34
Happy mother's day! In the spirit of mother's day, I asked my wonderful, adorable, all-knowing mother to guest blog for me on Eat.Pray.WOD! If you've read my stuff or you know me in real life, you know how much I love my mother. LOVE HER. I talk to her absolutely everyday and I couldn't have possibly been blessed with a better mentor, life coach, and role model. She loves me enough to do the things that hurt her because she knows I'll be better for it. She's incredible, pretty much. Mama Nancy believes that there are some things that every mother should have taught her child, 5 things, to be exact. SO here it is: a mother's day post from Mama Nancy herself. *********************************************************** 5 things every mother should teach her child by: Mama Nancy 1. "Can I tell you a secret?" As a lawyer, I've seen all kinds of bad people and as the mother of a little girl, I always want to protect her. One easter weekend, my younger brother, Sonny, told Aislinn "you know, your mother is as old as dirt. But don't tell her I said, it's a secret." Promptly, Aislinn ran to me and yelled, "MAMA! Uncle Sonny says you're as old as dirt!" Darling, isn't she? My brother said, "I said that was a secret!" to which Aislinn replied, "Mama says that 'a secret' means to tell mama." At that point, I knew I had done right. Never would I have to worry about someone sketchy "telling a secret" to my daughter because she knew to share secrets with her mama. Even if the secret is that I'm old as dirt. 2. Mama may be mistaken, but she is never wrong. This is one of my favorites. While Aislinn was growing up, I had to deal with listening to her problems and then, when I tried to give advice, she'd say "you can't possibly understand what I'm going through!" I'm so sure. And I'd give my advice anyway and Aislinn would say, "whatever, mom, you're so wrong." But sure enough, right I was. Everything happened just like I said it would and she would come to me and say, "you were so right. Everything happened just like you said it would." And I got the immense joy of saying, "your mama may be mistaken, but she is never, ever wrong." 3. Mama always, always, always knows I'm not sure what made her think it, but Aislinn always thought she could get away with things. And yet, I always knew. Snuck an extra diet coke? I saw that. Took a trip to San Antonio without telling anyone? I knew that, too. Call it a mother's intuition. Or maybe my daughter just wasn't fooling anyone. I learned that a mama always knows when I was a teenager and my mama taught me. My brother Sonny and I were playing a game where we would flip each other the bird when Mother wasn't looking. Each time she turned her back, one of us would flip the other one off. We thought we were so sly, knowing this hand sign that our mother didn't know about and it was so insulting! Until, at dinner, we looked up and ever so slowly, a sly smile crept over Mother's face as she lifted her hand and then lifted her middle finger at my brother and I. Needless to say, we were shocked and chose not to play that game again (at least until we were adults). 4. Always say please and thank you. Manners are big in my house. It's important to make sure that you let people know that you appreciate them for what they do. Which is why it's always necessary to say "please" and "thank you". If you know my daughter, you know that it's important to her to send thank you notes to those who have done something for her. Remember to always show your thanks to those who have helped you. You never know, your kind words may have a bigger impact than you think! 5. Always wear clean underwear. It shouldn't have to be said, but, you should always put on clean underwear when you leave the house. Why? Because wearing dirty underwear is gross. And because what if you're in an accident and they have to cut your clothes off? How embarrassing for your mama when they have to let her know that your underwear was dirty! Save your mama some embarrassment and put some clean undies on. And while you're at it, wash behind your ears and brush your teeth. Make your mama proud. Don't let your smelly flag fly in public. Bonus: When you think it's a compliment, it's really a curse. I taught this to Aislinn, but I learned it from my mama, Grandma Nancy. Growing up, I was your typical teenager: headstrong and stubborn. I ran my mother ragged. One day, when she was particularly frustrated, she said to me: "one day, I hope you have a daughter just like you." At the time, I believed this was a huge compliment…until I had Aislinn. All of a sudden, I had my own stubborn, headstrong daughter and I realized that my mother's "compliment" was actually a curse! As a mama, I couldn't have been blessed with a better daughter. I am so thankful that she is so determined and strong. I don't know what I would do without her daily calls and texts. I thank God and St. Jude for my miracle baby everyday. Happy mother's day to all the mothers out there! Enjoy your day! ********************************************************** Sha. My mama is the sweetest. And blessed am I to be a woman in this wonderful lineage. My mama (and my grandma) are made of some kind of invisible steel. I can only dream of being as strong as they are one day. We hope y'all had the best mother's day and treated your mamas (or got treated to!) something super special!
From Left to Right: Grandma Nancy Sr., Mama Nancy Jr., and yours truly! I know, we're triplets. Creepy, right?
