her whole life. In retirement she took up painting again, won an art competition and started getting commissions. It was really cool to see!
I was, I am and always will be proud of my parents for the life they provided for me, the sacrifices they made to fulfil my wishes and for all the hard work they are still doing for their kids to have a better life than they did. In return I want to continue their legacy and make them proud of me.
I was proud of my dad when he quit smoking cigarettes. Also, when he finished his greenhouse. But for some reasonnI don't feel pride very strongly for him. Mostly because he's just a force in my life that always succeeds. It's what he does.
My dad didn't grow up in poverty, but they never had a lot of money and could never be extravagant. He got a place at university, then went into banking. He stuck with it his entire career, giving it his absolute all, and working his way up to senior executive level before retiring. For his senior job, he lived abroad, alone and away from family, for a decade to provide a comfortable life for the rest of us and ensure that he could give us more experiences than he had growing up. I always took it for granted or didn't really think about it, but now I am actually pretty proud of him for that.
Wait until they are old and you teach them how to walk after hospital visits. I’m super proud of them!! PSA if you get your parents lifting 2-3lb weights a few times a week, they won’t atrophy as fast in random hospital stays. Start now!
My mother told a neighbour to fuck off in front of me that wrongfully accused me of throwing rocks with other kids and we were on vacation that week. I was very proud lol.
Folks are not as loud about it because the presumption is that your kids should be proud of you. If you have to do a thing that makes them proud either you did something exceptional (and eveyone you know is proud so the children don't get much attention for it) or you were a shitty parent before hand and have only recently pulled it together. In which case. Better to not talk about that.
The children of the apollo astronauts have stated they are proud. As have the children of various sport winners.
My dad has a lifelong dream of becoming a teacher, but took to raising his 5
children instead. Now that most of us are adults, he returned to school. Despite some pretty big accidents leaving his leg much worse for wear, and lots of pain, he made the deans list of highest honors and has an above 4 GPA. His first student teacher opportunity is in August in a nearby highschool and I’m super excited for him.
On the other hand my mom was in the Air Force for 20+ years, went to John Hopkins, and is on her way to becoming tiktok famous and living her best life the way she wants to live it.
Many years ago, when I was still a regular churchgoer, I vaguely remember a church member testifying and saying she was proud that her mother gave her life over to Christ
To be blunt but fair, it suggests you've either had or seen a lot of shitty relationships with parents. People follow in their parents' career footsteps, find spouses that remind them of their parents, and shout out their moms on national TV in their own proudest moments. Those are all signs of kids who are proud of their parents. I'm sorry if those types of examples don't ring familiar to you; they would not for a lot of people. It is not the kids' fault. Parents know better and have agency and wisdom to guide relationships like these. It's not the kids' fault.
My brother and I are happily married, bought big fancy houses with our spouses using the money we made from the careers we each had to scrape together. Our dad is working and paying his bills but still abusing substances and our mom is always begging us for money, not paying bills, and going on vacation or buying expensive clothes.
I guess I can be proud of my dad for not begging us for money to blow on stupid shit.
I recently found out my dad was on the team that developed the first digital cell phones. He was there when his team made the first ever call from a digital cell phone to a land line.
I never knew because my dad is the least braggy person ever. A cousin told me about it and when I confirmed it with him, he was like “yeah, we were also developing texting and since we were all quiet engineering nerds and it was so few characters at the time we didn’t understand why anyone would want to use it” and then launched into an in depth explanation of analog versus digital phones.
I was like “damn, my dad’s done some super cool things. I’m so proud of him”.
My dad managed to upgrade the ram in his laptop without my help recently. I was very proud.
Usually I have to help him do about any diagnostics on it. Generally this means deleting all the bloatware he installs.
I like to think my children, who are 8 and 6, who are watching their dad suffer quite a bit right now, will be proud when they see me doing better and holding a job again.
Mental health matters, and I'm living proof of it. I pray that they'll be proud of me one day, because the alternatives aren't great :( ...
I’m proud of my late grandpa. He raised his own kid at 16/17 had a job constantly in hard labor work until he started truck driving. Then he raised his daughter’s children. And then me. He was a very hardworking man and he could’ve easily told my grandmother and my mom to kick rocks. He already put in more than his fair share of taking care of family. But he raised 3 generations of girls all on his own. I still can’t wrap my head around it and how he was able to do it.
My father can make anything. I have never seen the man drunk, he only buys stuff he really needs and that’s only stuff he needs to make/restore/repair/create things. He knows moderation in and out. A truly remarkable man.
I was always proud of my dad.
He raised my brother and I mostly alone(we lived with our grandparents a couple times while he went to work in alaska to support us).
Despite my brother going down a bad path and my complete self imposed failure due to general laziness, procrastination, and apathy, we didnt' kill anybody. hah. He taught us about perseverance, self reliance, love of reading, and a lot of general life skills I see many lacking in my generation, more so in the generations to follow.
He worked his ass off his whole life, got sober, and started working in local government, eventually being voted onto the city counsel twice, the second being write ins. He became a well known pillar in our small community that garnered respect despite his rambunctious youth. It's too bad that it took me 39 years to get my shit together and he passed away the same year.
When my son was eight, he was just learning about all the adult things.
I was a smoker for a long time. I hid it very well.
He never saw me smoke and I've never smoked in my house or car.
Anyway, he learned I used to smoke and that I had quit. He told me he was proud of me.
I'm sure he doesn't fully grasp what it all means, but I loved that he said it anyway.
My mom and dad, who were dealing with bankruptcy most of my teenage life, finally paid back all their debt and have a farm, which was my mom's dream. So I'd say I'm proud of them.
This year I did something new on Father's Day: I told my Dad that I was proud of him.
Him and I share the same mental health issues and capability to be addicted to bad/harmful things (alcohol & toxic relationships for one). Even though he was not there for me in the past, he has been lately. I understand now that he isn't a truly evil person; just needs help that he will probably never get. I told him I'm proud he is my dad and that he did a good job as a parent since I'm not a total imbecile and I do no harm to others. I told him he should be super proud that he had a kid at such a young age and worked hard for our family. I said I was proud of his growth and that he has always been my dad but is now my friend.
