The other day, as I was participating in my morning ritual of thickly covering my aging skin with body lotion, my mother’s voice came into my head, and I was reminded of one of the many things she told me during my youth that I should have paid more attention to.
She always told me how important it was to take care of your skin daily. Like most teens, I had youthful skin at that stage in my life, and never considered applying lotion unless I was sun burned.
Unfortunately for me, that saying that we all know—“mother knows best‗is completely true. I’m now in my 40s, and obviously I have the same skin that I did as a teen, except for the fact that it has lost its youthful glow and appearance.
Having been pregnant three times and having spent all of my summers poolside or at the lake, taking in the sun’s harmful rays, my skin has started to show its age.
Remembering this tip from my mother started up a spiral of thoughts in my mind, which led me to compile a list of the top five things that my mother told me—things I should have listened to:
1. Lotion. Mom always said to apply it at least once a day. As I look at my dozens of stretch marks and dry elbows, I wish I would have taken heed to this advice years ago. My mother has amazing skin, and she attributes that quality to her lifetime commitment to lotion.
2. Good Shoes. My mother always rolled her eyes at me as I left the house in flat sandals. She told me that I was only given one pair of feet and that quality, supportive shoes were important. Once again, I blew this advice off, as I was always more concerned with the latest fashion over comfort. Because of that, I now suffer from constant foot pain that requires supportive inserts. Mom was correct again.
3. If You Don’t Have the Cash, Don’t Buy It. This day in age, everyone has several credit cards and most people hardly ever pay with cash. My parents were the type that only used cash and still do to this day. My mom’s tip was that if you didn’t have enough cash on you to purchase something, then you didn’t need to buy it. They never had credit card debt, and they tried to raise me the same way. Unfortunately, during my college years I received my first plastic card in the mail and that very item was what helped me get into a debt that took me over 15 years to dig myself out of. Another piece of great advice that I should have listened to.
4. Time with Family is Never Wasted. No truer words have ever been spoken. My family has suffered many losses, and while I was young, my mother always tried to get me to go visit my grandfather more often while he was home with cancer. At the time, being a teenager, I didn’t realize how precious life was—and it hit me hard after he passed away. He was one of the most important people in my life and had a huge influence on me, and I missed the chance to spend quality time with him before he departed. This lesson is a hard one, and something everyone should remember.
5. Be Happy with What You Have. Some people spend their lives always worried about getting the latest technology or owning a collection of vehicles. Neither my mom or dad are into material things. They live in a farmhouse that’s over 150 years old, without cable television and are two of the happiest people I know. My mother always tried to tell me to be happy with what I have, instead of worrying about what other people own or the homes that they reside in. I raised my children in a tiny, one-bathroom home and was constantly in awe of other people’s houses, convinced that my life would be greater if I had more; in reality, there are thousands of people in the world who would give anything to have the life that I was living.
Both of my parents taught me thousands of life lessons throughout my childhood that I will never forget and continue to live by, but these are just a few small ones that my mom swore by—and the ones I wish I had taken more seriously during my younger years. I’ve passed these tips on to my daughters, who I’m sure will also learn their lessons the hard way, just as I did.
The words are still true: mother always knows best.
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Author: Jill Carr
Image:Â Instagram @momma.loves.cake; authors own
Editor: Yoli Ramazzina
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