What would my mother say?

hollysteers

Do what you don’t want to do first of all. A good saying.

However my mother gave me a complex about my glasses which I really needed. “Take them off” she would say when out.
I still hate wearing them outside of the house, unless tinted and wear contact lenses.
She wore glasses herself, but many people never knew. She took them off at the bottom of the road before arriving home.

Mine was the opposite, I think she thought my persevering with rigid contact lenses in the 70s was a bit vain (granted, I found them a struggle at times).

She persuaded me to wear my glasses on my wedding day, as they were more “the true me”. Fortunately I ditched them soon after the ceremony, so I did get some decent photos of me without the Deidre Barlow massive gigs. And “the true me” has been wearing contact lenses now for 55 years.

How about "they saw you coming" in response to me making an extravagant purchase of some kind.

"Don't get your hopes up" was what my mother would say whenever there was a chance I might do well at something.

I understand her reason for saying it, as im sure she thought that moderating my expectations would save us some disappointment if something didn't go as well as hoped or expected. But in my case, all it did was make me too anxious even to try many things for fear of failure.

We do " grandad would say" in our house about my dad usually involving something purchased that he would have thought hadn't been made well or finished properly! 🤣
He died 13 years ago and my daughters are in their 30s but its still a regular refrain

Don't put your jacket on indoors or you won't feel the benefit when you go outside (in the cold).

CanadianGran. Thanks for the memory I’d forgotten all about cleaning with dads undies !

Ha, I sometimes laugh when I throw out an old pair of underwear of DH's, and think 'I'm not using that for a dust cloth!" Mum would save them, and I hated dusting with my Dad's old underthings!

I think about my mum many times through the day especially when I’m cleaning. Today I did what she used to call a lazy dust ! Picking things up to clean underneath instead of removing everything first, tut tut 🤣

shysal

My mother always insisted that I wore a vest, or even worse a liberty bodice, much to my embarrassment in the school changing rooms. I have never worn a vest since! The same applies to wearing an apron.
She always worried what the neighbours would think. When my father was sent out to buy fish and chips they had to be hidden in a shopping bag.

Oh boy, the liberty bodice. Never was any garment so ill-named. I felt trapped in it. My Mum was scathing when she found I had stopped wearing a vest. "They soak up the sweat" she said. I replied, "They make me sweat".

"Ladies don't wear trousers" was one of hers. When Dad started taking my sister and me horse riding, we had to change in the car and leave our trousers in the boot. She was totally horrified when I got a motor bike and wore jeans. I told her, it was jeans or the very revealing mini skirt of the day, because I was not giving up the bike.

I used to find it somewhat unsettling when I opened my mouth and my mother's words would come out. Now I appreciate what a wonderfully wise and erudite woman she was

Crossstitchfan

I was the same years ago, but with Tampax. I always used to buy boxes of 40 but as I got nearer the grand old age of 50, and my periods were becoming a bit erratic, I started buying them in 10s again in case I didn’t need the whole box! How stupid was that??

In younger days I often said stocking up on sanitary protection guaranteed me another pregnancy The last time I stocked up my very regular periods just stopped, no warning, no lightening of flow or longer gaps, just never again. Exactly like my mum who said it was like a tap was turned off. Can't remember what I did with the unused supplies.

I was the same years ago, but with Tampax. I always used to buy boxes of 40 but as I got nearer the grand old age of 50, and my periods were becoming a bit erratic, I started buying them in 10s again in case I didn’t need the whole box! How stupid was that??

Oh Deeda, I think this often! I bought a new bed last year and found myself saying to the salesman.." that'll see..." ,just stopping myself in time. I'm seventy three.

Astitchintime

“although I draw the line at sewing worn sheets side-to-middle.”
I remember my mum doing this with the striped flannelette bedsheets…….and what a palaver it was too! And when the sheets were really past their best she made dusters and hankies out of them……..apparently the dusters were perfect for the windows and the hankies much kinder on sore reddened noses when we children were poorly.

Oh, those sides to middle sheets! I really disliked them.

My mother had a proverb, a saying for every occasion. I grew up on them.

Every cloud has a silver lining! (Chin up!)
All roads lead to Rome the Midlands
A bad workman blames his tools (be more careful, dear)
A stitch in time save nine. (Cue sigh from me)
A watched pot never boils! (it will surely boil in the same time?)
Many hands make light work (come and make the white sauce for dinner)

Etc etc.

Don’t put off to tomorrow what you can do today.
DH is the exact opposite!!

Now I'm 79 I frequently find myself repeating her favourite "That'll see me out" when I buy things.

I'd rather go out with no knickers than no lipstick !
I never wear lipstick!

My mother said, 'you never regret an extravagance' and I have stuck to that, and agree with her.

Whenever I went out at the weekend with a bunch of friends my mum would say “now lass, keep your thinking head and your knickers on”.
I was always too embarrassed to reply but looking back it was pretty good advice.

shysal

My mother always insisted that I wore a vest, or even worse a liberty bodice, much to my embarrassment in the school changing rooms. I have never worn a vest since! The same applies to wearing an apron.
She always worried what the neighbours would think. When my father was sent out to buy fish and chips they had to be hidden in a shopping bag.

OMG! Did we have the same mum??

When I walk into the garden with wet/damp hair I hear my mother saying ‘You will catch a chill”. I never did. 😉

My Mother had two responses to any requests from my sisters and I.

“Let me and my heart take counsel for war is not of life the sum” which meant that there was a chance she would agree.

Those who ask don’t get.

The latter was more frequent.

Good advice from your mum Cabbie.

Mum often used to quote from the Bible, in the King James Version, “ I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content”.
I don’t think she meant one should accept an injustice without complaining. It was more that she accepted that she needed to make the best of what she had. She had little money when we were young, and when she was older she was in a lot of pain, but was very stoical about it and never grumbled.

Mum is still here. In her nineties.

She thinks anyone who leaves washing on the line overnight is a slut.

I do it all the time haha!