That if you go out and happen to buy some clothes or shoes that aren’t, strictly speaking, necessary, the bag can stay in the trunk of the car for a while, then come inside for a few more days, then the contents of the shopping bags can be hung up or worn. Then, when asked, the answer is: I’ve had these for a while, you just haven’t seen me wear them.
The kettle must come to a rolling boil, and the pot must be “hotted”, or it isn’t proper tea.
Really good soup starts with actual chicken. Not so good soup comes out of a can. My mum had a few dishes that were unequaled–homemade chicken soup, and her pastry was simply wonderful.
The proper way to wash a floor is on your hands and knees. (So true, alas, and done about every third wash. All the stuff you can find when you’re down on that level…)
Always wear your seatbelt. (Except for that time I drove across the parking lot… and I felt guilty about it.)
Speak and write properly. It affects how you are perceived by others. As a teen-aged girl, my mother constantly irritated me by correcting my grammar and habitual phrases ("…then she goes, ‘Mr. Pratsky’s giving us two assignments–’ would lead to the interjection: “She goes? Where did she go? Or do you really mean that she said?” I would reply with anguished shrieks. However, now I notice poor speech and writing habits in others.)
My mother also taught me the phrase “Who’s she? The cat’s mother,” which I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone else my age use.
Agh! The most important thing my mother taught me that stuck–
Reading.
Not because you have to, but because you want to. I saw my mother read magazines, newspapers, novels, non-fiction, everything. (Dad was a reader, too.) There were always books in our house, along with periodicals and newspapers, and if I was curious about something on the adult shelf, that was okay, and I had plenty of books of my own. We were always taken to the library, and I got books for birthdays and Christmas. I still miss not getting one big hardcover from “Santa” at Christmas. (And it kept me content on Boxing Day and until school re-started.)
Also: do not ever, ever wear knee-high hose with skirts or dresses. Pantyhose or nothing. And god help you, it better be panty-hose. “Nothing”, especially if you’re working in an office, is frowned upon. (I er, sometimes break this rule, and skip hose in summer.)
How to make the best Yorkshire Pudding! Also when money is tight how to throw together a good meal from what you have in the pantry/freezer and how to stretch those leftovers!
My Dad taught me that shy bairns get nowt ie ask questions a healthy curiosity was always encouraged in our house.
Read something everyday and don’t be afraid to try new things.
This and so much more. I had amazing parents and an amazing childhood and I am very thankful for it.
My mom always kept the thermostat in our house rather low. She said it was healthier for us as well as that it saved energy. As a result I tend to be much more comfortable in a slightly underheated apartment. My roommate thinks I’m weird.
I am nowhere near as neat as my mom is, but I have picked up certain habits: don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink for more than half a day, don’t leave half-eaten food lying around, sweep and mop the floors at least once every three days. She also instilled in me a reverence for paper towels. She used them very, very sparingly. The first time my roommate tore off a sheet to wipe up some spill I almost fainted. Use a rag! Not the paper towel! (I really don’t know why my mom was so anal about paper towels, upon reflection - maybe I should ask her next time I call her.)
Do not wear knee-high hose EVER. It does nothing but slowly succumb to gravity all day, making you spend more time hitching it up than getting anything else done.
Or maybe that’s just me.
I remembered something else my mom taught me and not my sisters: Don’t drive like Dad. My dad drives like a bat out of hell. He taught all three of us to drive, but my mom’s frantic stomping on the invisible brake pedal stuck with me only. I’m the only one who hasn’t gotten a speeding ticket. Yet.
My mum was a stickler for that very phrase…and I’ve passed it down to MY kids, who unfortunately never quite got the gist of it.
It’s like when my sprogs relate a story starting, “When Jack and me…”, and I interject with, “When Jack and I…”, and they retort with, “It wasn’t Jack and you, mum, it was Jack and me…” just to give me the shits.
At one point I gave up all hope that my kids could ever venture beyond the grunt and point stage. They did, and I was much astonished at how stuff could rub off in the long run.
If you can’t finish what’s on your plate, at least finish the meat. I don’t think she did it on purpose, but I’m still compelled to finish the meat if I think I’ll get full before I clean my plate.
It is also a sign of laziness and, if you want to go a step further to WAY FUCKING OUT THERE LIKE PLUTO, muscular dystrophy. I cannot abide dragging of the feet. It gives me the willies.
I think there’s a bit more to it than that. For example:
Kid: “Dad, please can I go to the park?”
Dad: “Not now, sorry - I’m busy cooking tea, so I can’t take you.”
Kid (pointing to another room, where Mum is): “Can’t she take me?”
Then cats get mentioned.
OTOH, “Mum says we can go in ten minutes. She’s nearly finished watching her TV programme” - that’s fine.
Oh, sorry if that comes across cattily(!) - I’ve been divorced a couple of years now, but the bitterness still surfaces once in a while.
Mom always put the old ketchup bottle over the new one to catch the last teaspoonful, but she warned not to try that with Italian salad dressing, because the dregs were always just vinegar with no oil.
Put a dirty pan back on the heated stove with water in it to get the stuck on food off. Hot water and dishwashing liquid works to pour grease down the drain without clogging it. Glasses go into the cabinet top side down to prevent dust. Make the bed the minute you get out of it to make your house look tidy. Send thank you notes within three days of receipt of a gift.
Fortunately, there were hundreds of things like these that I managed to disregard. The woman is a gem but a bit fastidious.
You can make at least three different meals (usually more) out of a roast chicken.
You enjoy play more if you’ve done all your work first. This drives my husband nuts since he’s very into putting work off as long as possible.
Hospital corners are important. Again, I have a conflict with my husband about this since he grew up in a home that used only a light cover on the bed that didn’t tuck into the bed.
You should always clean house before leaving for a long trip - that way you come home to a clean house and don’t feel like you need to clean in addition to unpacking. (I wish I’d followed this when going to India - I just got back Saturday after being away a month and was horrified by the amount of clutter we’d left lying about.)