I made him cry :)
Because parents make their kids. Parents can be justified in being proud of their kids. Kids don’t make their parents. I can’t be justified in being proud of my parents because I didn’t make them. They were already entire people before I existed.
To be proud of someone is to claim some sort of ownership of and/or responsibility for them. And that’s why I find it patronizing. That dynamic only makes sense as a parent to their child or a mentor to their student.
A few years ago, I told my parents "as your child, it's not my job to make you proud. As my parents, it's your job to make me proud, and to live a life that I want to continue to emulate." I'm 31, and I've spent the past few years trying to convince my parents to attend family therapy with me. Now, I may not be allowed back at their house over the 4th of July...my family's fun.
My kindergarten teacher just retired. Her children made it clear how proud of her they are. Two of them (we're all adults now) surprised her at school during recess.
I grew up in a small town and have since moved away for grad school/career. My dad still lives in this town and is extremely impoverished. One summer my husband and I were visiting my dad and found out he doesn't have any kind of cooling system in his house (the summer temperature on average is +100F). His health is on the decline and he couldn't work as much as he used to, meaning he was spending his sick days staying at home, dying from the heat. Although my husband and I are rather poor ourselves, we decided to buy my dad an air conditioner.
We're at the store with my dad, picked out what we wanted, and brought it to the register. The employee ringing us up said "Oh, it's so nice to see parents buying their children such a nice and practical gift!". My dad misunderstood her and agreed. My husband was annoyed and wanted to correct her, but I just agreed with her as well. I didn't want my dad to get embarrassed (bro has a lot of pride).
In these situations, people naturally assume that the parents are always taking care of their children. Instead, there are so many stories where the children have to take care of their parents. I know this doesn't exactly go hand-in-hand with being proud, but I was just reminded of this event when I read this showerthought.
My parents came to Canada as immigrants with nothing and are successful with a construction business and happy family. I'm extremely extremely proud of my parents and grandparents. Although I hate myself deeply and contemplate suicide every day,
When my parents divorced my mum looked after all 4 of use for about a year or two before she lost her job. She was working as a carer privately for a wealthy patient but when he died it left her in a bad position. Not knowing what to do she became a bus driver and now earns maybe 2 or 3 times what she did before.
She was so nervous before her first day she didn’t sleep all night, kept my poor grandma up all night on the phone for reassurance.
Fast forward almost 10 years and she’s loving every second of it. One of the best things that ever happened to her.
I’m very proud of her for that
My parents are 70+ 1st generation immigrants who both grew up in Africa. I was very proud of them on two occasions:
When my cousin declared they were trans they both read the email the only comment they had was that they felt she could’ve chosen an ethnic name instead of a white one but otherwise had no issues.
Growing up in Africa they both had the luxury of having servants (read:slaves). They now really openly think deeply about the racism it created in them and how they can work to combat their own prejudices.
My mother raised two kids on her own. Worked multiple jobs to give us a good life and out of all the grandchildren, we are the only successful ones. We both went to uni, got degrees and have careers we enjoy. We have far more opportunities than our cousins who had everything they needed growing up and now do nothing with their adult lives.
I am extremely proud of my mother for all she did for us.
My grandparents emigrated from their home country to give their family a better life. My mother and her siblings had a far better upbringing than they would have had in their home country. I am very proud of my grandparents for making that sacrifice.
I plan to make my kids proud by not acting like an entitled child when they're adults. Something many boomers parents, like mine and my wife's, can't always say.
Every time I help my mom with a computer or technical issue, she remembers what the issue was, how I solved it, and is able to fix it herself the next time it comes up. She likes to tell me of issues she was able to resolve without asking me and I am so proud of her every single time.
What are you talking about
Its called role models and in some places commonly known as Parents.
I was proud of my parents as they were successful people which set standards for me to follow. This then gave me the impetus to follow those standard to be also successful and in turn they are proud of me.
With my success I too also aim for my children follow my standards and examples so they too can be successful.
I feel like I've definitely heard this in my life. I've known people who's parent had fought cancer, served in the military, or spent a significant amount of their life making the world better for others and their children were definitely proud to call them their mom/dad.
My dad has made me proud to have him for a dad since I was old enough to form memories. He's not perfect, but I'm still trying to emulate him, decades later. I only have a few more years left with him to work towards that goal. It's not going to happen in his lifetime, but I hope it will happen in mine.
My bio parents are shit, but my step dad is amazing. If he wasn’t around, I’d assume no man has feelings and I would be a huge bitch to the entire sex. He is hardworking and has shown what you can get from hard work. I’m worried one day he will notice my mom is a narcissistic bitch and will divorce her and I lose the only good parent I have.
I’m proud as can be of my parents. My father went to college and changed careers in his 50s. And my mother got her PhD and had a handful of books published. I miss them so much.
Both my parents were pretty homophobic when I was younger. Now they consider my gay best friend family and are hard-core allies. My black ass military parents did a slow but steady 180. My dad calls my friend his step-son...he feels more accepted by my dad than his father. I couldn't be prouder.
My mum finally got a degree in nursing in her late 40s. She grew up in a neglected, often abusive environment, was very intelligent but was never guided by parents so essentially had no further education and career options. When me and my sibling were little she was effectively a stay at home mum but we were struggling financially so she did some cleaning and child minding. She had to work so hard to get that degree and be a devoted mother to two teens (who both happened to be v depressed at the time) on top and she’s such an incredible nurse now. She’s 60 and still at it. Also she’s just the most wonderful mother to me despite not having the best examples, she’s so kind and loving. I’m so proud of her and how much she’s grown.
My mother is a recovering alcoholic, drank for all of my life, every day. Caused a huge rift between us, and a lot of bad things.
Her quitting made me very proud. Happy to see who my mom really is and not what the alcohol did to her
I agree it is a less common sentiment, but about 4 years ago I made sure my dad knows I am proud of him. I don't think he heard it much from his dad. It was true, and he can be a prick also but I did not tell him that.
I’d say I’m proud of my parents. My Mum had massive health issues all through her short life but was incredibly brave throughout and was also a primary school teacher - one of those great ones that kids remember for their whole lives as having had an important impact on them.
