10 Things I Wish Mom Taught Me
Email this article to a friend
Since I already wrote about “10 Things I Wish Dad Taught Me,” it seems fair that I write about Mom, too. Let me start by saying that my mom had an extremely difficult childhood, as far as I can tell based on what little my parents told me about it. Having said that, I still believe every parent should love and protect their child as much as they can. Unfortunately, Mom did not show much love for me and often flew into violent rages against me from when I was an infant until we finally parted ways in 2002.
I wish my mom had a happy childhood full of wonderful memories. She deserves that. We all do. Then, we could all grow up to teach children useful lessons for their futures, like how to treat everyone with respect, starting with ourselves. Unfortunately, most of us had less than perfect childhoods. So, we need to teach ourselves what our parents could not teach us in order to pass these important lessons down to the next generation.
Moms have a special power over children. We all want to please them. We all want them to be pleased with us. Wouldn’t it be great if moms took that special power and used it to teach us important life lessons that would help us lead happy lives?
Here are the 10 Things I Wish Mom Taught Me:
- How to Shop
- How to Cook
- How to Stand Up for Myself
- How to Say “No” Politely
- How to Listen to People
- How to Forgive People
- How to Teach by Example
- How to Appreciate Little Things
- How to Be Calm and Patient
- How to See the Big Picture
1. HOW TO SHOP
Advice I Wish She Gave Me: “Always budget your time and money. Both are very valuable, so spend them wisely. Shopping without a budget is like trying to cross a desert without any idea how big it is or how much water you need to carry. People who don’t budget their time and money never have enough of either.”
2. HOW TO COOK
Advice I Wish She Gave Me: “Cooking at home is much cheaper and healthier than eating out. Learn to do it when you’re young, and you’ll enjoy it all your life.”
3. HOW TO STAND UP FOR MYSELF
Advice I Wish She Gave Me: “No matter what, you are smart, beautiful, and good. You will succeed at everything you really want in life. Ignore the bullies. They are usually unhappy about something else in their lives. If they keep bothering you and you can’t get away, confront them and be ready to defend yourself with all your strength, courage, and intelligence. Sometimes in life, you have to face your bullies and fight fire with fire.”
4. HOW TO SAY “NO” POLITELY
Advice I Wish She Gave Me: “It’s great to help people when you can. But, with some people, if you give them an inch, they’ll take a mile. If you feel you’re being taken advantage of, just say, “Sorry, but no.” If they ask “why not,” just repeat, “Sorry, but no.””
5. HOW TO LISTEN TO PEOPLE
Advice I Wish She Gave Me: “Whenever you talk with someone, give them your complete attention. That means stop whatever else you’re doing, maintain good eye contact, smile, laugh, or nod when appropriate, and reciprocate with your own stories. It also means remember the things they say for future meetings.”
6. HOW TO FORGIVE PEOPLE
Advice I Wish She Gave Me: “Holding grudges is a waste of time. Old anger and revenge fantasies waste your energy. It’s better for you if you forgive. But, don’t forget. If you do, you’ll probably get hurt again the same way. Just take a deep breath, or have a good cry, and move on with your life. There are too many amazing experiences you might never get around to if you waste your time wallowing in past hurts!”
7. HOW TO TEACH BY EXAMPLE
Advice I Wish She Gave Me: “People are smart, and they don’t like hypocrites. Say what you mean, and mean what you say. If you preach one thing and do another, they won’t trust you. When people trust your actions, they trust your words, too.”
8. HOW TO APPRECIATE LITTLE THINGS
Advice I Wish She Gave Me: “Always reach for the sky, but never forget to enjoy the little things in life along the way. Like a glass of clean, cold water or a lazy, afternoon nap. As you grow older, you’ll miss a lot of things you take for granted now. Think about that often, and enjoy what you have while you still have it.”
9. HOW TO BE CALM AND PATIENT
Advice I Wish She Gave Me: “Nothing in life is so terrible that you can’t handle it. No worries are worth ruining your health over. Whatever the emergency—unless there’s a fire—you can think more clearly if you calm down and take a deep breath before making any quick decisions. If anyone tries to force you to make an important decision too quickly, tell them you need more time to think about it and walk away. If they say they won’t wait for you to decide, walk away anyway. Be patient because there will always be better opportunities.”
10. HOW TO SEE THE BIG PICTURE
Advice I Wish She Gave Me: “Always have a plan for your life. You can change it as often as you like later. But, without knowing where you want to be in 5, 10, or 60 years, you can never get there from here. Once you know where you want to be by what age, then you can map your route so you can get going!”
[For “10 Things I Wish Dad Taught Me,” click here.]
Be sure to get the latest articles as soon as they’re posted by signing up here!
