It’s Mother’s Day. Happy Mom’s Day to all the mother, grandmothers, and aunts out there.

We’ve been talking about the best and worst advice your mother ever gave you. I just wanted to share some of what my WSB show listeners have been saying. Please feel free to add the best or worst advice your mother ever gave you to the comments section.

  • Charla recalled her red-haired, brown-eyed mother telling her “When you leave, don’t come back. But you leave, be ready because I’ll be done with my job.” She told me that when she was 19 years old, she was ready to go and live her life and says her mother did a great job preparing her for the financial consequences of living life on her own. “I see all these kids today getting into trouble and I know it’s because their parents don’t prepare them for what they have to do.”

  • Charles, who is one of 8 boys, said his mother told him “Make all the mistakes you can afford.” He says he and his brothers all ended up successful in their own rights.

  • Jane says her mother told her “Never do anything that will embarass your children.”

  • Pam called to say her Grandmother had 12 children and when each child (and then grandchild) was 10 years old, she gave them a fruitjar with 10 pennies in it. And she’d say, “I’d like to see 50 pennies in it by the time you turn 11.” She’s still saving her pennies and dollar bills in fruit jars and it has helped her for many years.

The worst advice her mother ever gave her was “Don’t marry that man.” But 47 years later, it still seems to be working out okay. “He was a laborer and she was worried he couldn’t support us.”

What kind of good and bad advice did your mother/grandmother give you?

Published: May 13, 2007