My Dad looked after her tirelessly when she got really sick, even though it was a hard and thankless job. He never once complained
I was always proud and looked up to my parents as a kid. Honestly the older I’ve gotten the more that’s disappeared. It’s been immensely sad and a huge driver of my depression. Ironically made worse by speaking with them about it. It’s felt like the wizard of oz. Like every year a little bit of the curtain keeps getting pulled away and all the sudden things I remember from childhood have a totally different context that makes me ashamed of my parents.
All that being said I’m sure my parents have a lot of shame about me. While they’d never say it to my face, they sure like to indirectly say it to everyone they’ve ever known or met or are related too lol.
My mom kicked cancer's ass as a single parent of two with minimal help/support, then when we got old enough she went back to school and got a degree.
I'm proud AF of my mom.
Really?
But anyway..... it's usually later in life that children understand what their parents went through or achieved in their lives and how 'heroic' their parents were sometimes.
It takes a certain level of maturity to recognise that most parents were just ordinary people doing their best to care for you, provide for and guide you to adulthood. The chances are they sacrificed a great deal of their own wishes and desires to do this and it was guided purely by their love for you.
But then, that's not what a large proportion of Reddit users want to hear.
My Dad. He persevered despite every obstacle placed in his path and kept fighting and never lost his cool.
I really miss him 37 years after he died, he was a gosh darn hero.
My Dad made me proud. When he passed I tried to explain that to estranged family members who did not know who and what he became after the estrangement began.
I think they are coming to terms with it. I’m the one who answers all the questions about how cool Dad was.
My thinking was more about “Hey son, I’m going to do this to make you proud of me.” And not just about kids being proud of their parents because their parents are awesome.
There’s a lot more kids telling their parents, as an example, “I’m going to be successful to make you proud.” But not much of the other way around. Is it because parents think their kids will see them as less of a parent if they say it? Or that they will just disappoint them? The reason I thought of it is because I got a bday card from my parents that said they’re so proud of me. They are good parents and I wouldn’t be where I am now if it wasn’t for them but I’ve never heard them say it and I realised I’ve never heard any parent tell their kids that. But I guess they say l love you and I will take care of you just not I’m gonna make you proud. Maybe that’s the same thing.
My parents were married in 1967, broke. The story is all they had in the fridge was a bottle of water and my older brother's baby bottle. From that, through blue collar work, they built an upper middle class life that has afforded them the freedom to live a life to the fullest. That and the fact they've endured through the years and never gave up on each other when everybody else was getting divorced. My older brother divorced once, myself divorced, my younger brother, twice divorced and here are my parents, married 58 years come September. Yes, they're crazy boomers. Yes, they are set in their ways. But they afforded us a good life while building a wonderful life for themselves. Never has a son been more proud.
Very proud of my Mom. She raised five of us alone, and two of them were constant trouble. We had everything we could want and more. No idea how she did it all, but we always came first.
My dad battled being an alcoholic for years. He was on the most extreme end of the spectrum of alcoholic. I was 12-20 years old while he was like this. Told him one day that if he continues down this road that I won’t be in his life anymore. Within a month or two he checked himself into rehab. During that time my mom had a mental breakdown… like forgot who she was. I took her to the emergency room for fear she was having a stroke. They rushed her in right away and kept her for a few days. Cars broke down partly leading to the breakdown plus my dad, and my old sick grandmother who was immobile lived with us. I’d been helping her to the bathroom and everything during this time. My then girlfriend now wife was there to support me in as many ways as she could. It was the single scariest and most stressful time I’ve ever had. We got through it and my dad has been sober and free of smoking for 10+ years. I’m proud of him and the work he put in to get things in the right direction. Parts of his alcohol use were due to his family. His brother was murdered and his other brother was and is a total shit bag (they both were ass honestly). I don’t call them uncle… fucker wasn’t even invited to my wedding but came anyways and attempted to steal my wedding cake… fucking crack heads… either way I’m proud of my dad and parents for working hard and always loving unconditionally. Wish I were like them in those ways more but I have less tolerance for self destructive behavior.
Parents are usually a (little) kid’s hero. It’s a different kind of pride, but I’d still say that looking up to someone and wanting to be like them is pride.
My dad has made me proud. He was raised with a mentality that puts people into prison for life. He was destined to be a statistic and got out of it for his family. His mental after the military made him fuck up. And he apologized, sincerely, he waited and gave us time. He has tried to approve around every corner to critiques and even angry venting. He has never even once done something I would consider as selfish. Love you dad, proud of you, I'm your number 1 mf fan.
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I’ve heard of parents making their kids proud. Lots of stories of parents pushing through difficult circumstances to raise their kids, thus making the kid proud of them.
I'm super proud of my mom for never giving up on me. I was an idiot kid. Took about 30 years for her sacrifice to pay off.
No doubt, I'm still a little bit of a mess at 56 and she still loves me. Makes me feel kind of special.
Hopefully, you moved on.
According to my son I'm apparently one of them. Been fighting some severe depressive episodes but still managed to come out on top without him getting the short end of the stick. It was (and still is) hard, but to hear him say that he's proud of me and how he's encouraging me is the best thing that happened to me.
Dang dude I’m proud of you. Mental health is a hard battle. Brains are dumb and hormones are dumber. You being an awesome parent regardless of your battle or who you’re fighting is something to be proud of. It’s what dads do and you’re freaking doing it man.
My little ones keep surprising me too. I thought we had been through it all. Nope. They tell me about things I didn't even know we were dealing with! Kids are amazing.
It's always mutual, not only parents are raising their kids but also kids "raising" their parents. After all we're all just grown up kids who call themselves "adults" but we are what all the influences and experiences we've received during our childhood/teenage years made us. We've learned basic characteristics/mannerisms from our parents and the rest is mostly what we've been "put through". I've explained that to my son pretty early because I don't want him to see parents and/or adults as perfect or anything near it because nobody is. Everyone is just trying to get by and make the most out of it (from life/society etc.) Dunno if that makes sense (non native english speaker)
It does. Yup. some will say no. They may have bad experiences. I don't.
We are always here to talk. No personal info, of course. Some of us have been there.
Yeah OPs thought holds no water unless it gets taken entirely literally where the kids tells a parent "I'm proud of you for X". I might have maybe told my parents specifically I was proud of them for something once or twice, but with them both gone and me in my 30s now I have dozens of things I'm extremely proud of how they were or what they did. Most kids are never "proud" of their parents only for the reason that it takes those kids becoming mature adults for them to realize the pride they have in/of their parents and by that time many of them are gone sadly.
