My mom is a genius.
Today is her birthday, so I thought I’d share some of her wisdom with you. I’ve been blessed to be the beneficiary of it for my entire life, and it deserves a wider audience.
1. Marriage is the foundation of your family, so you have to take the time to protect it. She would tell me this when I had to babysit my five younger siblings while she and my dad went out on a date.
At the time, I didn’t know what she was talking about, but I think about this all the time. My parents had been married for over 58 years when my dad passed away last year.
2. Gratitude changes things. Whenever I had a problem as a kid, she would tell me to find ten things to be grateful for. I still do this. I have gratitude journals that I’ve used on and off over the years. Whenever I’m having a hard time, I write in it every day until I get things turned around. I also like taking the month of November to purposefully be grateful to prepare for Thanksgiving. It definitely changes things!
3. The work of a child is play. My mom loves toys and considers them the equipment needed for kids to learn. She really should be hired by a toy company to evaluate toys. She can look at a toy and see the play value in it.
I remember when I was into Barbies, and I would get ALL of them out. I’d create their homes and the story of their lives. I’d have so much fun and really get into it. And then bedtime would come.
She didn’t make me clean it all up every night. She let me come back to it and build on the stories I had created. Eventually, it had to be put away but only when I was done.
4. Transitional Ages – 3, 13, and 17. I actually have a video about this one. You can find it HERE.
There are so many other things I could share, but this is getting long enough.
Are you fortunate enough to have someone like my mom in your life? What kind of wisdom have they shared with you? How has it shaped your life? I’d love to know!
My mother’s wisdom has helped me become the person I am. She has always encouraged me to share my gifts, and I know that is one of the reasons I do what I do.