Things My Mother Never Taught Me - And Things That She Did
Bonnie is a student teacher and fello list-lover who blogs at This Child Left Behind.
There are some things that most girls would learn from their mothers, such as:
- how to put on make up
- how to use an eyelash curler (which STILL looks more like a torture device than a beauty tool to me - or maybe those things are the same?)
- how to use a tampon
- boys, dating, and marriage
- skin care
- hair care
- why it is important to wait for the first coat of nail polish to dry completely before putting on a second coat
- how to not kill yourself when wearing high heels
And so on. My mother never taught me these things - I had to learn from books and magazines and older girl cousins. Until I managed to figure all of that stuff out on my own, I resented her for not giving me a set of information that most girls my age had in abundance.
However, here are the things I DID learn from my mother that some girls my age have yet to know:
- how to knit
- how to keep track of my income and expenses, as well as an awareness of costs and frugality
- how to do my own taxes
- why it is important to (eventually) own a home
- how to invest my money
- Chinese: the language, the culture, and a love for it
- how to mend clothes, so that I don’t have to throw away a perfectly good pair of teaching pants just because of a little tear
- how to make “tong yun” (a Chinese rice flour dumpling, usually in soup; can be sweet or savory) and “dan tat” (egg custard tarts)
- how to repel unwanted attention from sleazy men
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4 comments:
My mum didn't teach me any of that stuff either. And I still haven't figured most of it out for myself.
She did teach me how to love, respect myself, look after my money, take calculated risks, find my independence, and live on a shoestring though.
My mom did not teach me:
* how to cook
* how to sew
* financial responsibility
* healthy body image/self respect
My mom did teach me:
* how to clean like I have o.c.d.
* how to deal with a hangover/overdose
* how to be deceptive/manipulative (I really hate that)
* how to network socially
* the basics of childcare for small children
* she was never really good for homework help or school involvement but always had know what I was writing and would always offer critique weather I needed it or not. I think it was very important to her that I learn to write well and express myself with aplomb.
My mother never taught me any of those things either, she still wonders how I ever learnt :P.
Most of that was self taught.
But my mum has taught me so many important things, such as;
-loving others/taking care of others
-time management
-cooking
-being environmentally friendly
-sewing/knitting (though I forget how...)
-being happy with what you have
-how to use an old-school typewriter
Upon countless other things :).
I love lists as much as anyone, but can you elaborate on how to repel advances from sleazy men? I could use a brushup on that one!
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