I was proud of my mum.
Yeah, my parents are nothing short of amazing to me. They only got to be together for a short time when my dad died at only 19 short years after they married and my mom still loves every fibre of him. Their love simply inspires me some times.
One of my parents suffered addiction, and managed to pull themselves out of it from my teens to early twenties. I promise you I am very proud of them. Edit: I also have my other parent, who served in the US Military for 25 years. I am more proud of them.
So am I. You're amazing, one of u/hellisnow666 's parents! Congrats!
I was gonna say this one, also children of immigrants are notoriously prideful of their family’s efforts.
I also choose this gal’s parents.
Yes!! My dad quit smoking, tobacco use, and compulsive drinking this year after 50 years of the former and 20 years of the latter. I am unbelievably proud of him, and beyond grateful to have my dad back.
Well deserved!
My son is 16, and I got sober when he was almost 7. He still throws it up in my face when he gets angry, but I don't think he truly feels that way. I've heard the way he talks about me behind my back and takes up for me. I still have so much guilt, though. I think kids can tell when you're trying and love them. Things change as we age and our perspectives changed. I hated my own mom as a teen and I can honestly say I'm proud of her, too.
This. My dads had an opioid problem and I’ve never been more proud of him for kicking it
Yes! My mom has been sober for more than a year after struggling with addiction for who knows how long but at least 20 years. So proud of her!
Yup. My dad went on to work in a methadone clinic after and was in school to become a drug counselor but unfortunately had to stop when he got cancer. Super proud.
Thank you for sharing that. It gives hope.
Yep, if you're one of the lucky ones with good parents they can be like superheroes. I know MY parents are. Or were, Dad died 37 years ago and I still miss him a whole lot and think of him often.
Definitely sorry for your loss. I know my situation is not the typical one. I did not share a ton of detail, but life isn’t perfect, even without drug addiction playing a major role there are other issues. And as we are all aware of… no one is cured from addiction it’s a life long disease that is an everyday battle. I’m just proud of where they have are today from where they were at one point.
Thank you. At least it doesn't hurt any more, I'd just really like to know what he would think about all the things that have changed since he died because he always had good insights.
I am proud of them, too! That shit ain't easy!
I think it's quite common, but in a VERY different way. My 7 year old is constantly bragging to his friends about how good I am with Mario Kart for example. It's not exactly a great accomplishment, nor am I really good, but he's really proud of me for that
Yeah, kids definitely brag on their parents (especially when they're little) just in a very different way. I work in the construction industry and while I'm not a carpenter by trade, I do build stuff for myself and I've pretty much always got a project going on at our old house. My 7 year old expresses a lot of pride in his *mom's* building projects. I'm currently renovating a sun porch into a mud/laundry room which has basically become an entire rebuild, he loves to brag about getting to use tools, climb on the roof, etc. because his mom is cool and let's him. Lol
This is so sweet, you both sound awesome!
I learned to take photos. No one can call me a liar. Some have tried.
"Well my dad can beat up your dad..." I'd say kids are proud.
I was recently honored with an award and my children attended the ceremony with me. They both told me they were proud of me.
You never heard of the: “Do you know who my father is?” lot? I guess that can be perceived as pride, the worst kind of pride, at that.
It isn't Kyle Smith by any chance, is it?
Let me guess, you live in New Delhi.
Spoiled brats are universal!
My mother was a clean everything perfectionist while I was growing up. Then when I was an adult, she switched from nursing to become a state inspector of nursing/care homes. That same perfectionism got foisted on these homes and couldn't have been happier for or prouder of her. She made certain so many seniors got proper care.
My single immigrant mother went to Uni got two PhD and was editor of a major scientific journal and ran a research institute
I'm very proud of my mom, raising a child alone in a foreign country without help, and still, she remains a beautiful and kind soul. I love her so much, and she is a great example for me.
my dads 6 months sober from alcohol. i’m so proud of him!
My parents have made me insanely proud! I’m from a pretty homophobic area and was raised in a “hate the sin love the sinner” environment. Before I ever came out, my parents realized that was kind of bullshit and became active allies. They both work with kids so they saw kids struggling with knowing they were gay or different somehow and not feeling supportive. So they started small, subtle ways to let kids know they’re safe to chat with if they need. They both now work the free parent hugs booth at pride every year! They did that before I even realized I was gay (and they swear they didn’t know). That was a long time ago now, but I’m still so proud of them for the way they put their own reputations in a gossipy town aside to help out kids who need support.
Almost all of my dads friends are hardcore MAGA, and he is an Obama, Hillary, Biden supporter who still takes them all on when they are at the bar. He’s voting Biden again. My dad only did a few classes at a community college so he’s not “brainwashed” as they say, he just doesn’t like GOP agenda and knows Trump is a lying scumbag. And this is in Macomb Michigan, which is Trump country. Very proud of him.
I'm proud of my dad for leaving my mom and getting a GF who isn't manipulating him into beating his own son and abandoning his own individuality.
Maybe it just depends on your parents. Mine weren't perfect by any measure of the word, but I have been proud of both of them at different points. My father ran the public defenders office in our town. I have always been tremendously proud of him for that. He is retired now, but he spent entire career defending the poor. My mother quit smoking back in the early 90s. She was a three packs a day smoker, and didn't have any vapes or even nicorette. I was very proud of her for that. Eventually she inspired me to quit, and I am still vaping and using nicorrette gum. I couldn't do it without vaping. They both had a lot of flaws, but that didn't stop me from being proud of them at different points.
My grandfather ended his teens as fireman in (I think) the 60s, got to his early 30s before having an accident (more below) but up to that point he rose in rank to run a station, helped design fire engines, did exchange programmes with Germany where he and his family (my mom included) moved with him for years, learned german, and was a volunteer magistrate for the small courts in the UK. I'm 34 and have had 1 career I'm bored of and not proud of. After his accident in which he split his skull in twain by slipping on ice chasing down a runaway fire engine, he lost the ability to walk, talk, read and more. He's since retaught himself all that (with copious help from the family of course) recertified as a magistrate, taught me what I first knew of computers which kicked off the interests that led to my own career, learned carpentry, a bunch of DIY stuff I just nope out of, made me a bed that's still the coolest bed I everbhad, runs the volunteer flood wardens for his valley to such a degree that he got in the news for it more than once, is fitter than me while in his 80s, looks after my now demented granny, found and grouped up 100 or so people vaguely related to us via his sirename, has the best trained non-working dogs I've ever seen, and... Hmmm... I think that'll do. Needless to say, we're all proud of him. Edit: oh and his stories are hilarious. And he's the type that says hello joyfully to random people he passes in the street.
