This Mother’s Day feels a little different than those in the past. This year I am expecting my first child in just a few months. Next year will be reserved for my first Mother’s Day, but I can’t help but reflect on some of the life lessons I’ve learned from my mom in my 25 years that I can only hope to pass along to my kids someday. Our son makes for her sixth grandchild and let me tell you what, no one is better suited for Nana life than her.
As I was picking out Mother’s Day cards, I wondered if my mom knew just which life lessons have really stuck with me. I picked out a card for her but none of them quite said what I wanted… so here we are. I hope if any of these sound like your mom or your “like a mom” person, you’ll share it with her.
Life Lessons I’ve Learned From My Mom
1. Don’t let anyone tell you how to feel
I’ve been called emotional, sensitive, a delicate flower my whole life. It’s not always easy to wear my emotions on my sleeve but I’ve never let anyone tell me how I should feel. She taught me that my feelings were and still are valid even if that is to the discomfort or inconvenience of someone else. It’s easy to let the world dictate how you should feel but I’ve held firm in this lesson. She didn’t just say it, she modeled it.
2. Make everyone feel like a someone
To my knowledge, she has never actually said these words. This is just who she is. She modeled this time and and time again in my life. It’s one of the reasons she’s a fantastic host and the conversation always seems to follow her. She can make the shyest person feel seen and make the introvert feel like the life of the party. She will find common ground with most anyone and is a great conversationalist. I am nowhere near as good as her but I try like hell.
3. Don’t tell anyone how to spend their money
And don’t let anyone tell you how to spend yours! Pretty self explanatory but I love it. It’s not your business, you didn’t work for it, and you don’t get to tell people how they should spend it or what their priorities should be with it.
4. Trust people until they give you a reason not to
My mom taught me this in high school when I was dating my first serious boyfriend. There’s no point in snooping or looking for trouble, people will show you exactly who they are. Until then, trust them until they give you a reason not to. This always felt to me like permission to be carefree and in love because why not? There’s no reason to been cynical or skeptical about someone until they give you a reason. That’s no way to live. And when that boyfriend ended up cheating, I carried the lesson with me into my next serious relationship which ended up being my husband. She always said, the next person shouldn’t have to pay for the last one’s mistakes.
5. Put yourself in their shoes
Before you pass judgment, put yourself in their shoes. Again, I’m not sure she ever said the words but she always gave people the benefit of the doubt first. She would audibly concoct a reason why someone could be in the situation they were in and it taught me to always consider that I may not know the whole story. Her example taught me that life isn’t always black and white. I suppose that’s the empathy in her.
6. Helping others might bite you in the ass, do it anyway.
Sometimes generosity turns around to bite you in the ass, do it anyway. My mom and dad have always been such great examples of this. I can’t count how many times I’ve watched them go out of their way to help people. I don’t mean just family or people you might expect. They’ve helped employees, me and my siblings friends, and strangers off the street. And consequently, I’ve witnessed tons of times when it didn’t turn out great for them but they never let it stop them from helping the next person.
7. Life is worth celebrating
Celebrate everything, the big things and the little ones too! She made us feel special on “silly” holidays like Valentine’s Day and always had our favorite dinners made on the first day of school. She is our biggest fan and the first one to toast our achievements or new adventures. It doesn’t have to be a big celebration, but she taught me that life’s milestones are worth celebrating.
8. Do the little things
The devil’s in the details she always says. And she’s right. When I think of her saying this, I think of the millions of parties she thrown over the years. The little details have always made the difference. However, I think this particular mantra carried over in to my life in the form of going the extra mile for the people you love.
She thinks of everything. She’s always coming up with little ways to make us feel special or make our lives easier. Her example has taught me that showing love in the small things, ends up being the big thing. It’s always worth the effort to make your people feel appreciated.
Related post: 8 Ways To Keep Your Relationship Exciting
I could list tons more, but these 8 life lessons i’ve learned from my mom are invaluable. They stick out amongst the rest. Because she’s my biggest fan, I know she’s reading this, so Happy Mother’s Day mom. I can rest easy knowing I’ll be able learn from you and lean on you even more in the years to come.
