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What do you wish you'd inherited from your mother?

(183 Posts)
LaraGransnet (GNHQ) Tue 26-Mar-19 14:47:22

We were talking about Mother's Day and thinking about the things we really wish we'd inherited from them. For me, it would have to be my mum's singing voice - I can't hold a note, yet she can make a song out of the week's shopping list and sound like she should be on stage. What do you wish you'd inherited from your mum?

MarieLL59 Thu 28-Mar-19 10:16:15

Never normally post just read, but couldn’t resist a chance to talk about my mum now sadly passed. She never, ever lost her temper. I’m volatile. She had the most beautiful singing voice that turned heads. I can’t hold a note. And the most fantastic Glaswegian Billy Connolly-esk sense of humour. Not being brought up there I can’t do that as well as she did ?

Rosina Thu 28-Mar-19 10:13:00

Perfect teeth.
Fabulous legs - they have missed a generation, my daughter has them!
Ability to do a crossword in seconds.
Lightning dry rejoinders to any comments.
Ramrod posture.

sazz1 Thu 28-Mar-19 10:09:19

Her ability to make everything right when people in the family were arguing. Somehow she could calm the stormiest of waters and make everyone friends again. Also she told fortunes for fun with cards and tea leaves for family and friends and was often right. This was never ever for money just for fun.

Fugazi Thu 28-Mar-19 10:08:35

Her money.....she left it all to one of my brothers

Sallyann51 Thu 28-Mar-19 10:02:25

Her patience and to be a the lovely lady she was. Miss her so much.

Blinko Thu 28-Mar-19 09:57:58

My Mum died ten years ago of bowel cancer. She displayed enormous courage, fortitude and good humour through it all. I hope I can live up to that when the time comes.

On a more practical note, she had wonderful teeth. Never a filling or extraction in her life. She was nearly 89 when she died.

We miss her dearly.

25Avalon Thu 28-Mar-19 09:55:59

Laragransnet I am exactly the same. Mum had a beautiful voice and when she was young won competitions and when she was older sang at the Royal Albert Hall with the WI. I used to love hearing her sing. Sadly, like you I didn't inherit her talent. Sometimes I try to imaging I have but it never works!

gardeningsuey Thu 28-Mar-19 09:55:03

My mother was very easily pleased by the simplest things in life. She would say things were "delightful" and really mean it. Dear Mum.

Patticake123 Thu 28-Mar-19 09:50:25

Her knitting, crochet and sewing skills and her ability to make cakes that rose to perfection. Oh, I almost forgot, her ability to make the best roast potatoes and Shepherd ‘s pie that I’ve ever tasted! ?

Willow10 Thu 28-Mar-19 09:47:27

The name of my father. Too late now .......

varian Wed 27-Mar-19 17:57:12

My lovely Mum had the ability to eat as much as she liked and never put on weight. She also had boundless energy. The two were probably connected. I wish I'd inherited her metabolism.

Nandalot Wed 27-Mar-19 17:29:00

Her fabulous skin. Wrinkle free until her 80 s and then just a few hairline. Her skin regime? Occasional treatment with her special cream. I.e. the top of the milk skimmed off and left in the fridge overnight before application!

Miep1 Wed 27-Mar-19 16:39:27

Her artistic talent!

Grammaretto Wed 27-Mar-19 16:34:53

I'm not like my mother at all apart from looks. She wasn't a beauty but made the best of herself.
She was clever, competitive, witty, dynamique, musical, a wonderful entertainer and brave but quick tempered and impatient and could be rude to stupid people. She also suffered from depression and would been diagnosed as bi-polar had it been a thing in her day.
I didn't know my father, who died when I was very young, but I guess I am like him in personality.
I'll miss her on mother's day.

Scribbles Wed 27-Mar-19 16:08:57

I'd like to add to my previous post: her mental and emotional strength in adversity

Grandma70s Wed 27-Mar-19 15:02:06

I’ve always felt I could cook like her if I really tried, but perhaps I couldn’t. All her meals were spectacular. She had a real talent for cookery, plus the patience to do it. I get bored. I’m not interested in sewing, so it doesn’t bother me that I have inherited not one bit of her talent for that.

I think I am better-looking than she was, though. Perhaps not now so much, as I am getting more like her, but when I was younger. We were both tall, but I was slimmer and I think more graceful. She was rather colourless, fairish with pale eyelashes and eyebrows. I had (and have) more defined, darker colouring. I don’t think there was anything about her looks I’d have liked to inherit.

I’m nowhere near as unselfish as she was. Not sure whether it’s possible to be too unselfish. If it is, she was.

grannyticktock Wed 27-Mar-19 13:46:35

Ooh I have thought of something: my Mum had a vast vocabulary of Scottish dialect words, phrases.and quaint sayings which she used regularly. We grew up understanding them but I've lived all my adult life in England (as did my brother) and only use a few of them now. I'm sure I've already forgotten many of them, and wish I had somehow stored them, as they are now extinct in my branch of the family.

Grannybags Wed 27-Mar-19 12:06:04

I'm hoping I've inherited her health - she lived to be almost 98 even though she smoked all her adult life!

Bopeep14 Wed 27-Mar-19 11:11:59

I wish I had inherited her patience and understanding. She is a wonderful mum. I feel very lucky to have her still in my life she is 90. X

JessK Wed 27-Mar-19 11:00:45

Her ability to firmly say no in a pleasant way
Her resilience learnt during the war in London
Her sewing skills

Jane10 Wed 27-Mar-19 10:54:11

Interesting how so many of us didn't want to 'inherit' anything from our mothers.

Scribbles Wed 27-Mar-19 10:46:25

Her skills in sewing, embroidery and cake icing.
Her beautifully shaped hands and strong, elegant fingernails.

annsixty Wed 27-Mar-19 09:40:10

Like so many others I am grateful that I didn't inherit any of her personality traits.
I would have liked her height and her youthful looks though.
She wasn't entirely white haired when she died at 101 and her skin was really good.
I have always envied others who truly loved their mother and had a good relationship.
My father died when I was 11 so didn't have any bond with either of my parents.

KatyK Wed 27-Mar-19 09:26:17

I am totally different from my mother. She was downtrodden, married to a violent alcoholic. I'm sure she did her best but her children are all nervous wrecks. I inherited my alopecia from her which is pretty horrible, but not her fault obviously.

Grandma2213 Wed 27-Mar-19 00:36:21

I am so pleased to see the honesty of those who don't want to inherit from their mother. I thought I was the only one. Sadly I do see her in the mirror from time to time and though I absolutely understand why she was what she was I hate it when I see those traits appearing in myself. I am just thankful that, unlike my brother, I am able to accept her for what she was and move on.