Mom at times got upset, Johnny do this, don’t do that. How dare she call us out like that. You’re sitting too close to the TV, sit up straight and don’t slouch. All things that we used to do which mom got upset at, everything became repetitive and annoying.
Most of these laws of motherhood were passed down, the lessons and the myths, the old wives tales of advice, most had some merit, well, actually a lot had validity to them. She did so to protect and maintain our better welfare, which was always her priority.
So it’s best to give credit to our moms when due. There’s a certain knowledge, a certain understanding, a set of rules which all moms abide by, beliefs which has been passed down for generations.
How About Them There Apples
We all heard an apple a day will keep the… This is why all moms fed us apples instead of those bag of chips, burgers, or hotdogs. Mom’s apple pie turned out to be a delicious godsend.
We now realize that we are what we eat, and it makes the biggest difference when it comes to feeding the growing bodies of children. This includes maintaining proper oral health, body weight, cardiovascular health, immunity, energy, and proper cholesterol levels. Apples will solve most of these issues.
Eat Your Breakfast
Mom often yelled at us before we running out the door with a chocolate chip cookie. What we know now is that a healthy well balanced breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
What a well nourished breakfast provides is nutritious fuel in the morning which turns into valuable focus and energy, boosting our metabolism while providing all the essentials such as: vitamins, protein, calcium, fiber, and complex carbohydrates.
You’re Siting Too Close To The TV
What we all did was watch Bugs Bunny sitting too close to the TV. What all the Optometry Associations warn us is the damage that it causes on a child’s developing eyesight, so again, mom was right.
There are studies which support that children who watch television too close will strain their eyes, damaging their ability to view long distances, while also experiencing more headaches over time.
Stop Reading In The Dark
Another issue with vision is that we all secretly tried to read in the dark under the bed covers, this when we were supposed to be sleeping. Once caught, mom would then issue the customary tongue lashing.
There are medical reasons which supports her, as attempting to focus our eyes in the dark will eventually damage them, causing intermittent incidences of blurred vision and premature nearsightedness.
Get Enough Sleep Every Night
This is what our moms told us. But it’s one thing planning on getting enough sleep and actually getting enough. Mom was always there telling us to sleep more when we didn’t want to.
What getting adequate sleep does is it heals our bodies especially when we’re tired or feeling a tad under the weather. Enough sleep helps in fighting off germs along with reducing the risk is catching colds or the flu.
Wear Warm Clothing When You Go Outside
Don’t you dare go outdoors in the cold young man without your coat, hat, and mittens, mom would constantly tell us. She demanding that we dress warm was for good reason.
It’s not the difference in temperature outside compared to indoors which can make you sick, but it’s also the prolonged exposure to the cold that will weaken the immune system, which then reduces our attempts to fight off germs.
Take Better Care Of Your Skin
Mom always reminded us to take better care of our skin by lathering on mounds of moisturizer on our faces, hands, and bodies. When it came to the sun, globs of sunscreen was applied. Another command was to always wash your face before going to sleep.
We grew to learning to take good care of our skin, which helped in warding off those nasty blemishes in our teen years. The routine moisturizing along with sun protection helps in maintaining skin hydration, which fights off wrinkles, improving our skin tone and elasticity.
Sit Up Straight Don’t Slouch
Sit up straight! she yelled. Sound familiar? Well, we now understand that poor posture is an extremely bad habit which strains our back, neck, and shoulders.
What this results in are weaker muscles along with potentially permanent respiratory issues as we grow older. So the constant badgering to sit up straight was excellent advice.
What being active as kids does is it helps build stronger muscles, erect postures and better support while maintaining proper alignment once we begin to grow into our bodies.
Turn Down That Loud Music
Why is mom yelling at the top of her lungs telling me to turn down my music. It’s known that listening to loud music in high decibels, especially if using ear buds, can cause premature hearing loss.
So to save your hearing, take frequent breaks from your blaring plugs or use noise-canceling headphones, so the music doesn’t need to be turned up as loud.
I Love You… “Just The Way You Are”
It might become repetitive, annoying, and at times humorous to continuously hear this from mom during our teen years. This especially during our most delicate years as we experience growth spurts, while facing extreme peer pressure from school.
What we learn once we pass this awkward phase of growth and enter into our adulthood is that having self confidence and assurance about who we are, how we look, what our hobbies are, our uniqueness and weirdness, is what makes us independent and strong as individuals.
So thanks mom for the support and encouragement, and have a great day.