A Mother's Tips Are Always Remembered Even Well Into Adulthood

Has your mother taught you life skills that remain with you even as an adult? From the age of 0 to 7 our parents and environment are the predominent influences in life. We all know some of the quotes, skills, tips and reminders that our mothers have passed on to us. Even my mother-in-law has said some things which I will always remember. As a sixteen year old watching movies with my mother-in-law she would remind me during the sad or scary scenes "Dont worry they all go home at 5 o'clock".

My Mum has given me a lot of tips that she probably doesn't even realise she has passed on. These are a few of them in no particular order. I am hoping that I can pass some tips and good life skills on to my daughters also. I am even learning from them and can see what wonderful Mums they are with their children.

Some of the tips from my wonderful and much loved Mum are:

Tip 1 - Never Use Soap on your Face

I mention this in my book. I remember Mum showing me how a cake of soap left on a wooden windowsill  had taken the paint off. I was probably about in my teens when she showed me this and I still remember it to this day. It is good tip as using soap causes dehydration and dryness. Most skin types have a pH balane. Of 5.5 and most soap pH ranges fro 8-10. I have found even facial cleansing bars and specifically formulated bars still have a drying effect on the skin.  Once you find a good facial cleanser you will know that it is not drying because your skin will not feel tight  and dry after cleansing.

Tip 2 - Care for your Cuticles

Push your cuticles back with a towel each  time you dry your hands after washing  and after showering. This is when the cuticles are nice and soft. Pushing the cuticles back is such a good habit to get into and will pay off time-wise when maintaining your nails.

Tip 3 - Never Skip Breakfast

Always eat breakfast. I used to be the only person  who ate breakfast when I was sharing accomodation. Some of my flatmates were nurses as one of the houses I rented was close to a hospital. They would skip breakfast and eat unhealthy food such as pastries at the hospital cafeteria. If you skip breakfast  the  metabolism slows down and the body grabs hold of those unhealthy sugary carbohydrates to store as fat resources. These girls would eat donuts and pastries which was not good protein especially when working in a busy job such as nursing. Even the word “breakfast” stands for "breaking" the fast of 6 or 7 hours sleeping and not eating.

Tip 4 - Always See the Good Side

See the good in people. My Mum could always see the good in people. She said once that she cant believe that people are all bad through and through.

Tip 5 - Yummy Curry

My Mum spent some time living in India when she was younger and has always been able to make a great curry. Another Indian dish I remember her making was a yummy desssert made with vernicelli, saffron, cream and I think sultanas.

Tip 6 - Proper English

Mum has always been a stickler for spelling and good grammar. This was also because she worked as a proofreader for a newspaper in New Zealand and still pulls me up on grammar which I appreciate.  To be honest I didnt know there was a different way to use the term elder and eldest until she pointed it out to me.

Tip 7 - Be kind to other people

Mum is always kind to others,. She is always thinking about other people and has a lot of empathy. It is a trait that I love about her.

Tip 8 - Be Brave

Mum emigrated from England on a.boat all by herself in her twenties to New Zealand and has had an interesting life working in radio and newspaper as well as raising a family.

Tip 9 - Staying Young At Heart

Mum said once  she feels younger inside than her actual age. She may disagree now - she did say it though! I know how she feels as the years creep up on you which is why it is so important to make the most of each year.

Tip 10 - Darn It

Mum didn’t teach me how to darn socks – she did darn my husband's socks when she came to stay sometimes and he found a pair recently that she had darned. That is a skill I wasnt really keen to learn. I knew the word "darn" though and use it to describe "mending" when I wrote the "three D's" section of my Wardrobe Organising Workbook.

Tip 11 - Support Those you Love

Mum is always good at keeping in touch and taking an interest in the lives of people she cares about and loves. I am lucky to have a wonderful family including stepbrothers and stepsisters who look after Mum in New Zealand by keeping in touch with her also. They call in to see her on Saturdays and it is comforting to know that they do this when I am living across the Tasman. Even at her age she sends cards and gifts to the great grandchildren. They know her as "GG" for "Great Granny"

Tip 12 - Knows How to Have a Laugh

Mum has a wonderful sense of humour and has a good laugh. This is something else I really love about her. If you can laugh you can get through a lot of the trials and tribulations in life.

Tip 13 - Appreciate Good Literature and Movies

Mum loves good movies and we quite often talk about television shows that we have seen.  She loves music shows and plays. It is so good to have this in common that we can talk about. She was my inspiration for writing and still is my inspiration. I was lucky enough to have her help with proofreading also.

Tip 14 - Switched On With Technology

Mum has always been great with "having a go" at things and being able to use technology is something which has been wonderful for communication with us and the grandchildren and great-grandchildren. My younger daughter said that this is something she has seen in me also.So this is thank you to my Mum because learning how to use a computer, an ipad and mobile phone is something a lot of older people may not be willing or able to learn. I appreciate this as it has made life so much easier living in different countries.

Tip 15 - Always Makes Time

Mum always makes time for us and my grandchildren have some lovely photographs with her both on visits to New Zealand and when she has visited Australia.

Remembering the tips and ideas that our Mums have shared is a wonderful way to understand ourselves as quite often it is this influence that we carry through the generations, sometimes with variations and our own personal additions.

I have dedicated my book to my Mum as well as to my sister, daughters and other women who are all special in their own unique way. Whether a woman is a Mum, daughter, sister or friend there is a skill we all have and that is to pass on possibilities by sharing a little piece of themselves with tips and knowledge from their background, upbringing and experiences.

Moana Robinson is a Personal Stylist and Life Coach and can be contacted on moana@www.bstyledforlife.com.au

.