1. “You Can Make a Meal Out of Anything”
Money was tight growing up, so we had a lot of ‘concoctions’, as my mother called them. 20 years later, my sister and I still make fun of this one meal in particular that she made. A curious mixture of things to say the least! All I can recall is an orange broth, dumplings and corn mixed together. Although it appeared totally gross, my mom insisted her concoctions were still worthy of being a good meal. She was right though, it was good enough to fill our belly. Now that I’m a busy mom of four, I find myself making a lot of concoctions from leftovers too.
2. “The Older You Get, the Less You Care”
We all remember those periods of our lives, especially during our teenage and high school years, when everything seemed so important and so significant. We were young and didn’t experience life enough yet to know what really mattered most. My mom would always tell me, “the older you get, the less you care.” That advice didn’t matter much to me then. I was 15 years old, and the way that girl looked at me was a huge deal! Sure, I can laugh about it now… Now that I’m old enough to know that mom was right; I don’t care about that dumb stuff anymore.
3. “Learning to Swim Is Good for You”
When I was younger, our public pool gave free swim lessons, and my mom wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity for us to learn how to swim (especially since it was free!). I admit it though, I hated to swim. I was afraid of the water, and yes, I was one of “those” kids. I managed to have a mysterious stomachache every morning before lessons. I would never let go of the side of the pool. Put my head under water?! Umm… No way! Luckily, my mother didn’t fall for my fake illness and made me take the lessons anyways. It’s what mom’s do to help keep us safe.
4. “Hold the Door”
Like most moms, my mother taught us to be polite, use our manners, and say “hello”. She was big on little gestures of kindness. If another vehicle on the road let me turn first, I should wave a ‘thank you.’ If someone was walking out behind me, I should always hold the door. Sometimes it’s the little things that matter.
5. “Change Your Socks and Underwear”
Let’s face it; kids don’t give a darn about dirty clothes. They will go days on end in the same clothes, and it won’t even occur to them until mom starts yelling about it. Good hygiene is an essential part of life, so I can’t image where I’d be right now without all the longwinded lectures about it. Dirty underwear when I went into labor? No thank you! How about the time I injured my calf at the gym and the hunky instructor came over to inspect what could have been an unshaved leg?! Yes, you were right mom. Thank you for the good hygiene lectures.
6. “We Didn’t Have Much, but We Survived”
Sure, we had a family car to get around in, but it wasn’t one us kids would want to be seen in. Yeah, I had new clothes; new from the thrift store. My siblings and I had bicycles, but my brother’s was a pink ‘Huffy’. We owned our own house, but not one I’d want the kids on the school bus to see me being picked up in front of. Now that all us kids are adults, we can look back on my mom’s famous words, “we didn’t have much, but we survived,” and be grateful for how that helped mold us into who we are. Children and teens worry about materialistic things. Adults worry about family, love, and experiencing life.
7. “Don’t Judge Others”
“Kids will be kids”, they say. Sad but true, they have ‘cliques’. They tease. They bully. And yes, I was a culprit of it at some point. I think we all were. As the saying goes through, “don’t judge someone until you’ve walked in their shoes.” Mom always made sure we were open to and accepting of others.
8. “Hard Work Will Pay Off”
Kids only see a mean mom that yells all the time. She’s too strict and bedtimes are dumb. Mom’s always nag about doing chores and getting homework done. However, schedules, deadlines, routines, and hard work are necessary to succeed in the adult world. Mom wasn’t being a nag; she was setting a strong foundation for our future. Moms just want us to be smart and make good, healthy decisions. It usually takes us becoming adults or parents ourselves before we see the true meaning behind our mother’s teachings. We may not see it as children, but as adults, we are thankful for it!
