when I started paying for my own bills I found the opposite as well. It wasn't as big a deal as they made it out to be and it certainly wasn't worth screaming at a child about lamps being left on.
Or the penny wise dollar dumb way they lived.
Or their refusal to learn how to use a computer/Internet despite the obvious fact that this Internet thing was not just a fad after ~20 years of it existing and getting more and more ubquitous in everyday life.
Or the way they relied on their parents for assistance but when we needed help we were just lazy.
Not to mention their horrific life choices or personal beliefs.
But they were right about things like being on time. Or doing the hard things first. Or knowing when to walk away and come back later.
For me, I knew the series was a waste of time when they didn't start with "There are neither beginnings or endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning."