20+ Redditors Share The Lessons They Learned From Their Parents' Relationships

Some of the clearest relationship lessons do not come from movies or advice columns, they come from watching your parents up close.

That is the starting point of a Reddit thread on AskWomen, where one user asked what people learned about relationships from their parents' relationship. The responses quickly turned into a mix of hard truths, awkward memories, and a few surprisingly practical takeaways about love, marriage, and what not to repeat.

The thread drew more than a thousand replies, and the best ones reveal just how much children absorb from what they see at home. Read on.

The question on the AskWomen subreddit

buttinseats

This person thinks dating should be a lot more practical.

This is actually a smart way of looking for a partner.

This user didn't like her parents' behavior, so she made sure her partner isn't like her parents.

Anxious-Effort1227

For some people, it's better to not enter into a relationship at all.

cocopuff333, Northern_Staa

Staying together for the kids isn't worth it.

Run-4-Fun, Remarkable-Mix-2187

This is a smart approach.

tootzone, auravsha

In every marriage, these two things are present.

GlitteringInside2

Nothing's perfect, after all.

eggofreddo, 1willowtree

Not fighting isn't always a good thing.

Marriane_Deer

Also check out the fight over whether to share a partner’s inheritance with estranged relatives.

The right way of fighting with a partner

DreamiLee616

It's all about priorities

sh6rty13

The don'ts of a relationship

celestialism

The fifth advice was spot on for this Redditor.

celestialism, oooouuuuu

Even children can feel the negativity

CryptographerSuch753, Individual_Card8566

You can say that again.

doomdoggie

There are other challenges couples face to maintain the relationship

doomdoggie, Toadie9622

Having a partner who isn't interested in your passions and interests is completely fine.

henchmen_DM_me

The old saying only causes a family to become toxic.

DreamiLee616

Happiness shouldn't depend on only one member of the family.

littlehateball

Run for the hills when you realize this.

MissInfer, north1south, WindowWonderful7310

Leaving a sh*tty relationship brings happiness.

Ok-Beginning-5050, Awkward-Review-Er

Sad, but true.

wixkedwitxh

From relationships that are not worth saving to the things that couples should and should not accept, these lessons can be easily applied to any relationship. Even as children, we learn a lot from our parents' actions.

One of the things we easily observe as kids is what to expect from a marriage or relationship in general. Sadly, some people learn the worst things about such partnerships.

Since these situations happen in real life, people who learned from their observations now know better than to make the same poor decisions their parents did. In a way, they can avoid the negative aspects of a relationship.

That is what makes these Reddit replies hit so hard.

For another money-versus-family blowup, see why this user asked their partner’s parents to pay rent.