Hey, Mom and Dad: What's The Best Parenting Advice Your Parents Gave You?

Welcome to "Hey, Mom and Dad"—a weekly feature in which we ask our Facebook fans to share their views on parenting. Every week, we get the conversation started by taking a look back at a question we asked parents the week before on Patch Facebook pages from around the area.

By this point, most of us have realized that parenting is much harder and more complicated than it may have seemed when we were children. There are countless schools of thought on parenting, everyone has their own opinions and the list of do's and don't's grows by the minute.

That leads us to this week's question:

What's the best parenting practice or piece of advice that you picked up from your own mom and dad?

Take a look at what people had to say and join the conversation in the comments section.

Jim Dydo: Don't let them run wild in public, manners and respect. —on Mokena Patch Facebook

Missy Goodman: Be supportive, show love, spend quality time, listen. —on

 Frankfort Patch Facebook

Colleen McElroy: SO important to keep a sense of humor.....keep laughing or you will start crying! —on Palos Patch Facebook

Jeff Carpenter: Mom and Dad openly showed how much they loved one another, and us, in everything they did; they were also good community servants.
My parents were a wonderful show of love and support. As everyone does, they had their arguments, but always were loving and supportive the very next day. —on Palos Patch Facebook

Kelly Leeson Dirks: To be a good listener and not to over react right away. Staying calm and collected goes a lot further with things. So I guess patience! —on Tinley Park Patch Facebook

Ruth Ensing: My father taught me by example not only how important reading is but how much fun it can be. We read the newspaper every morning together. My son and daughter are readers as are their children. —on Oak Forest Patch Facebook

Felicia Sexton DePyper: My Parents taught me how to never spend money you don't have. Material items are not important and how to shop for only what you need not what you want, if you really want something, learn to save for it, you will never feel guilting purchasing something that was saved for. Always live with in your means. Don't become house poor. We are proud to say we have taught our children well... —on Oak Forest Patch Facebook

Now it's your turn to weigh in. What did you learn from your parents about how to raise your own children? Tell us in comments below.