Mommy-isms I've Never Said

My mother said “Mommy-isms” during my formative years. I suppose they were generationally acceptable, but as an adult I find them ludicrous. I am proud to say I have not said them to my children.

“If you don’t stop crying I’ll give you something to cry about.” This meant that if I didn’t stop crying I would be spanked. It never made sense to me that one would spank an already crying child, making them cry even harder. Obviously the child thought there was something to cry about!

“Nice girls wear slips.” Granted, fashion styles change over the years and at the time my mother imparted this bit of wisdom slips were a fashion staple. However, I took this snippet of wisdom to mean that if I did not wear a slip I was not a nice girl.

“Always let a boy win at sports.” Whoa! This only motivated me to try to beat a guy at a sport. Really, are male egos so fragile that they will be desolate if a girl beats them in a sport? If so, too bad for them.

“If you were smart…..” My mother often prefaced pieces of unsolicited advice with this phrase. The implication seemed to be that if I didn’t follow her advice I was not smart.

“Why? Because I said so.” As a parent I believed my children deserved an explanation for my decisions so avoided this gem. Just because I was the parent didn’t mean I was on a power trip and explaining the decision to them allowed them to better understand me and my reasoning.

There was one “Daddy-ism” I never understood. “Do as I say not as I do.” was a standard in our home. This flies in the face of the tried and true “Actions speak louder than words” which I have learned to be a true judge of character/sentiments/morality.

Life Was Simple When

Life was simpler when:

There were three kinds of tennis shoes – Keds, PF Flyers, and Chuck Taylor Converse.
Shower gel didn’t exist and people used Zest or Dial soap.
Maybelline and Cover Girl had the corner on make up.
Well groomed women chose Prell, Breck, or White Rain Shampoo.
Homes had single car garages because families had one car.
The milkman delivered dairy products to the home.
Doctors didn’t work for corporations.
Dick and Jane taught children to read.
Rollerskates required a key, a pair of shoes, and weren’t expensive.
Hopscotch and jump ropes were great playground entertainment.
Teeth were brushed with either Crest or Colgate toothpastes.
Coke, Pepsi, and 7-Up were the sodas people drank with grape or orange soda thrown in for excitement.
Koolaide and Fizzies were the drinks available to children.
Fast food restaurants were a special treat and not a daily dinner site.
Folgers and Maxwell House coffees made in percolator coffee pots were kitchen standards.
Hershey bars and M&Ms met a chocolate lover’s cravings.
White clothing was worn Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Engagement, marriage, children was the tried and true timeline.
Gas station attendants put the gas in the car, checked the oil, and cleaned the windshield.