Mom often knows best. She was right about that old boyfriend and maybe even that job you didn't get, wasn't she? She may have been the first person to tell you to think positive thoughts. As we get ready to celebrate Mother's Day this Sunday, this seemed like a good time to celebrate mother wisdom.
What did your mother or perhaps your grandmother always tell you that helped when you were young and you still refer to today? For me, my mom would say, "Don't borrow trouble." That reminded me to stop worrying about things that I couldn't control or probably would never happen.
When I asked my 20-year-old daughter, Allyson, she said, "Whenever I had to make a tough decision, you told me to imagine following through with each option and notice how I felt. After going down each path in my mind, it was always much easier to choose the best option!"
Her twin, Connor, remembers he was upset when a bully in middle school kept calling him names. "When I told you what he called me, you asked if I was a telephone. That made me laugh and then I asked what you meant. You said that I was no more a telephone than I was all those other names so I shouldn't give him any power by reacting. He soon grew tired of trying to torment me. Oh, and you also say a lot that you love me!"
Here are a few "Momisms" from friends and the famous.
"To whom much is given, much is expected."
Bill Gates
"You can do whatever you set your mind to!"
Henna Inam
"If you go to bed with dogs, you'll get up with fleas."
Jeannette Ross Mahoney
"Have no regrets."
Richard Branson
"Treat others how you want to be treated."
Toni Hiscocks
"Don't make me come up there!" (My mother would stand beside me and say that whenever she wanted to let me know I was in trouble. She was 5'1" and I am 6'6".)
Sean Harrington
"Failure is not the opposite of success. It's a stepping stone to success."
Arianna Huffington
"Bloom where you're planted." (That was particularly appropriate for my brothers and me, as Dad was in the military. We were "uprooted" and "planted" many times!)
Sandy Weaver Carman
"When someone gives you a compliment, just say 'Thank you.'"
Vanessa Lowry
"Don't ask a question of your children that you already know the answer to."
Anne Sammons Shoemaker
"Never rely on anyone but yourself to get you through life." (My mother-in-law would say that to my wife.)
Donald Connelly
"Always wear clean underwear."
Doug Black
What's your favorite advice from your mother or grandmother? Share it on my Facebook Page or reply back to me. I love hearing from you!
Happy Mother's Day!
