Advice your Mother gave you that you actually listened to.

[TheLostWinchesterWife]

Talking to my children today about being nice. Two seconds after they were tearing each other apart again.
Found myself saying 'I always listened to my Mum!'
...then wondered if I ever actually did.
Some of it was good and I should have followed and some was rubbish. But I couldn't think of any that I remembered thinking 'ah yes..I must remember that' so has anyone, anywhere ever listened to their mother?

"Make sure you have shared values and (legal and financial) commitment before you have children with that person."

So agree with that - DH and I are singing from the same hymn sheet when it comes to politics, religion, finances, morals/ethics...and most importantly, we 100% agree on how to bring up our DDs.

Hand on heart, I don't think we have ever argued over how to bring them up - we've argued about plenty of other stuff, but never, ever the DDs.

He thinks I do a fab job, and I think he does a fab job, too

Yes to the importance of shared values and views on what's important when bringing up children. DH and I were together 15 years before we had children and never particularly discussed what sort of parents we'd be. However the fact we both agree about what things really matter in life means we've always been in complete agreement about how to bring up DDs.

I wish I could think of something that was useful.

Some of her advice:

1. Always let your OH have the last word- he is the boss after all.
2. Never wake a sleeping baby- food is as good as sleep.
3. Women don't make good drivers- so don't learn- you will only crash.
4. Keep your virginity for your wedding night- only sluts have sex outside marriage.
5. Always make sure you iron your Ohs shirts- he will respect you for that.
6. Don't have a bank account- good girls keep out of financial matters.
7. Sex is never enjoyable, but try to smile though it.
8. Catholics are nasty people so stay away from them.
9. Never argue with a man- they always know better than we do.

I think my mother meant short people try to compensate for lack of height through bring ambitious to the point of ruthless.

I didn't say I subscribed to her pov.

Always bring your swimming togs.

Put an apple in your pocket.

Always say something sympathetic to a bereaved person. Don't worry about getting it wrong, they are too sad for you to make them any sadder, they will appreciate that you made the effort and didn't avoid them.

(This from her father, whom I never met, on buttering bread)

'Make sure you do the edges and the middle will look after itself'.

My dm was very frugal, but one word of wisdom was...

Always get measured for a bra! It always surprised me as she cut corners wherever she could.
Another was never get into debt and always pay off your credit card every month.
I've stuck to them both.

Never shave your legs above the knee. I now have lovely soft upper legs.
If you smoke dope once and it makes you feel ok then you are ok. If it makes you feel anxious, never ever touch it again.
Buy a few expensive clothes and wear them all the time rather than go to New Look every week and waste money on stuff you never wear.
Always go to a salon to colour your hair.

Don't eat in the street.

Don't sit with your legs apart.

Never a borrower or a lender be.

atthestroke holy moley!

LemonMousse your little ditty brought a tear to my eye! I must be feeling broody again, oh dear...

Never trust a man with brown eyes

Laguardia- really? What's the reasoning behind that?

Smoking is stupid

Don't worry if you don't have a boyfriend, you'll have plenty in future

Choose a nice man. Niceness is underrated

Fat is not bad for you, sugar is bad for you (she was well ahead of the curve on this one )

"Never use a man's razor- you will grow testicles"

Said to me a tthe age of 13 when she caught me using my Dad's razor to shave my legs.
I couldn't think of anything else for a year and would check myself every day.

From my mum "if you can't be good, be careful"

From my dad "if you get arrested call me, not your mother. She'll go apeshit"

I was a delightful teenager

On a serious note -

Show me your friends and I'll tell you what you are.

Get an education then get a good job, because you'll be working for the rest of your life.

"Women look cheap wearing red- especially red shoes. Never wear red lipstick. Men will think you are a prostitute"

" Don't keep unlucky things in the house. That includes figures or picture of elephants, birds, especially peacocks, trailing ivy plants, lilac flowers, lilies. Never open an umbrella in the house or put shoes on the table."

"If a thunder starm starts take all the cutlery out of a drawer and hide it. Cover all the mirrors with a sheet- retire to bed and tremble."
Which I had to do as a child- and she still does.

Just remembered another - "don't marry a man you love, marry a man you like"

I can see where she's coming from. So many of us love absolute arseholes!

that's good advice, especially after years of marriage, liking the bloke becomes more and more important

Just before she died - don't be in a rush to marry again.
Loads earlier of course - feminism, earning your own money, etc etc.

In fact her best role as grandmother was in not interfering, her ability to be supportive of your own choices rather than foisting her own on you - her keeping away in a sense, very good, very wise.

if you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all.

deny everything. and keep denying it.
[advice to her, from her good friend christine, and later passed on to me]

Never over pluck your eyebrows

I value family life and the importance of family as the core of society enormously and I think I got that from my mum, it wasn't "advice" as such but more a case of leading through example.

She also drilled and drilled into us (boys and girls) that we need to get a good education and to work all our lives. (it worked for all my siblings! I am a sham now but did work in a fab career before kids!).

Atthestrokeoftwelve In our house it was hiding the scissors and covering the mirrors.