My Mom cooking with my daughter.
Oh, my Mom is going to just LOVE this! After so many years of telling her she was wrong … I’m going to take some time to talk about some of the things she said that were right. She really has been the best Mom I could ever ask for and I attribute a lot of my success to her teaching me how to be a good person, loving Mommy and fierce defender of what’s right. I have a few basic principles I stick to which she ingrained in me, and I’ll share what they are and why I think they’ve been so useful.
- Don’t ever put anything in writing you wouldn’t want the whole world to read. Well this became especially handy since I’m a writer, but it’s perfect for real-life stuff too. Once you write something down on Facebook, paper, twitter, etc … it’s almost impossible to take back. Written words can ruin you, so use them wisely.
- Don’t say “hate” or “fart”. Ick! I can’t even believe I wrote that second word. First, I was taught not to waste my energy seething in agony about something or someone I don’t like. Hate is a waste of time and I simply can’t be bothered to do it. I do hate cancer though.(But that’s it!) Second, the “F” word. Eww. I’d like to be treated like a lady and there is absolutely no chance of that happening if I were to open my mouth and let something as tacky as THAT spill out. Instead, we say “make smells” or “pass gas”. My husband and children don’t say those words either. He adapted his language to mine, because .. he respects me and I deserve it. He also opens every door, lifts the heavy stuff and deals with the icky things. Thanks Mom!
- Get involved in SOMETHING! Mom didn’t care if we played soccer, baseball or cheered, but we did have to do something. My siblings and I were always on some sort of field and never seemed to get in any sort of real trouble. Who knew this sports and fitness thing would become my passion and my profession as well? She probably did.
- Go to college! Yep, my Mom blew her chance to go, so she wasn’t going to let us make the same mistake. In that deal, I got four rock star years at the University of Florida and trumped her suggestion by getting my Master’s Degree. That degree has been a huge feather in my professional cap, but really … all of those years of FUN at UF? Priceless!
To my Mom and to all the others out there. I love you. The world loves you. And keep spouting out these words of wisdom. In my case at least … they’ve made a big difference. Happy Mother’s Day!
One Comment