8 Things I learned from my mom

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Since we celebrate mothers in May, I wanted to share some of the things I learned from my mom. Today, I’ll cover eight.

1. Be generous. Mom tucks money in my purse for gas and pays my children for helping on the farm. She buys gifts for her children and grandchildren based on things she knows about them. One year, she brought me a cake on my birthday, so I wouldn’t bake my own. When my daughter was born and the pies I had ordered from a Thanksgiving fundraiser were cancelled (this was the one year I didn’t make my own pies.), Mom baked me two pumpkin pies.
2. Work hard. Mom worked outside the home and raised four children. She delegated chores as we grew up. That’s how we learned to work hard too, cleaning the house, tending the garden, doing the laundry, making the supper, mowing the lawn. My mom still mows a huge lawn and helps my dad with farm chores. (I won’t tell you her age because she wouldn’t like that, but I believe that keeping active, keeps her healthy. I know people her age and younger who can’t do as much because they became sedentary earlier in life.)
3. Take care of yourself by keeping preventative appointments like going to the dentist, the optometrist, and the doctor for your physical.
4. Eat at home. Mom prepared home-cooked meals and encouraged me to learn to cook.
5. Save money. Mom saved money and took us school shopping at Maxwell Street Days in August. She used coupons and shopped sales. Growing up I don’t remember ever not having what I needed, but I know money wasn’t something to be frivolous with. I don’t recall shopping at other times of the year, just the school shopping where we got shoes, clothes and classroom supplies. If we don’t need it, don’t buy it. Of course, if Mom found a good deal, she often bought the cardigan, for example, in different colors.
6. Keep good records. My mom keeps detailed financial records in a big ledger. She is very organized with her receipts and important papers. I try to replicate this, but I know she is much better at it than I have been. Of course, she has an entire farm to keep track of while I have a household, but I still could learn from her recordkeeping.
7. Read. My mom has shelves and shelves of books stacked deep and high, even after giving many away. She always has a novel to read and searches used book stores for more.
8. Dress for the weather. In the winter, wear extra socks and winter boots when it’s cold and snowy. Pack emergency supplies.

There are countless things my mom taught me over the years, but here are some that quickly come to mind. What are some of the things that you learned from your mom?

I hope you had time to spend with your mom recently and that you had a happy Mother’s Day on Sunday.

Book photo by Ed Robertson, Unsplash.