Things my mother taught me

Having been raised as a child during the 50s, my mother was sure to program me with what she thought I needed to survive those times. Her sage wisdom included such directives as “If you eat raw cookie dough, you will get worms” and “Sitting too close to the television will hurt your vision.” Maybe she was right about sitting too close to the TV because I ended up wearing glasses at age 10 but most likely that had nothing to do with my need for glasses. At the same time, my mother always said that she just wanted her four children to be happy. What she never told us was how to do that. Perhaps that message was her wish that our lives would not turn out like hers. As an adult, my discussions with my mother revealed that most of her life was spent regretting all that she had hoped for and certainly had the ability to attain. She did not grow up in an environment that encouraged her to pursue her dreams. That seemed to be illustrative of so many women who grew up in that era. She had no blueprint to pass on to her children as to how that could happen. The best she could do was to wish us a better life than she had. The good news is that we could learn another way to live our lives. What messages did your mother teach you and how did they help shape who you are today?

‍