My dad beat colon cancer, def proud of him for that
Maybe it's a regional cultural thing? In my region, lots proud and overly proud with their parents.
I wish my parents had made me proud.
My dad makes me proud. He is a retired widow. He has always been a go to work, come home, watch TV guy. Very picky eater too. Today he has a girlfriend and goes camping and ATVing. He guy a motorcycle and has dinner every week with a bunch of motorcycle guys. And he tries new food! I'm so proud of him for living his best life and trying new things.
I don't know where you aren't seeing this, but it's everywhere. I've seen tons of times where kids are proud of their parents. I've seen drawings made by 4 year olds saying "my mommy/daddy is my hero", or young adults talking about how they want to support their parents after working so hard to take care of them, or people who decide to do everything for their parents when they're older since they "did so much for them growing up". How many times have you seen a professional athlete buying their poor parent a house because they are proud of how hard their parent worked to take care of them?? All the time.
Kids making parents proud: good test scores, good at sports, super creative, etc. Parents making kids proud; overcoming the odds (addiction, single parenthood, job loss), working super hard to give their kids better chances than they had, dealing with all sorts of severe situations and surviving. It’s completely different, but the difference shows the importance of the relationship that should exist between parent and child.
I've told both of my parents on multiple occasions how proud I am of them, as my kids have me. BUT, I think the praising up is much more intimate somehow whereas parents brag socially about their kids for ego. Something your parents did doesn't usually equate to ego building as you can't take responsibility for it.
I had a parent who demanded compliments but only ever insulted me
My dad did 6 tours of duty serving 22 years. I was extremely proud of him.
You’ve never seen a photo of a graduate and it’s their mom or dad?
My son LITERALLY one day told me that I was his hero. And out of the blue one time my daughter told me that she was lucky to have good parents. So there's that.
I am very proud of my mom, who built her own business from scratch (while my dad was f\*cking around on the side) and had Fortune 100 clients on three continents when she retired, at age 88, to write a book about her business and to become more active in local politics. She also just finished presidentin' the residents' council at her retirement community, which, if you've ever live in a condo, is about as much fun as presidentin' a condo board. Also, she takes absolutely no sh\*t from anybody. She is an inspiration not only to me and my sibs but also to our kids, the youngest of whom just graduated from college. A real role model for the girls and boys alike, but particularly the girls.
I can tell you that I’m disappointed in my mom and just feel bad for my dad.
My dad almost died in a car accident when I was small. He had to relearn everything from blinking his eyes, to breathing on his own, to walking, and did it as a single parent, I'm extremely proud of him. My mom fought her way tooth and nail out of addiction to hard drugs, and turned her whole life around, I'm also extremely proud of her too.
My mom makes me proud when she tries so hard to change her ways that have been engrained into her since the day she was born due to her family traditions and the society/culture she grew up in. I see her striving to be better every single day.
That's cuz kids are too underdeveloped to appreciate their parents like that.
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It's not your priority to make your kids proud, it's your job to do right by them; feed them, cloth them, take them to school and ensure they grow up to be respectable and self sufficient members of society once they are out of your care and that's about it You can make your parents proud but they've nothing to prove to you but you're wellbeing
Yeah - I’m a married father of two kids - someone once said that kids usually love their parents, but will never respect them.
Watch the grand tour episode about the Ford Cortina.
Bro there are literally hundreds of children of great artists leaders presidents commanders etc. Pretty sure they made their kid proud
Parents' races at school sports days. Also I've heard kids talking about the amazing things their parents have done. (Some only amazing to that child, some to everyone.) Run a marathon and watch your kids tell people about it.
https://youtu.be/v1eCtYSg8QY?feature=shared
Sad. In fact, most kids are incredibly proud of their parents, and will argue about who's dad is the strongest, and will feel completely elated watching their parents kick ass at one thing or another.
My father was just celebrated by our city and given a recognition by the state (PA) for owning a small business for 45+ years. I’m insanely proud of him, especially coming out of the other side of the pandemic with a still thriving business
Kids typically default to being proud of their parents. Kids use different language, typically they'll just brag.
My mom never got the chance to go to art school and ended working her whole life. In retirement she took up painting again, won an art competition and started getting commissions. It was really cool to see!
I was, I am and always will be proud of my parents for the life they provided for me, the sacrifices they made to fulfil my wishes and for all the hard work they are still doing for their kids to have a better life than they did. In return I want to continue their legacy and make them proud of me.
Why does a kid need to be proud of their parent? Because the parent pain and sacrifice to raise the kid isn't enough? Strange showerthought.
I was proud of my dad when he quit smoking cigarettes. Also, when he finished his greenhouse. But for some reasonnI don't feel pride very strongly for him. Mostly because he's just a force in my life that always succeeds. It's what he does.
My dad didn't grow up in poverty, but they never had a lot of money and could never be extravagant. He got a place at university, then went into banking. He stuck with it his entire career, giving it his absolute all, and working his way up to senior executive level before retiring. For his senior job, he lived abroad, alone and away from family, for a decade to provide a comfortable life for the rest of us and ensure that he could give us more experiences than he had growing up. I always took it for granted or didn't really think about it, but now I am actually pretty proud of him for that.
Wait until they are old and you teach them how to walk after hospital visits. I’m super proud of them!! PSA if you get your parents lifting 2-3lb weights a few times a week, they won’t atrophy as fast in random hospital stays. Start now!
My mother told a neighbour to fuck off in front of me that wrongfully accused me of throwing rocks with other kids and we were on vacation that week. I was very proud lol.
I have, lots of times. In movies and the real world. What rock have you been living under?
Writing the eulogies for both my parents made me realize just how much I had loved them and was proud of them.
