The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

Mother’s Day always brings up memories. I wanted to have some fun this Mother’s Day by interviewing several kids and adults and asking them, “ What has your mom taught you?” The following answers are from children between 9-14 years old. “She’s taught me how to be safe.” “She’s taught me to chase after our dogs.” “That it’s okay not to do drugs.” “She helps me with my homework.” “To not suck on sugary coated painkillers.” “To not put quarters. In my mouth.” “Don’t lie.” “Don’t talk to strangers.” “Look both ways.” “How to handle chickens.” “The most important thing my mom has taught me is about Jesus and how I can be more like him.” “To learn what your teachers say, it’s very important.” “Learn from your mistakes.” “To be respectful and humble.” “She’s taught me so many things, but just talk to people. Everyone needs someone, so be that someone they can talk to.” “To not judge people by the way they appear or what you’ve heard about them cause everyone is going through something.” “Don’t smoke!” “To be nice.” “To always show love.” “Care for others.” “Keep working. So many people hear about the negative.”

When I talked to the adults, many struggled to remember. For some, they didn’t remember their mother giving any advice. “I remember she always said, ‘Live your life so you can always be generous.’ I remember watching her write out a rather large check to give to a man whose wife was ill, and he just lost his job. She didn’t know where the money would come from because she didn’t have enough in the checking count to cover the check, but she knew she’d find a way. Both were always generous.” “Don’t ever learn how to milk a cow.” “My mom has taught me to love others. To forgive people, and to always pray.” “Have faith, take risks, and never give up!” “You can go your whole life thinking you have a ton of friends, but in the end, you can probably count on one hand how many true friends you have.” “Never wear white to someone else’s wedding.” “Rejection is not failure.” “Love Jesus.” “Never let the world tell you can’t have or do anything because of who you are or where you’re from.” “Life is too short to frown.” “Travel the world and learn as many languages as you can.” “Never leave dishes in the sink for the next morning.” “Letting a great opportunity go is okay if it doesn’t make you happy.” “How to live on a budget.” “My mother died when I was seven, but I still remember when I was maybe 3, on our way to church, I stepped into the middle of her pumpkin pie. She told me it was okay; we could cut around it! From her, I learned to be kind. “