BESTSELF™ ICEBREAKER | Life Lessons 16

WHAT'S THE BEST ADVICE YOU RECEIVED FROM YOUR MOTHER?

At best, I had a contentious relationship with my mother. She was a cruel and selfish woman. Though I often got advice, I learned early on not to heed it. She was the queen of a world that didn’t exist. On the other hand, I lived firmly planted in reality. The world did not bend to my will or control. It didn’t for her either, she simply ignored it and bulldozed (lied, gaslit, manipulated) forward.

What I did do was observe her actions and hear her words, and I made a conscious decision to be nothing like her. When I was younger, all I ever wanted to be was a better mother than my mother was to me. It didn’t take long after the birth of my first child to realize that I had set my life goal bar very low. I raised my children by doing the absolute opposite of all the advice given to me by my mother. In fact, I did my best to stop every time I heard my mother come out of my mouth.

I am grateful to know that by trusting my instincts, I’ve raised four capable and caring adults.