Parental Control – Part II (Everything I Need to Know, I Learned from my Mom)

The previous post makes mention of my Mom being the parent I poured my heart out to for reassurance, back-up (because whose Mom doesn’t have their child’s back?!), and to learn ‘how to be a true friend’ to those I held close to my heart (friends and relationships alike). In writing down my parents’ advice from years past, I decided to break the post into two parts: My Dad’s list and my Mom’s list. Below is Part II – my Mom’s list of quotes.


Mom's Quotes:

1. "You are who you’re friends with.” – This was a popular quote throughout my high school years. The sentiment remains true, even today as an adult.

2. "When you can’t get someone off your mind, you’d best call and check on them." - How many times have you had someone pop into your mind and you wondered why? 9 times out of 10 something is going on in their life that is best survived with the help of a friend. Be.That.Friend.  Make the call!

3. “Food is good for the body, but it soothes the soul in times of loss.” – Surgery? Death in the family? Bad day? If my Mom knew about it, you’d soon receive some wonderful concoction from her kitchen because she cared that much about you.

4. “Don’t go out of this house without ironing that…!” – You think Martha Stewart is the ‘maven of all things household’?! You haven’t seen my Mom’s mad ironing skills (and yes, she cringes every time I walk into a room wearing a wrinkled article of clothing).

5. “If it doesn’t look as neat on the inside as it does on the outside, we have to redo it.” – This is in reference to sewing (a quote handed down from my Grandmother). However, it proves to be a wonderful lesson in patience, perseverance, and trying to do your best.

6. “Go in there and stand up for you!” – My Mom is no shrinking violet! She is very capable of handling things and taking care of herself. So glad she taught me how to do the same.

7. “Have you told them this? Well, you need to.” – Any time someone hurt my feelings, I perceived a slight from a ‘friend’, or some other instance where hurt feelings came about, my Mom was there by my side to give a boost to get it in gear and solve the issue.

8. “Have you written your thank you notes yet?” – While I’ve fallen ‘off the wagon’ with respect to the proper etiquette of thanking people for their kindness via a note in the mail (before two weeks is out), I do think about (and berate myself for not) writing a note to someone for a gift or a special kindness.

9. “Do not roll your eyes at me, young lady!” – Boy, does this one hit home now that I have small children. Our parents have the hardest, most thankless job in the universe. Show them the respect they deserve for raising us (and not eating us like some animals in the wild do to their offspring).

10. “God gave you to me to take care of and raise to the best of my ability. I intend to do just that!” – I finally understand - all I want for my children is that they grow into strong, kind, courteous, human beings that are productive members of society. It is my responsibility to be a good steward of God’s blessings.

11. “If you’re going to pay full-price, always purchase leather shoes. The man-made material will make your feet smell.” – This one may seem shallow in the ways of the world, but look at it from the perspective of choosing what's real; not the synthetic things in life – i.e., friendships, relationships, and yes, even shoes (glorious, shoes).

12. “If I didn’t love you, I wouldn’t get after you.” – How many times have you heard your children say, “You hate me!” after sending them to their room, giving them a time-out, or grounding them? You understand what I mean then, don’t you?

13. “I am not ’s mother, I am yours, and I said no!” – Yep, the old, ‘if everyone jumped off the bridge, would you?’ commentary…classic; but true. Never, ever allow anyone to influence you to the point that you lose your moral compass.

14. “I don’t mean to sound ugly, but…” – The alternative to the Southern Belle’s, “Bless Her Heart!”

15. “I love you, I like you, and I’ll never give you away.” – This quote comes courtesy of a dear, family friend. It remains the closing salutation for any correspondence I receive from my Mom.

Honorable Mention (because I couldn’t leave these out!):

a. “When I would do good, evil is present with me.” – This quote comes from the days when my parents played the card game, Rook, with my grandparents. Anytime my grandfather was dealt a bad hand, this was the first shot fired of his many ‘biblically-inspired’ quotes to display his consternation. Shows better sportsmanship that most folks we know today, doesn’t it?!

b. “I had to do the same for him/her. I couldn’t bear to leave them out.” – Never one to make people feel like the ‘extra’ in the group, my Mom makes sure all feel welcome at any function in her home.