Words of wisdom spoken by our parents [when we were children]

If you were told not to do something for example "do not climb on the wall" but you did any way mum would say " dont come running to me when you fall and break your leg"

If ever I displeased my father he would huff..."give you an inch and you take a mile"...and before I had a chance to draw breath, he'd add..."and don't TUT!"

my gran always said "doesn't matter how bad you feel never go to sleep on an arguement" then later she reminded me as I got married "the same thing applies if not more so"

In the early 60's my Mum used to say - never marry a man who wore white socks. Bizarre.

My dad used to say there's no such word as can't, especially when I thought I couldn't do my homework.

I hated it when my mother wouldn't explain things and replied to 'why' questions with the immortal, "Because I said so!". I've never said it to any of my children - no matter how tempted.

My God-father played a big part in my childhood and had a lot of wisdom to share. I remember I was about 8 or 10 years old and staying with their family for a weekend. His teenage daughter was arguing with her Mum and my God-father stepped in to tell the daughter to back off... both the daughter and Mum turned on him! As we retreated to his wonderful workshop he said to me "Never come between the bitch and the pups, Robbie, 'cos you will get bitten!"

As a child when I was misbehaving my mum would say stand still and come here !
Also my nan would say if she happened to see a young man she didnt approve of "handsome is as handsome does, was never sure what that was suppose to mean

Just looked that saying up and this is what it means so now I know
"Handsome is as handsome does" means that what you do and how you act is more important than what you look like. You should not be misled by appearances. Someone who looks good on the outside might be not so desirable on the inside and in the same way someone very ordinary-looking could be a very wonderful person to know.
So now I know

When I was 7 and my twin sisters were 5 my Mum was really cross with us and told us 'we had to pull our socks up'.....one of my sisters peered down at her legs and pulled her socks up. Mum was laughing so much she couldn't finish telling us all off.

My Mum used to say watch out for "funny people" when I went out with friends we never did see any 'clowns' though.

My grandmother used to say to me 'I'm looking at you with two eyes' Never worked what she meant! Probably that she was keeping more than an eye on me!! My mother said 'There'll be tears before bedtime' (like supernana's mother)

My mother must have been an early exponement of multitasking as she always told me to' whistle and ride' meaning do more than one job at once.

We were always encouraged to try, to do our best, even if it wasn't as good as someone else's best. My dad used to say: If a thing's worth doing it's worth doing badly.

If I tried to pull a sickie and have a day off school, my mother always told me that 'You will feel better when you are dressed' and I usually did!! That's how I got the good attendance prize!
Mind you, I did send my daughter to school with the early signs of chickenpox, I thought that it was heat rash

My mother used to drive me mad with "do as I say not as I do", I'm not sure what she was up to that I was not allowed to emulate. Sounds a bit like a lesson in hypocrasy.

My Nana who lived with us and did all the housework used to say "Nobody's going to stop their horse and cart..." meaning don't worry about people looking at you - they are not that bothered what you look like etc Which allows me to wear odd socks and to have an untidy house. A useful message - not too be too concerned about the judgement of people that really don't matter to you.
My mother, who was the breadwinner, used to say that you should always make the most of a lovely sunny day (because we didn't have that many in Wales) - which usually meant going down the beach. Carpe Diem, specially if the sun's out. Another useful message methinks.

When she suspected I was lying, my mother used to say,'Look me straight in the eye'. I got quite good at doing this!

gma I did the same with my younger daughter when she was about 5 years old. She complained about feeling unwell, but I said you'll feel better at school and sent her in. I received a call from the office to say she was unwell and was covered in a rash on her tummy. She had shingles!! What a terrible mother I must have been!! I felt very guilty. However, both my daughters never took unncessary time off school or work, so something must be worked.

If I was sitting around while she was busy my mother used to say crossly "Wear the old ones out first"

But she also frequently said "It is better to wear out than to rust away". so she was not entirely consistent.

My Granny used to say "You'll be old yourself one day".
No Granny, no I won't, never ever....
Hmmm........

If I bought something my mother considered frivolous she would say to me "girl, you're cheaper to keep a week than a fortnight"