Best thing Mom ever taught you?

Oh yes, he started working at the age of 11 and made himself responsible for his own clothing. He was a certified babysitter at 12 and passed the life guard test at 10. He also coached Lacrosse at 14 and hockey.

Holy smokes! Does he have girls (with or without their parents! LOL) lining up at the door? That's fabulous and congratulations to you on having raised such a fine and independent young man, Debs_place! Your point that he learned "because he liked to eat and have a car that worked" summarizes my thoughts exactly. I am doing the same with my girls - even on the days they fuss at me for it. They are learning how to clean a bathroom properly (not just cleaning the sink and toilet and thinking they're done), wash dishes by hand and run the dishwasher, sort laundry and run the machines (although I too hang mine outdoors and am trying to teach them more frugal habits), and more. We're working on cooking now. I don't make homemade pancakes anymore - my older daughter does it as a treat for the family. She's gotten so good at it. Not that she can live on pancakes but just an example LOL I remember teaching the younger one how to cook eggs in different ways (she can't eat them herself - she is allergic unfortunately) because she was babysitting for the whole summer and the child liked eggs for breakfast. My daughter arrived for her very first day of her job and the kid wanted eggs :D If you asked my girls, though, I guarantee they would tell you that the thing I've stressed most is how to be frugal. They earn their own spending money and they do use it cautiously. The "joke" in our house is that you learn to a stretch a dollar to its breaking point! I happen to think that's a valuable skill

As well as the sports he loves, he enjoys going to Broadway plays and musical theatre (not the ballet). Personally he will make a d*mn good husband. He wants to go to school to be a chef when he gets out of the Navy.

These are excellent points to be taught. I agree completely that people should not complain about a situation and yet be unwilling to do anything to fix it. Expecting to change another person is unrealistic -- and I think people see this all the time when they get into bad relationships, for example, because they think that by being with that person they can "mold them" into someone else. It's not a good idea and is rarely, if ever, successful. As to the other rights you mention, I give your mother applause for teaching those too! Everyone has the right to respect and to be treated properly in their relationships, no matter with whom the relationship might be. Wonderful things to keep in mind, thanks very much! :)

Hi, friend. Theses are great qualities that your mom taught you. Although, i don`t agree on some of the views your mother possesses, but, it is always good to learn from the experiences of our elder ones. Happy Mylotting!!

I don't think this is dumb or trite at ALL, irisheyes! I think it is really sound advice. As someone who has struggled with my weight all my life, I do understand the importance of not skipping meals - particularly breakfast - and maintaining and even boosting one's metabolism. Teaching that (especially to children) is a very caring lesson! Thanks for sharing it :)

This is a very sweet response, shimanaja, and I can tell you have much love for your mother. I think that teaching girls to be independent is a very valuable thing indeed. I am trying hard to raise strong, confident daughters who value themselves first and then they can value their relationships with others that much more :)

Thanks friend..always get the spirit for your own kind..:)

Ohhhhh jaizhi! I am so very sorry. Please accept my sincere sympathies for such a terrible, terrible situation. You are so right about the things your mom taught you. My mom passed away from a rare cancer and I was her primary caregiver during that horrible illness. During that time, it was like we switched places - I became the mom, she became the child. Everything I had learned from her got called into use - from preparing a special diet to bathing and changing her to cleaning and changing dressings on her tumor site, all of it. I only realized later that I was able to do many things I never thought I could do (I admit I don't have a strong stomach for medical type situations) because I knew she was counting on me to help her. The best day in all of that, I think, was when I walked into the room and I was soooo exhausted and frustrated and my mom, who hadn't been able to speak to me much by that point, opened her eyes and said, "Here comes my angel." I'll never forget that.

MY mom too passed away 2years ago july 8, 2007. A druken driving as*hole hit my mom like my mom is just a street rat that he can just kill like that. I hated the man as I am 8month pregnant then. My first baby followed my mom Aug 30,2007 I lost my baby because of my stress and all. Who wont be stressed of what happened to my mom... I was thankful for what she had taught me because even if she is gone now I know I am going to be okay because I will always remember what she used to tell me..

well,i learned a lot from my mom,such as making beds,cooking meal,being a good kid etc.But the most important thing i got was the encouragement everytime i made a progress.It was that which kept me going forward.what a great mom.I'll always be thankful.

Good manners and etiquette matters are things that really should be taught early on, I agree. I taught my children from toddler age that, for example, we eat at the dinner table. We don't get up and run around (either at home or in a restaurant or at someone else's house). We eat properly and when we are done, we ask to be excused. I worked really hard with them on these things because I wanted to be able to take them out to a nice restaurant and enjoy our time together -- all the while NOT disturbing everyone around us. It drives me nuts when children are allowed to run and play in restaurants or, even worse, crawling around under the tables and such. I know I experienced many instances where I'd get "those looks" from the staff or other patrons when I first entered a restaurant with young children... but I always got courteous service when the girls were quiet and respectful.

I fully support what you are saying here, Stephanie5. Sometimes we acquire the best in ourselves from the absolute worst of examples - and learning how NOT to live one's life is as valuable as being taught the good or "right" things. Maybe having a really poor example is empowering in that you become strong and independent and able to care for yourself and others in spite of it all.

That is excellent, bing28! She taught you something so practical in that you can benefit for yourself and your own family but, if need be, you can also apply those same skills to a workplace. Valuable lesson indeed!

Thank you so much, strawberrychocodahi... this is a wonderful response. It is so clear that your mom was very methodical in how she taught you, giving you tasks that were age-appropriate and adding new responsibilities as you grew. You mentioned Home Economics - some friends and I have discussed only recently that it's a subject that could probably do a lot of good if it were brought back into the high school curriculum, for example. At least, then, students might learn some of these life skills that perhaps they are not being taught at home. I congratulate you on your successes and also on your terrific attitude about life and the impact your parents had on where you are now. I hope that you will receive those blessings!

That's wonderful, cainam! My mom dabbled in oil painting but, sadly, I possess none of that talent. I can't draw well either. I did learn some other handicrafts from her and my grandmother though so I'm not totally lacking in creative expression *grin*

I think cooking is so much more important than a lot of people realize too, fchalida. To be a good cook means that you not only prepare good and tasty food but you also know how to make good things with the ingredients you have on hand. You don't have to rely as much on purchasing items from the store that are ready to eat and also much more expensive. So, I think that people who learn to be good cooks also learn other skills (like budgeting) that come as a result of that knowledge :)

These are very valuable traits for anyone to have, msfrancisco! And the best part is that moms have a way of teaching us that, as long as we give our best, that is always enough :)

Well thanks, Angelast9! :) I think it's wonderful that you have your mother to rely on. It really sounds like she has given you the confidence to do everything you need to do, in spite of the fact that I'm sure some of your days are really hard (I have been a single mom myself so I understand where you're coming from). When my mom was still alive, I was blessed to have had the same support you have. She laid the groundwork for me to become a responsible and independent adult but I always knew that if I was struggling to make a decision or even if I wasn't sure of something as simple as how long to cook a turkey (LOL!), I could call my mom and she'd help me fill in the blanks :)

Wow... "a lie is bigger than many truths if it saves one's life." Thank you for sharing this, scarsofdeath. This is a great statement and I will remember it.

I agree with you, smileonstar! What you were taught is indeed very valuable. For you to be able to take care of yourself, basically alone, means that you were taught good skills. Even in our difficult economy, it seems that very few young people are being taught how to properly budget. In fact, one of my daughter's friends has a credit card and doesn't even understand the bill or the terms of using and repaying credit. I like that you referred to what you learned as your mom's method. That's wonderful :)