Things I've learnt from my mother...

This past weekend I, along with the rest of Team Bridesmaid, threw a surprise Kitchen Tea and bachelorette party for a particularly gorgeous bride-to-be. As with every event I have ever organised, I couldn't have done it without my mom. Sure, Team Bridesmaid sorted out the caterer and the barman and the decor. Sure, we sent out the invites, chased down RSVPs and hired bare-bummed-butlers. However, it was my mom who opened up her home and gave us the ideal venue to bring all of our ideas to fruition. No questions asked – my mom is the hospitality queen.


Anyways, you may wonder where I'm going with this. Well, you see my mother taught me to always say thank you and so I sent out an email on Monday morning thanking everyone who attended for making it such a memorable day:

"Hello lovely ladies

I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to all of you for making Mish's bachelorette such a memorable, special and super fun event!  I know she really appreciated all the effort that everyone put in and I know that having so many fabulous women in the same room made her feel very special.

Again, thank you to you all for being so fabulous on Saturday!

Sincerely,

Me"

This is the response that I got from my mom:

"You made it happen, so look in the mirror and give yourself a big WELL DONE kiss - with lipstick on so it will remind you just how much love you give to those around you"

Now if that's not a true illustration of my mom's selflessness and kindness and just plain awesomeness, then I don't know what is. Just when I don't think I can learn anymore from her she teaches me something else. So, on that note, I've decided to compile a list of ten things I've learnt from my mother. There are a lot more than ten, but these are the handful that spring to mind right now:

1. 'Boys are gross' – she's been reminding me of this since I was in nursery school. She's not being derogatory, she's just making an observation. If girls are sugar and spice and all things nice, then – as the nursery rhyme says –  boys are made of snips and snails and puppy dogs tails (Whether they're 3 or 33 they still seem to get great joy from whoopee cushions and toilet humour)
2. 'Reading A.A.Milne's Winnie The Pooh out loud while drinking vino is perfectly acceptable adult behaviour – in fact, it's encouraged. Being a grown up 100% of the time is overrated and you should take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror if reading Tiggers don't climb trees doesn't put a smile on your face – you may just have become old, boring and jaded.
3. 'Be independent, but don't be afraid of being dependent once in a while' – as a woman it's easy to find yourself juggling everything... work, home, family... and multi-tasking like a black-belt. It's easy to do it all because you can, but it's important to remember to hand over some things to your man and to let him take care of you, too.
4. 'Laugh out loud (sometimes embarrassingly so) in a movie theatre and tip a box of Smarties into your popcorn' – Too often we worry about what other people will think and we adapt our behaviour to such an extent that we lose the full dose of joy that we could have had. Also, it's important to mix things up, do things a bit differently and realise that although salty and sweet are opposites they can work really well together.
5. 'Being brave is not the absence of fear but rather the presence of faith' – Trusting God in the good times is easy but it's vital that we put our trust in Him through the bad times. Our viewpoint is so limited, God can see the bigger picture, so above all else we have to have faith.
6. 'You are not a product of your circumstances but rather a product of how you handle each curveball' – Lord knows my mom has been thrown a few curveballs during her 45 years... but through everything she's kept her eye on God, kept a positive outlook and made every effort to learn whatever she could along the way.
7. 'Put down the hair dye and make grey fabulous' – she was pretty much snow white in the hair department by the age of 30 and after fighting it for a few years she came to the conclusion that it was time to just embrace it. This attitude is more than just skin-deep, it's a confident nod to being who you are and being authentic.
8. 'If it comes in a tin and it tastes homemade, use it' – and then spend all the time you've saved making a home rather than just being a homemaker (Sidebar: When in doubt, try Woolies)
9. 'Give people the space to dream big' – it's never okay to tell someone they can't achieve something, even if you're just being realistic. Like my stepdad always says, "Happy are those who dare to dream and have the courage to make those dreams a reality"
10. 'Red patent leather stiletto heels are perfectly appropriate for a board meeting' – no one remembers beige!