Lessons Mama taught me
Our parents teach us many things throughout our lives from tying our shoes to driving. It wouldn’t be any stretch either to say our mamas probably do more than their fair share of the teaching. In the South, Mama is the law no matter how old you are. Her work is never done, and the lessons she teaches you will follow you the rest of your life.
The importance of a cup of coffee: I have all too vivid memories of my mother flying into the Joseph Martin drop off line on 2 wheels just 5 minutes before we had to be in class, all because she had to have that cup of McDonald’s coffee. I would usually roll my eyes and sigh, what could possibly be so important about a cup of coffee. Well, two children later that cup of coffee is the only thing that keeps me moving forward some most days.
The importance of doing anything for your children: It’s no secret my mother isn’t a “girly girl,” but even she has her limits. When it came to her kids though, she really would (and still will) do anything. I’ll never forget when my older brother, Cody, went hunting for the first time by himself and killed a deer. My dad was working and couldn’t help him bring the deer back home, so my mom drove down to my brother and loaded that deer up in the back of her Ford Explorer. She was not about to let his efforts go to waste, or that deer meat. It certainly left its mark on all three of her children, and there has never been a time I doubted my mom would be there for us.
The importance of dressing nicely: My mother always taught me people will treat you better if you’re dressed nicely, and I have overwhelmingly found this to be true. When you go to town in your Sunday best, passers-by will smile at you and respond when you say “How are you?” but show up somewhere in your dirty hunting clothes and they will shun you like a dog with fleas.
The importance of behaving, all the time: My mother always taught me character was who you were when no one was watching. She also taught me that while there might be times in my life “no one” was watching- it didn’t mean she’d never find out about my behavior. It was of the utmost importance that my brothers and I behave well and I often still hear the phrase she’d say before we left the house “Don’t forget ‘Yes Ma’am, No Ma’am, Please and Thank you.” It was a nicer way of saying “Do not embarrass me.” Her omnipresence was made all too real when I came home from UGA one weekend to get a lecture about my driving, and why I shouldn’t run red lights. I didn’t find out until much later that Athens-Clarke County had sent my mother a very nice letter informing her of my poor driving skills along with a photo, and a ticket.
The importance of a family supper: In our household, we ate supper every night at the table. That was just the way supper was done; there was no other option. We also ate whatever it was my mother cooked, she was most definitely not a short order cook. If you didn’t like it you had better sit quietly and wait to be excused. I have made a point to carry this rule on to my own family. We spend that time without technology, and do nothing but visit with each other. It is hands
down my favorite part of the day.
The importance of kids playing outside: When I was young my mother would tell us we “would not sit like zombies in front of the TV all summer,” so she would turn the TV off (and disconnect the cable cord) kick us out of the house and lock the door behind us. We could drink water from the hose, and only I was allowed to go inside to use the bathroom, since I was the only girl. As a child, I often thought my mom really wanted us to appreciate nature or do things like she did when she was young. Now on the weekend, as I sit and change a wiggling 5-month-old baby and listen to my 3-year-old ask me for the 15th time if we can have ice cream for dinner, I think she may have had an ulterior motive. She didn’t care one lick if we communed with nature, she just wanted a moment of peace!
–Erin Johnson, Creative & Content Coordinator for the Liberty County CVB
The Right Blend Blog is written by two different authors employed by the Liberty County Chamber/CVB. As we are able, we rotate weeks and each writes about our individual experiences, opinions and let our writing reflect our personalities and creativity. All content provided on The Right Blend blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site.
