How have your parents influenced your views/personality as a hippie?

This is for old and young alike to answer. I am curious how your lifestyle as a "hippie" was influenced by your parents and childhood. Is it more of a rebellion from the ideals of your parents or did your parents act as more of a mentor to your current ways?

Mine is more of a continuation/further developement of their mentorship. I wouldn't call my parrents hippies but they definately have some strong attributes. My love of nature and conservation comes from taking numerous nature walks with my dad. Both my parents are very unjudging and taught me not to pass judgement based on appearance, economic status or race. My parents were always lending a hand and participating in neighborhood activities, always willing to help someone out. I'm pretty sure they never did much drugs although sometimes I wonder. My dad was in a folk band in the 60s and had his best friend die in Vietnam although he himself failed his draft physical. I guess my parents stressed family and love and selflessness more than money, fame, and material goods.

Some of my fondest memories of childhood are taking family hikes to gather nuts from the wallnut trees that were about 1/4 of a mile into the woods near my house, and spending the afternoon with my family working in the garden then sitting around the kitchen table cleaning vegetables as my mom prepared dinner and my dad played his guitar or banjoe and sang folk songs to us.

I don't think of myself as a "hard-core hippy" but I think I had an upbringing very conducive to assimilating many hippie values into my adult lifestyle.

How about you...

 

For me, it has a bit to do with rebellion from mainstream culture. Keeping that in mind, I don't know what triggered it at all. My parents are pretty liberal; they don't tell me what to do with my life. They understand that is for ME and me alone to decide. I guess I'm pretty lucky in that aspect.

However, my dad did introduce me to good music when I was younger, and my taste has evolved ever since.

 

My parents I wouldn't consider "hippies" by they do posess some of the elements that I think have shaped me....for instance my dad is an actor, and his family was appaled by the fact that he chose to participate in a career involving the arts, so he has taught me to do what you love (as long as it doesn't hurt too many people) and don't fel pressured to do what everyone else wants you too... Both my parents allowed me to question things, and never told me how I should be, for instance they are both christians, but they didn't force me to become one as well, they gave me the freedom (and pretty much told me) to question religion, and I did, and found it wasn't right for me, and they completley supporeted my decsicion (sp?) They are also very non-judgemental nature-loving people...

Of course they definetly wouldn't qualify as hippies (they are much more conservative), but a lot of their mentality really has helped shaped me.

 

Act of rebellion.

 

they contibuted to my natural personality. My father has some of the same ideas and thoughts as i do but we think differently. My mother is very much a hippy in my mind. It was nothing to do with being different at all. I respect them and their opinions so much that i need to remember to think for myself, which i do more all the time by the way.

 

I guess for me it was more just growing up during that time.

 

well my dad is a biker and my mom is a corporate cpa woman LOL
my dad raised me on lynard skynard and the doobie brothers and my mom raised us on Guns N Roses and Bon Jovi so ehhhh I dunno, I picked up some of the stuff on my own I guess..............
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Im "my mom through and through" hehe she inspired me in everyway possible and taught me to just follow my heart no matter what...she's a totally hippie!!! she's awesome ..... my dad on the other hand is some retarded jerk and yea....he had no effect on me whatsoever

 

Me? A Hippie? Where? How? When?

 

Not happenin', eh Pavel?

 

LOL ditto
It's pathetic to focus on a stereotype. Can, and therefore shall, only be myself.

You know I can't really answer this. It's impossible to know how big an influence my parents have been. They've always been around and it's hard to objective.
Of course I used to try to break away, and think I was all my own creation. That went with the trying to be a hippy, in a way. Know better now, am not going to fight that. They are wonderful people who have given so much.

So the things I've been given that have made me...

My mother
Creativity
Open mindedness
Compassion
Spiritual/nuturing aspect
Coping strategies

My father
Logical, 'left brain' aspect
Much of my taste in music, TV and such
Sarcasm/sense of humor
Most of my physical traits (including dodgy eyesight, thanks)
Cynicism
Temper
Not taking any crap from anyone
Draw towards animals

Both of them....
Love
All the oppotunies we've had
My passion to read [possibly greatest defining aspect]
Humored my forms of expression
My little brother
Acedemic subjects I've been drawn to
My heritage
Strength

 

At first, My parents didn't like hippys. I grew up in the 60s, and remember being facinated when we would drive by "Hippy Park" in Oak Park where we lived. Any my parents would make fun of the hippys hanging out there. I always secretly thought they were cool. They just looked so happy and having a good time.

My dad was a college professor, so eventually, they came to tolerate and even like hippys. (Being a college professor in the 60s and 70s, you could either continue to hate, or start to accept hippys!) I remember once, when I was a kid, my dad had a bunch of his students over for a BBQ. A few of our neighbors called the POLICE and called our house to tell my dad "Did you know there are hippys and niggers on your lawn?" My dad and mom were really angry at these stupid intolerant neighbors, and the police didn't bust anyone when my dad talked to them.

My dad is an artist and a writer (published his first fiction novel last year!) and he's really anti establishment, so I think he had some hippy in him, even though he is terrified of marijuana. He and my mom left a concert in the park once because people were smoking near him, and he had a panic attack. Gotta love my crazy daddy.

 

My mom and dad were both sorta Hippies, but it wasnt because of them "being" Hippies around me that caused me to love the lifestyle. When I was in grade 5 (which wasn't that long ago), our class had to make a mural with parts of all the decades from the '50s. I was assigned to do the '60s, and my drawing had to include a Hippy. At first I didn't really care much, but I had a general idea of how I wanted to portray all Hippies. I got an A+ on my issignment and I found myself as well. Just a little while ago, in language class we needed to do public speaking presentation. Like many times before, I decided to do my speech on Hippies. During this, I have learned many things about who I am, and what has happened in the past.

Peace, Love and Classic Rock!

 

my mum and dad were both pretty cool .they grew all their own veggies and my dad road a triumph bonny......they were very caring people .sadly i lost my mum when i was 12 .a couple of years later my dad re married a lady who wasent so cool sadly she also passed away...now when i think as this thread has made me do ..it was my parents influences and my life experiences that led me to were i am today........its a very nice place

 

I don't know I'm not a hippie LOL

 

my parents are pretty much the opposite of me..but i'm not sure if it was rebelion or not..it might just be who i naturaly was meant to be..& i supose also there was the influence on an ex's parents who were more like my parents then my real parents were..& they were real hippies

 

I don't call myself hippie..

but I know my heart is peaceful and wants peace..

so my parents? ehm, they're surprised sometimes.. and sometimes they don't know what to say, coz they're surprised how many things I know (their words) but I think they're ok with me..

 

My parents have influenced me in more ways than I could probably even tell you. A great deal of my desire for change in society for the good of people comes from interactions I've had with them...

 

My parents are conservatives, but not fundamentalists. They're also christian and there's another difference between us. I have only my taste in music in common with them. I guess they spur on a lot of conflict around here and piss me off. It motivates me to continue struggling with the current situation. They're nice people, though. So they brought me up to be nice

Rebelling against modern conformity, showing people there is more to life than jobs, money, and bullshit lies. That is what I'm all about.

 

My parents are both conservatives.. but they're both pretty neurotic, so they kinda reinforced in me the importance of individuality. Also my family has gone through stages of being VERY poor.. so I have quite a bit of alienation and resentment against the status quo.. We're all outcasts in my family in one way or another.