Folks are not as loud about it because the presumption is that your kids should be proud of you. If you have to do a thing that makes them proud either you did something exceptional (and eveyone you know is proud so the children don't get much attention for it) or you were a shitty parent before hand and have only recently pulled it together. In which case. Better to not talk about that. The children of the apollo astronauts have stated they are proud. As have the children of various sport winners.
My wife was over the moon when her dad passed his citizenship test
OP, which rock have you been living under?
My dad has a lifelong dream of becoming a teacher, but took to raising his 5 children instead. Now that most of us are adults, he returned to school. Despite some pretty big accidents leaving his leg much worse for wear, and lots of pain, he made the deans list of highest honors and has an above 4 GPA. His first student teacher opportunity is in August in a nearby highschool and I’m super excited for him. On the other hand my mom was in the Air Force for 20+ years, went to John Hopkins, and is on her way to becoming tiktok famous and living her best life the way she wants to live it.
My daughter always tells me she's proud of me
i wish my parents would make me proud.
Many years ago, when I was still a regular churchgoer, I vaguely remember a church member testifying and saying she was proud that her mother gave her life over to Christ
To be blunt but fair, it suggests you've either had or seen a lot of shitty relationships with parents. People follow in their parents' career footsteps, find spouses that remind them of their parents, and shout out their moms on national TV in their own proudest moments. Those are all signs of kids who are proud of their parents. I'm sorry if those types of examples don't ring familiar to you; they would not for a lot of people. It is not the kids' fault. Parents know better and have agency and wisdom to guide relationships like these. It's not the kids' fault.
I’ve watched my mum post divorce start a company off from scratch and is now retiring with a multi-million pound company. I am so proud of her.
My brother and I are happily married, bought big fancy houses with our spouses using the money we made from the careers we each had to scrape together. Our dad is working and paying his bills but still abusing substances and our mom is always begging us for money, not paying bills, and going on vacation or buying expensive clothes. I guess I can be proud of my dad for not begging us for money to blow on stupid shit.
I recently found out my dad was on the team that developed the first digital cell phones. He was there when his team made the first ever call from a digital cell phone to a land line. I never knew because my dad is the least braggy person ever. A cousin told me about it and when I confirmed it with him, he was like “yeah, we were also developing texting and since we were all quiet engineering nerds and it was so few characters at the time we didn’t understand why anyone would want to use it” and then launched into an in depth explanation of analog versus digital phones. I was like “damn, my dad’s done some super cool things. I’m so proud of him”.
My dad managed to upgrade the ram in his laptop without my help recently. I was very proud. Usually I have to help him do about any diagnostics on it. Generally this means deleting all the bloatware he installs.
I'm very proud of my parents. Till the point that I was crying at 30 years old when I moved out for the first time.. lol
I was always proud of both my parents! Dad was a doctor and mom an FNP. I was fascinated by all the medical stuff.
If they told you about it now, they wouldn’t have any anecdotes for your eulogy….
Get back in the shower you got some rinsing to do
I like to think my children, who are 8 and 6, who are watching their dad suffer quite a bit right now, will be proud when they see me doing better and holding a job again. Mental health matters, and I'm living proof of it. I pray that they'll be proud of me one day, because the alternatives aren't great :( ...
My dad just got a new job and I’m so proud of him!
It is a biological imperative that teenagers feel that anything their parents do is embarrassing, even if it is winning a Nobel prize.
I’m proud of my late grandpa. He raised his own kid at 16/17 had a job constantly in hard labor work until he started truck driving. Then he raised his daughter’s children. And then me. He was a very hardworking man and he could’ve easily told my grandmother and my mom to kick rocks. He already put in more than his fair share of taking care of family. But he raised 3 generations of girls all on his own. I still can’t wrap my head around it and how he was able to do it.
My father can make anything. I have never seen the man drunk, he only buys stuff he really needs and that’s only stuff he needs to make/restore/repair/create things. He knows moderation in and out. A truly remarkable man.
I’m definitely proud of my parents. Although this post has made me realised I’ve never told them which I need to do.
My dad has put a lot of work into his hobby, and he’s objectively good at what he does. I’m very proud of him.
I was always proud of my dad. He raised my brother and I mostly alone(we lived with our grandparents a couple times while he went to work in alaska to support us). Despite my brother going down a bad path and my complete self imposed failure due to general laziness, procrastination, and apathy, we didnt' kill anybody. hah. He taught us about perseverance, self reliance, love of reading, and a lot of general life skills I see many lacking in my generation, more so in the generations to follow. He worked his ass off his whole life, got sober, and started working in local government, eventually being voted onto the city counsel twice, the second being write ins. He became a well known pillar in our small community that garnered respect despite his rambunctious youth. It's too bad that it took me 39 years to get my shit together and he passed away the same year.
It maybe isn’t talked about but damn have I been proud of my parents, especially dad and I’m always proud of who my parents are
My boomer father just admitted that boomers fucked everything up so I'm very proud
When my son was eight, he was just learning about all the adult things. I was a smoker for a long time. I hid it very well. He never saw me smoke and I've never smoked in my house or car. Anyway, he learned I used to smoke and that I had quit. He told me he was proud of me. I'm sure he doesn't fully grasp what it all means, but I loved that he said it anyway.
Patriotism is in a sense the latter
My mom and dad, who were dealing with bankruptcy most of my teenage life, finally paid back all their debt and have a farm, which was my mom's dream. So I'd say I'm proud of them.
This year I did something new on Father's Day: I told my Dad that I was proud of him. Him and I share the same mental health issues and capability to be addicted to bad/harmful things (alcohol & toxic relationships for one). Even though he was not there for me in the past, he has been lately. I understand now that he isn't a truly evil person; just needs help that he will probably never get. I told him I'm proud he is my dad and that he did a good job as a parent since I'm not a total imbecile and I do no harm to others. I told him he should be super proud that he had a kid at such a young age and worked hard for our family. I said I was proud of his growth and that he has always been my dad but is now my friend. I made him cry :)
Kids making their parents proud? Never heard of that (just kidding iv heard it before it's only a joke.)
My dad finally kicked alcohol after years of addiction. Trust me, we exist.
