50 nuggets of wisdom every parent should pass on to their kids

Parents hand down the same 29 nuggets of wisdom to their children that their own parents did - including '˜get an education' and '˜always try your best'.

A study of 2,000 adults, commissioned by Skipton Building Society, revealed two thirds find themselves churning out the same old clichés that have been passed down through generations.

The favourites are ‘you don’t get something for nothing’ and ‘put money aside for a rainy day’ and ‘if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all’.

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Financial advice features often with phrases like; ‘never spend money you don’t have’, ‘look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves’, ‘ put money aside for a rainy day’ and ‘always have two months’ rent/mortgage saved’.

‘Always wear clean underwear’ and ‘never let your petrol tank go lower than a quarter full’ are among other tips from parents.

Seven in 10 adults admitted they often catch themselves mid-sentence and think they sound like their mother or father, while a further 36 per cent frequently think they’re turning into their own parents.

But perhaps that’s no bad thing, with a whopping 72 per cent of people admitting they do still live by the advice their parents gave them when growing up - and as such still try not to eat cheese before bedtime, always use a hand cream, and try to eat with their mouth closed.

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Stacey Stothard, Skipton Building Socieyt, said:: “It’s great to see so many people admit to living by the advice given to them by their parents.

“Passing on life lessons and philosophy should never be underestimated, for many people they directly attribute this to getting into the discipline of planning and saving for their future.”

Here are the top 50 nuggets of wisdom parents around the country are passing on to their kids:

TOP 50 WORDS OF WISDOM

1. Always try your best

2. If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all

3. Get an education - no-one can take that away from you

4. Never spend money you don’t have

5. If you don’t ask, you don’t get

6. Eat with your mouth closed

7. Put money aside for a rainy day

8. Never take sweets from strangers

9. Do your best - nothing else matters

10. Keep your elbows off the table

11. Never swim on a full stomach

12. Treat people with respect

13. There’s no such word as can’t

14. You never get something for nothing

15. Don’t put shoes in the table

16. SMILE

17. Practice makes perfect

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18. Look after your pennies and the pounds will look after themselves

19. Courtesy and compassion cost nothing

20. Treat others how you wish to be treated yourself

21. You only get out of life what you put into it

22. ‘I want’ never gets

23. Mind your p’s and q’s

24. Manners maketh the man

25. Always wear clean underwear

26. Don’t stare at people, it’s rude

27. Watching too much TV will make your eyes go square

28. Be true to yourself

29. Always hold the door open

30. Never leave the house with wet hair

31. Never drink on an empty stomach

32. Never go to bed on an argument

33. Look up things you don’t know the answer to

34. Never go under a ladder

35. Never give up

36. Receive compliments gracefully

37. Don’t wear your coat indoors

38. Mum knows best

39. The grass is never greener

40. Always eat your breakfast

41. Life’s too short to be unhappy

42. Always have 2 month’s rent/mortgage saved

43. Don’t eat cheese before bedtime

44. Give compliments easily

45. Use a hand cream

46. Don’t eat in the street

47. Never offer a stranger a lift

48. Don’t smoke in the street

49. Never let your petrol tank go lower than a quarter full

50. Men are very different creatures to women

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