When I was young and foolish, I did not understand why my parents (especially my mum) emphasized and pushed me so hard to do these things:
1) Read a lot.
2) Pray, besides training me to fast during Ramadhan.
3) Study really hard.
4) Go for extra classes during weekends or after school, like swimming, karate, and Quran recitation classes
5) Prevent me from snacking on Coca-Cola, chips, etc in excessive amounts

Now I am grateful and I understood why