My mother's pure wisdom
I call myself the Cluttered Genius, but that had to be learned from somewhere, right?
Most of the credit goes to my mother who has taught me numerous awesome lessons throughout my life. Now that I’m a mom myself, I hear these words and tips creeping in to my daily activity and conversations with my children. It’s evident that my mother has pure wisdom — that she, of course, passed on to me.
Go ahead and blame Mom
Growing up, I went to parties and hung out with friends. There were times that I needed an excuse to get out of the probably-not-going-to-turn-out-well high school parties. Mom was always willing to give me an “out” and told me that I could just blame her. “Tell them your Mom said you’re not allowed. I don’t care what they think of me.”
Today, with my 8 year old, I use the same line. I don’t need Miss Sassy Pants’s friends to be my friends, so they can think I’m a stick in the mud. In fact, she’s already come home from school and told me that her friends think she’s weird for wearing a jacket to school on days that have turned out to be 70 or 80 degrees. Well, it started in the 40s, and my kid is going to wear a jacket. So, I’ve told her to just blame Mom. They can think I’m the freak who has to have a jacket, and she can roll her eyes like she agrees.
Always wear lipstick
I never wear lipstick. But, when shopping with my mom, you have to stop long enough for her to check the rear view mirror before getting out of the car and heading in to the store. Mom always took time to freshen up her lipstick. I always gave her a hard time about it (ok, ok, I still do), and she’d try to beg off with the excuse that her lips were dry.
Really, she was making herself presentable. And now, I understand why. There’s something about walking in to the store with just a smidge of decency. For my mom, it is having lipstick on. For me, it’s having hair that looks decent. I hear myself having the same conversation with Miss Sassy Pants about having hair that is at least brushed.
Importance of Hydration
One thing I can count on my mom to have with her is a bottle or glass of water. Always. It doesn’t matter if we’re just going for a stroll down to the post office or if we’re going on a ten hour car drive. She’s going to have her water. And interestingly, she rarely drinks anything else.
Because of her, I realize how important it is to keep myself and my children hydrated. My younger brother was a beast if he was thirsty. Mom used to always say, “Uh oh, someone must need a drink,” and still says it about my children if they begin to act up. Wouldn’t you know it — she’s usually right.
Mom would love the Nestlé® Pure Life® Hydration Movement that is encouraging families to drink more water. Mom knows the value of a good drink of water!
Love your babies
Mom had five babies. And even though we know that the 4th baby (ahem – that’s me) was the best, she has always shown an amazing amount of patience and love for all of us. She has disciplined yet loved us. She has taught us the value of a well-rounded meal. She has stressed to us the importance of our faith.
I can only hope to be half as great a mom as my mother is. She leads by example and loves unconditionally.
What wisdom have you learned from the women in your life?
Nestlé® Pure Life’s® Facebook page is powered by almost 400,000 fans! Last year, over 100,000 fans joined the Nestlé® Pure Life® Hydration Movement by pledging to swap one sugary beverage a day with water for a year to cut 50,000 calories from their diet, and then share their family’s story of healthy hydration on the Facebook page mosaic.
Pure wisdom should be shared with others! Visit the Nestlé® Pure Life® Facebook wall and leave a comment with the hashtag #momswisdom sharing what your mother told you and how it has made you a better person.
Sponsored by Nestlé® Pure Life®. I have received consideration from Linqia on my materials, tweets and posts.
