5 Lessons From Mom

On this Mother's Day it seems appropriate to take just a few moments and dwell on some of the lessons my Mom taught (and teaches!) me.

Mom, any successes I've had to date you can take pride in knowing couldn't have happened without you. And any of my short comings you can blame on Dad.

1. Don't make up other people's minds for them. That is: don't make assumptions about people and their behavior, be open to them and suspend judgment.

2. The letter grades are more important than number grades. In 2nd grade and the like, we received report cards with both numbers (1-4 on them) and letters (E for excellent, S for satisfactory, etc.).

The numbers were for quantitative items like tests, and the letters were for qualitative things, like effort put in.

My Mom made it abundantly clear: she cared about the letters. The numbers would follow if the letters were good.

And she was 100% right.

3. Bored is a four letter word. Ever want to get my mom annoyed? Just say you are bored. "People are boring, not situations" she would often say.

It is up to you to make your own positive/fun/productive situations; you shouldn't wait around for them to just happen.

4. Stand Tall. I'm a bit taller than anyone in my family and apparently many of my friends (except Greg, who is really tall). So I had a natural cause for stooping down a bit.

Mom would have none of it. She understood how important body language is and how it can effect your personality.

5. Laugh often. The best glue that held my parents, and I suppose our family, together was laughter. My Dad has dodged countless bullets by making my Mom laugh just when she was most upset.

Happy Mother's Day Mom! Thanks for these and all the other lessons you've passed on to me. See, at least a few of them stuck.