Wednesday 2 June 2021

Parental guidance.


My late mother had a quiver-full of wise observations that she would drop into conversation unexpectedly. Quite why I remember some of them, I really don't know. This one was a classic....

"You can always tell a drug addict by his dirty finger nails"

On the wisdom of going to a particular cinema on the South Coast, she told me....

"If you go in there, you'll catch Foot and Mouth disease"

Some of her wisdom was quite sound....

"Never do anything that you would later be ashamed of"

Or when I was very small....

"Never do anything you wouldn't do in front of Jesus" (she wasn't religious, but I expect she thought this a more powerful message)

Her most common advice was....

"If you can't be easy, be as easy as you can" (I like this one)

And her most optimistic advice, although I'm not sure it's correct, was....

"Everything happens for the best".

What wise advice did your mother give to you?


36 comments:

  1. She said "Growing old is no fun", "Don't be so serious!" and "Show kindness to less fortunate people".

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    1. "Always look after the under-dog" was another one of my mother's; you've just reminded me.

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  2. I don't think she did - perhaps she should have

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  3. My mother said, 'keep your hand on your halfpenny'. ;o)

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    1. Similar to 'Look after the pennies, and the pounds will look after themselves'... very wise words.

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    2. Think you'll find MQ's mother wasn't talking about money....;-)

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    3. Was I being naïve? Woops!

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  4. I don't remember any being verbalised. I think she just led by example.

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    1. I enjoy reminding myself of these little phrases. The one about drug addicts is probably responsible for my being very conscious of having clean nails.

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    2. I don't think 'drug addict' ever featured in my mother's vocabulary or anything to do with them.

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    3. And I don't know why she associated them with dirty finger nails.

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  5. I don't remember any of those but the one I have always tried to live by is "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,"

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    1. You must remember 'be easy, but if you can't be easy, be as easy as you can'. She used to say it all the time. I think it came from her mother.

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  6. My mother was another who just led by example. My father was full of one liners which have gone down in family history.
    His most popular one was 'if someone offers you money don't ask questions, just say thank you and take it'.

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    1. Wise man; your dad. No-one's offered me any yet, but I'll remember the advice.

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  7. I don't know about wise words but my mother's most frequent advice was to tell me to keep quiet as nobody would want to listen to me.

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    1. Charming! I don't wish to judge your mother, but those are hardly words of encouragement.

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    2. JayCee, my heart goes out to you.

      Hope you learnt early on that mother doesn't always know best.

      Hug,
      U

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  8. My mother's words (when she was young and I a child) ring in my ears to this day. Some of her sayings were amusing, others baffling, most of them usually surprising - not least because she delivered them in such matter of fact short bursts that made me momentarily stop me in my tracks.

    Two I'd love to share with you. But it's difficult. One because a lot gets lost in translation. Two because one of them a piece of advice she gave me when I wasn't even ten and barely ever adhere to this day. If you knew what it was you wouldn't be the only one to either laugh or groan. Three? Well, the second best advice she gave me was in form of a poem. A poem by a German, well, poet. And his advice I did indeed heed. The other coin of advice number one.

    If the above a little opaque, forgive me. Some things we best keep to ourselves (my - not my mother's - advice).

    What I'd like to know is how your mother came to know about drug addicts. Reminds me of comic strips of my earliest childhood where all villains were Mongolian slit eyes, dark of skin - naturally.

    U

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    1. I'm sure she didn't know any 'drug addicts'; she wasn't that type. I have no idea where the advice came from; she probably made it up!

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  9. My funniest story about dirty fingernails comes from a NPR program I listened to. An author was talking about her Irish gran who used to say that she loved to make Irish soda bread. Why? When she was done kneading it, the grime under her fingernails was gone. She loved that. That author said that even as a young child, it occurred to her to wonder where that dirt went...and when she figured it out, it put her off grandma's Irish soda bread for the rest of her days.

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  10. My dad spouted wisdom like a geyser. I am 64 now, and can say that really, most of it was angry nonsense. One biggie was "always speak your mind. People respect that."

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    1. I rather wish I hadn't heard your 'dirty nails' story. As someone who is obsessed by cleanliness in all things culinary, it fills me with horror. Yes, I think your Dad's wisdom could end-up with a black eye!

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  11. Mum - nothing I can remember. Dad - 'If no one can read your signature no one can copy it'. My signature is very flamboyant because of this.

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    1. All French signatures seem to end with a rough circle, then a big sweeping line to the right. They all look the same.

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  12. Lovely photo. I don't remember any wise advice from anyone. My maternal grandfather told me once that if your are a reader, you will never be bored. He was right about that. He, who bathed once a week in a couple of inches of tepid bath water did offer advice about drying off after bathing. Sea saw the towel between your legs. I have no idea.

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    1. The towel business reminds me of the Rugby Club I played for. It was very popular amongst players.

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  13. Never be jealous of what other’s have. It is a waste of time and diminishes you. Class is not what you own, but how you treat people.

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    1. Oh, if only everyone would take note of that!

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  14. Always put clean knickers on in the morning - you might get knocked over by a us.

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    1. I received the same advice but with 'underwear'.

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  15. "If you don't respect yourself, no one else is likely to."

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  16. "More haste, less speed".
    I have learned the hard way that she was right - if I rush something it will take longer to get it right!

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