Mama said, mama said.
 

As some of you know, I'm a columnist, and I've begun thinking of my Mother's Day column. So here's a question, well in advance of the big day, I know.

What was your mother right about, and about what was she completely wrong?

My mother has basically been right about everything...except for the "you can have any boy you like" fable. I'll never be able to get George Clooney or Jaiver Bardem. :(

my mom has been right about almost everything! lol

the most recent big one was in college. Since I left high school, every semester she told me "read the chapters before going to class. The lecture the next day will make more sense, and the material will be easier to recall when you have to sit down and do your homework."

And every semester I'd tell her " I know, I know"... but still I wouldn't do it.

I never did that until my VERY LAST semester. I will never forget graduation day when I told my mom 'hey! you were right! it WAS easier!!!!"

The best pieces of worldly advice come from my grandmother: :rolleyes:

"You can date whoever you like, as long as he doesn't drive a van. The only men who drive vans are plumbers and pedophiles."

"Red shoes are for small children and loose women."

You can love a rich man just as well as you can love a poor man :p

"Doesn't matter how old you get and if you have a beard down to your toes, I will still love you..."

When I saw the title, I immediately thought: "Mama said there'll be days like this, mama said, mama said..."

Then I thought: "Mamasaymamasawmacoosaw..."

I kept thinking "Mama said knock you out...." lol


My mom has been right about pretty much everything (as much as I HATE to admit it...lol)

The only example I can really think of is when my mom would always tell me "don't assume people are talking about you." I always had this problem when people would say something amongst themselves, or outloud to others, and I would automatically assume that they were talking about me. Pretty much 9 times out of 10, they really weren't. lol

AKA Monet, the song was going through MY head as well . . .

This one is from my most wonderful mother-in-law: "Your kids won't remember how clean the house was."

As some of you know, my mom is dealing with cancer. One of the unfortunate side effects is that she can't eat some of her favorite foods (like chocolate) and has to really watch when and how much she eats. She definitely got it right when she recently told me "I don't care anymore, as long as it tastes good and doesn't make me sick, I'm going to eat what I want! Calories be damned!"

However, my mom is still wrong for not letting her 7th grade daughter shave when she asked to start doing so.

Shirelles lyrics - Mama Said


Artist: Shirelles
Song: Mama Said


Mama said there'll be days like this,
There'll be days like this Mama said
(Mama said, mama said)
Mama said there'll be days like this,
There'll be days like this my Mama said
(Mama said, mama said)
I went walking the other day,
Everything was going fine,
I met a little boy named Billy Joe
And then I almost lost my mind
Mama said there'll be days like this,
There'll be days like this Mama said
(Mama said, mama said)
Mama said there'll be days like this,
There'll be days like this my Mama said
My eyes are wide open
But all that I can see is,
chapel bells are callin for everyone but-a me
but I don't worry cause
Mama said there'll be days like this,
There'll be days like this Mama said
(Mama said, mama said)
Mama said there'll be days like this,
There'll be days like this my Mama said
And then she said someone will look at me
like I'm looking at you one day,
then I might find
I don't want it any old way,
so I don't worry cause
Mama said there'll be days like this,
There'll be days like this Mama said
(Mama said, mama said)
Mama said there'll be days like this,
There'll be days like this my Mama said
Mama said, mama said
Hey! Don't you worry,
Mama said mama said
Hey! Don't you worry now.
Mama said mama said,
Hey! Hey!

^^24 karats from my godmother's mouth!

My own mother:

-Start treating your complexion good when you're 14 and you'll never regret it. (This from a lady who is STILL literally stopped on the street and asked about her own complexion!)

-A lady need never reveal anything. Ever.

-"Politeness is to do and say/The kindest thing in the kindest way."

About that last one: there was a time in chapter days when we all were to write down some sound advice we had been given, and I wrote the last one. They were all read aloud at a special meeting, without our names. Literally everyone in my chapter knew that was mine, and knew exactly who had given me that advice - my mama was treasured in my chapter!

Back in the early '60's my mom made us 4 kids go outside and "dig dandelions" with a paring knife b/c she didn't like pesticides. Her thinking was "if it kills the weeds, what else is it bad for?" By early '70's we were recycling almost everything and my friends thought we were strange for "sorting our trash" and then Dad would drive it across town to the recycle center. We were early environmentalists. In retrospect, it's too bad more people didn't think that way back then.

But with 3 daughters, my mom's most memorable phrase was "a man won't buy the cow if the milk is free".

My mom gave some very good advice.

Don't ever let a boy come between you and your girlfriends. Your girlfriends will be your friends forever and he probably won't be around for long. (And yes, 25 years after high school graduation, those friends are the most precious and none of those boys are around at all).

Don't tell anybody anything unless you'd be ok with it being broadcast on TV. Don't write it down if you wouldn't want it in the newspaper. (this was wayyyyyyy before the internet!)

take care of your neck and hands- you can always tell someone's true age by looking at their neck and hands. So take are of them!
and she always used to say that I wouldn't understand certain decisions she made until I had kids of my own.

What was she wrong about? well the grade school I had to attend was absolutely horrible and did a number on my self-esteem that too A LONG time to work through (and sometimes I do find myself falling into those old traps). But she always insisted that I was getting a "good education" (but what good is a great education if you don't have the self-esteem to use it?)

however I do see know where she was coming from- she went to school in post-WW2 East Germany when education really was one of the only ways to get out.

My mom never said this, but for the most part when I think of my mom and her advice I think of this phrase: "Do as I say, not as I do." She had good advice for the most part, but she very obviously struggles to follow it herself. She too easily falls for men (something she hated to see in me when I was in high school), makes decisions based solely on what feels good (not what's responsible), and never lives within her budget, no matter how large or small.

What was she right about? "Don't get so serious about boys too fast." She was right that I should have concentrated more on developing friendships in high school rather than my dating relationships.

What was she wrong about? "Play by the rules, use them to your advantage." Playing by the rules isn't enough. There is a higher standard. Sometimes you have to focus on what you know is right, regardless of what the rules are. In other words, just because something isn't against the rules, it doesn't make it right. One time I remember I was explaining a dilemma I had in whether to prepare for a test in a way that wasn't technically cheating, but that I knew wasn't right. I lost so much respect for her when she, more or less, told me to do what I knew wasn't right. To this day I'm not sure if she understands the difference. Her own obliviousness to that higher standard (most directly in using me for her own financial gain -- at my financial expense) has caused countless strains on our relationship.

From my mom: "Nothing is forever - everything, every time, whether it is good or bad, will come to an end." I didn't believe that for a long time, but I do now.

From my great-aunt, who stole this one from Dr. Suess: "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

Thank you for sharing this... one of the best quotes/advice I have heard in a long time!

In the same vein . . .

You don't need to marry a man with a lot of money, but you should look for one with the POTENTIAL to have a lot of money one day! :D

I also remember my mother always being right about what Prom/formal dresses to wear in high school and college. My mom and I were always very close and she was a great shopping partner. I would pick about 5 dresses out to try on and she would be supportive. Then she would hand me one that I always thought was HORRIBLE on the hanger. I would try it on and sure enough it would be beautiful on. It always annoyed me that she was right!

Also, if you don't think highly of yourself, who will?