10 Things The Simpsons Taught You Better Than Your Parents

10. Hard Work Doesn't Always Pay Off

Parents don't want to teach their kids this lesson, because they fear it will demotivate them. The last thing you want is kids who give up too easily, right? However, it would be nice to see kids actually understand that hard work doesn't always pay off, because at least then, they might have more realistic expectations. All too often these days, you hear "well I did the work, why didn't I get ______?" It's not just the young, really. There's this idea that life is always fair and should work out the way you want it to, and that's not reality. Many a time, you can put in all the hard work in the world in, and get nothing - but that doesn't mean you should stop trying. The show has shown us this reality a few times, especially with Marge. Take, for example, The Twisted World Of Marge Simpson, in which she tells the kids "Aim low. Aim so low no one will even care if you succeed." Then there's her turn as a police officer. Marge actually made a pretty good cop, worked hard at it, and yet saw nothing for it (other than, perhaps, a sense of pride) due to all the corruption on the force. Do things because you want to do them, not because there's going to be a pay-off in the end.