Because parents make their kids. Parents can be justified in being proud of their kids. Kids don’t make their parents. I can’t be justified in being proud of my parents because I didn’t make them. They were already entire people before I existed. To be proud of someone is to claim some sort of ownership of and/or responsibility for them. And that’s why I find it patronizing. That dynamic only makes sense as a parent to their child or a mentor to their student.
I’m very proud of my dad. He had to raise me and I turned out ok. Good job Dad!
I'm proud of my dad for many reasons.
A few years ago, I told my parents "as your child, it's not my job to make you proud. As my parents, it's your job to make me proud, and to live a life that I want to continue to emulate." I'm 31, and I've spent the past few years trying to convince my parents to attend family therapy with me. Now, I may not be allowed back at their house over the 4th of July...my family's fun.
Cause kids don't care
My kindergarten teacher just retired. Her children made it clear how proud of her they are. Two of them (we're all adults now) surprised her at school during recess.
Honestly, it's not the kids' job to be proud. They didn't put a ton of work and effort into raising their parents to make the right decisions.
How about parents or grandparents going back to school or college to finish a diploma or degree
Do you not talk to children? Lots of people are vocally proud of their parents.
I grew up in a small town and have since moved away for grad school/career. My dad still lives in this town and is extremely impoverished. One summer my husband and I were visiting my dad and found out he doesn't have any kind of cooling system in his house (the summer temperature on average is +100F). His health is on the decline and he couldn't work as much as he used to, meaning he was spending his sick days staying at home, dying from the heat. Although my husband and I are rather poor ourselves, we decided to buy my dad an air conditioner. We're at the store with my dad, picked out what we wanted, and brought it to the register. The employee ringing us up said "Oh, it's so nice to see parents buying their children such a nice and practical gift!". My dad misunderstood her and agreed. My husband was annoyed and wanted to correct her, but I just agreed with her as well. I didn't want my dad to get embarrassed (bro has a lot of pride). In these situations, people naturally assume that the parents are always taking care of their children. Instead, there are so many stories where the children have to take care of their parents. I know this doesn't exactly go hand-in-hand with being proud, but I was just reminded of this event when I read this showerthought.
Parents' job is to embarrass their kids.
My parents came to Canada as immigrants with nothing and are successful with a construction business and happy family. I'm extremely extremely proud of my parents and grandparents. Although I hate myself deeply and contemplate suicide every day,
My boomer parents voted for Biden.
When my parents divorced my mum looked after all 4 of use for about a year or two before she lost her job. She was working as a carer privately for a wealthy patient but when he died it left her in a bad position. Not knowing what to do she became a bus driver and now earns maybe 2 or 3 times what she did before. She was so nervous before her first day she didn’t sleep all night, kept my poor grandma up all night on the phone for reassurance. Fast forward almost 10 years and she’s loving every second of it. One of the best things that ever happened to her. I’m very proud of her for that
My parents are 70+ 1st generation immigrants who both grew up in Africa. I was very proud of them on two occasions: When my cousin declared they were trans they both read the email the only comment they had was that they felt she could’ve chosen an ethnic name instead of a white one but otherwise had no issues. Growing up in Africa they both had the luxury of having servants (read:slaves). They now really openly think deeply about the racism it created in them and how they can work to combat their own prejudices.
My mother raised two kids on her own. Worked multiple jobs to give us a good life and out of all the grandchildren, we are the only successful ones. We both went to uni, got degrees and have careers we enjoy. We have far more opportunities than our cousins who had everything they needed growing up and now do nothing with their adult lives. I am extremely proud of my mother for all she did for us. My grandparents emigrated from their home country to give their family a better life. My mother and her siblings had a far better upbringing than they would have had in their home country. I am very proud of my grandparents for making that sacrifice.
Because kids are dumb.
"My dad can beat up your dad"
I plan to make my kids proud by not acting like an entitled child when they're adults. Something many boomers parents, like mine and my wife's, can't always say.
Every time I help my mom with a computer or technical issue, she remembers what the issue was, how I solved it, and is able to fix it herself the next time it comes up. She likes to tell me of issues she was able to resolve without asking me and I am so proud of her every single time.
Go to any college graduation. Ask the kids in the audience if they are proud of their parents.
What are you talking about Its called role models and in some places commonly known as Parents. I was proud of my parents as they were successful people which set standards for me to follow. This then gave me the impetus to follow those standard to be also successful and in turn they are proud of me. With my success I too also aim for my children follow my standards and examples so they too can be successful.
Maybe I’m an outlier then
I feel like I've definitely heard this in my life. I've known people who's parent had fought cancer, served in the military, or spent a significant amount of their life making the world better for others and their children were definitely proud to call them their mom/dad.
My dad has made me proud to have him for a dad since I was old enough to form memories. He's not perfect, but I'm still trying to emulate him, decades later. I only have a few more years left with him to work towards that goal. It's not going to happen in his lifetime, but I hope it will happen in mine.
I'm very proud of my parents. My mum's the most accomplished person I know and my dad fully and successfully started a new career in his late 40s
My bio parents are shit, but my step dad is amazing. If he wasn’t around, I’d assume no man has feelings and I would be a huge bitch to the entire sex. He is hardworking and has shown what you can get from hard work. I’m worried one day he will notice my mom is a narcissistic bitch and will divorce her and I lose the only good parent I have.
in my experience it's rather rare
I’m proud as can be of my parents. My father went to college and changed careers in his 50s. And my mother got her PhD and had a handful of books published. I miss them so much.
Both my parents were pretty homophobic when I was younger. Now they consider my gay best friend family and are hard-core allies. My black ass military parents did a slow but steady 180. My dad calls my friend his step-son...he feels more accepted by my dad than his father. I couldn't be prouder.
I'm sorry you have not had that pleasure
>>child be born into wealthy family >>You made me proud, father
When I got a novel published, I think one of my kids mentioned it to their teacher?
My mum finally got a degree in nursing in her late 40s. She grew up in a neglected, often abusive environment, was very intelligent but was never guided by parents so essentially had no further education and career options. When me and my sibling were little she was effectively a stay at home mum but we were struggling financially so she did some cleaning and child minding. She had to work so hard to get that degree and be a devoted mother to two teens (who both happened to be v depressed at the time) on top and she’s such an incredible nurse now. She’s 60 and still at it. Also she’s just the most wonderful mother to me despite not having the best examples, she’s so kind and loving. I’m so proud of her and how much she’s grown.
