I grew up in a large family with six children and occasional foster children. It was a comfortable small town life and we made many lasting memories.
In a lot of ways we were insulated —it was so much safer than big city living. We enjoyed many freedoms that kids today have to be wary of. No one back in my day ever worried about being kidnapped. There were no drugs for sale downtown and the only school shooters were the kids who brought their favorite marbles to school to trade during recess.
If your childhood was anything like mine, your parents had a truckload of what I call, “Mom and Dad-isms” that you heard almost every day.
I thought it might be fun to compare the Dad and Mama-isms you heard most often with those my siblings and I heard:
“Love isn’t love, 'til it’s given away. It’s in the giving that you learn it truly does come back ten-fold.”
“Share your smile. You never know who might need one until they can find those they only misplaced for awhile.”
“Kissing a boy when they want to be kissed is like scratching a place that doesn’t itch.”
“Love is always best seen in the eyes.”
“Beauty on the inside is more important than beauty on the outside.”
“It’s nice to be important, but more important to be nice.”
“There’s all kinds of ways to say I love you. Showing someone you love them is
sometimes even better than saying the words.”
“Say what you mean, mean what you say, but don't say it mean.”
“Real love is feeling so loved and so secure that even your name feels safe in their mouth when they say it.”
“Don’t take life so seriously. It doesn't matter how old you get, your inner child is still inside. Let 'em out. Mud is for making mud pies, puddles are for splashing. Have fun and enjoy life.”
“We are all products of our environment; everything that touches us will change us, making us the person we are and will become.”
“Be kind to everyone. ‘Your kind word might be the only kind word that person heard all day.”
“Girls can do anything boys can do, except stand up to potty.”
“Hold onto your dreams. Make them happen and never say ‘I can’t’.”
“The world is your watermelon — grab it and take a bite!”“Because I said so!” (This one was said out of sheer frustration by our parents when we didn’t want to do something we were told to do and we asked “Why?” several times).
I swore I was never going to say that to my children, if I was lucky enough to have any some day.
Well … I was lucky … and you know what they say about the best laid plans. The phrase did fall outta my mouth more than just once …
(sigh)
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May the blessings continue to flow through your life and enrich your days, Good Woman!
You wouldn't want to hear the "sayings" I was raised with--they were of the helpless and hopeless variety like, "Ya can't fight city hall." Or, "Do as I say, not as I do." "Children are to be seen and not heard." And those were the least noxious ones. But, there was one cute one that I liked and I only heard it once. My uncle came over and my mother offered him coffee and a slice of apple pie. He asked if she had any cheddar cheese to melt on top of the pie. My mother said no as our family was of the a la mode school. I wrinkled my nose and said, "Cheese on pie? ICK!" To which my uncle smiled and replied, "Apple pie without cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze." Finally, a saying that was about kissing and squeezing and it even rhymed! It was the only one I ever liked.