If you buy an item with a predetermined mind that it will be terrible and is no good at all, you probably will probably be rewarded by assuring yourself that you were correct and Dad was wrong.

I suggest you follow the good advice you have received from previous posters who recommend that you ride and enjoy your Mongoose. IF something needs to be adjusted more than likely you can do it with an adjustable wrench and a screw driver. Learn and gain experience and when you are ready for something different and the money is available you probably will know better about what you need.

Do not take as unassailable truth all the Walmart bike bashing that surfaces on Bike Forums, much of it is from bike snobs and/or persons closely associated with an LBS. As many bikes as are sold by Walmart of course some might need repair, but to read the BF basher's posts a Newbie could get the impression that the only place they are used is to ride a crooked line to a repair shop, and that only bikes with an LBS provenance can provide a satisfactory experience for someone with your modest requirements.