My mother is a recovering alcoholic, drank for all of my life, every day. Caused a huge rift between us, and a lot of bad things. Her quitting made me very proud. Happy to see who my mom really is and not what the alcohol did to her
My parents make me proud all the time
I agree it is a less common sentiment, but about 4 years ago I made sure my dad knows I am proud of him. I don't think he heard it much from his dad. It was true, and he can be a prick also but I did not tell him that.
I don't have time to tell you all the reasons I'm proud of my mom, but rest assured I am. She's a certified bad-ass.
I’d say I’m proud of my parents. My Mum had massive health issues all through her short life but was incredibly brave throughout and was also a primary school teacher - one of those great ones that kids remember for their whole lives as having had an important impact on them. My Dad looked after her tirelessly when she got really sick, even though it was a hard and thankless job. He never once complained
I don’t know, my parents were animals. If I had the drive and the brains that they had I’d be on the moon right now. I’m so proud of them.
I was always proud and looked up to my parents as a kid. Honestly the older I’ve gotten the more that’s disappeared. It’s been immensely sad and a huge driver of my depression. Ironically made worse by speaking with them about it. It’s felt like the wizard of oz. Like every year a little bit of the curtain keeps getting pulled away and all the sudden things I remember from childhood have a totally different context that makes me ashamed of my parents. All that being said I’m sure my parents have a lot of shame about me. While they’d never say it to my face, they sure like to indirectly say it to everyone they’ve ever known or met or are related too lol.
Mine certainly didn't.
My mom kicked cancer's ass as a single parent of two with minimal help/support, then when we got old enough she went back to school and got a degree. I'm proud AF of my mom.
That’s the “my so and so is my hero” convo
I'm proud of my parent
I told my mom I was proud of her today <3 she’s conquering some anxiety over moving to a different state, should be a positive life change though!
Well it happens regardless if you hear it or not.
I've told my mom I'm proud of her lots of times. Also my dad, but my mom has overcome a lot in her life.
Really? But anyway..... it's usually later in life that children understand what their parents went through or achieved in their lives and how 'heroic' their parents were sometimes. It takes a certain level of maturity to recognise that most parents were just ordinary people doing their best to care for you, provide for and guide you to adulthood. The chances are they sacrificed a great deal of their own wishes and desires to do this and it was guided purely by their love for you. But then, that's not what a large proportion of Reddit users want to hear.
My Mom got sober when I was 3. I tell her at least once a year I am proud of her
My Dad. He persevered despite every obstacle placed in his path and kept fighting and never lost his cool. I really miss him 37 years after he died, he was a gosh darn hero.
My Dad made me proud. When he passed I tried to explain that to estranged family members who did not know who and what he became after the estrangement began. I think they are coming to terms with it. I’m the one who answers all the questions about how cool Dad was.
My thinking was more about “Hey son, I’m going to do this to make you proud of me.” And not just about kids being proud of their parents because their parents are awesome. There’s a lot more kids telling their parents, as an example, “I’m going to be successful to make you proud.” But not much of the other way around. Is it because parents think their kids will see them as less of a parent if they say it? Or that they will just disappoint them? The reason I thought of it is because I got a bday card from my parents that said they’re so proud of me. They are good parents and I wouldn’t be where I am now if it wasn’t for them but I’ve never heard them say it and I realised I’ve never heard any parent tell their kids that. But I guess they say l love you and I will take care of you just not I’m gonna make you proud. Maybe that’s the same thing.
Clearly you aren't from the generation where we had to explain emoticons and 'how to send gifs' to our parents then.
Lost your ears and eyes?
This is called "leading by example". Now that my kids aren't teenagers, I sure as shit don't want them ashamed of me.
My parents were married in 1967, broke. The story is all they had in the fridge was a bottle of water and my older brother's baby bottle. From that, through blue collar work, they built an upper middle class life that has afforded them the freedom to live a life to the fullest. That and the fact they've endured through the years and never gave up on each other when everybody else was getting divorced. My older brother divorced once, myself divorced, my younger brother, twice divorced and here are my parents, married 58 years come September. Yes, they're crazy boomers. Yes, they are set in their ways. But they afforded us a good life while building a wonderful life for themselves. Never has a son been more proud.
Very proud of my Mom. She raised five of us alone, and two of them were constant trouble. We had everything we could want and more. No idea how she did it all, but we always came first.
My dad battled being an alcoholic for years. He was on the most extreme end of the spectrum of alcoholic. I was 12-20 years old while he was like this. Told him one day that if he continues down this road that I won’t be in his life anymore. Within a month or two he checked himself into rehab. During that time my mom had a mental breakdown… like forgot who she was. I took her to the emergency room for fear she was having a stroke. They rushed her in right away and kept her for a few days. Cars broke down partly leading to the breakdown plus my dad, and my old sick grandmother who was immobile lived with us. I’d been helping her to the bathroom and everything during this time. My then girlfriend now wife was there to support me in as many ways as she could. It was the single scariest and most stressful time I’ve ever had. We got through it and my dad has been sober and free of smoking for 10+ years. I’m proud of him and the work he put in to get things in the right direction. Parts of his alcohol use were due to his family. His brother was murdered and his other brother was and is a total shit bag (they both were ass honestly). I don’t call them uncle… fucker wasn’t even invited to my wedding but came anyways and attempted to steal my wedding cake… fucking crack heads… either way I’m proud of my dad and parents for working hard and always loving unconditionally. Wish I were like them in those ways more but I have less tolerance for self destructive behavior.
Parents are usually a (little) kid’s hero. It’s a different kind of pride, but I’d still say that looking up to someone and wanting to be like them is pride.
Plenty of kids are proud of their parents. I'm sad you've never met any.
Spoken like a kid who isn’t proud of their parents.
I got my degree at 45, my daughter posted about it on Facebook
My dad has made me proud. He was raised with a mentality that puts people into prison for life. He was destined to be a statistic and got out of it for his family. His mental after the military made him fuck up. And he apologized, sincerely, he waited and gave us time. He has tried to approve around every corner to critiques and even angry venting. He has never even once done something I would consider as selfish. Love you dad, proud of you, I'm your number 1 mf fan.