Let's be honest: Most moms are pretty awesome. Not only can they make your favorite meal (whether it's boxed mac 'n' cheese or homemade pizza), but they can also give some of the best life advice.
So to celebrate Mother's Day coming up, we found a Reddit thread where Reddit user u/giggglygirl asked, "What’s the best advice your mom ever gave you?" And we rounded up some of the answers below:
1. "When I was a preteen, she told me, 'As you get older, you're going to think everyone around you is changing. It's not them who are changing, it's how you see the world that is changing.' I thought that was super-weird advice, but as I got older and started to see adults for who they really were, it really made sense. They weren't changing; I'd just never noticed that side of them before. I genuinely think it's why I wasn't a bratty teen, because I knew my parents were still the same parents — I was just seeing everything differently."
2. "'You will never have to live this day again.' This was said on my very first memorably bad day, coming home from school and unable to stop sobbing. I reuse it whenever I'm trying to console someone after specific pains."
3. "'Happiness is just having something to look forward to.' You had your issues, Mom, but this advice has served me well."
4. "'If you dislike someone for a character trait, make sure you don't have the same one. Things that annoy you in others might be things you do yourself.'"
5. "'You don't regret money spent on travel.' My mom was always kind of thrifty and we traveled cheaply, but we traveled. To convince me her advice was solid, she asked adult me if I remembered what our couch looked like when I was 12 or what I got for Christmas. I couldn't remember. Then she said, 'What about the trip we took to the Grand Canyon that summer?' Memories galore."
6. "Something my grandfather told my mom, then she told me: 'Hugs and handshakes, give them like you mean it.'"
7. "If there’s an uncomfortable feeling in your gut about a person, situation, or place, go with it. Listen to it and either protect yourself or GTFO."
8. "In exasperation, my mom told me, 'When you show up late, it tells people that you think your time is more important than theirs.' I used to be chronically late to nearly everything, and that statement just crushed me because I love my mom and my friends and would never purposely be disrespectful. I had just never looked at it that way before."
"I'm rarely late anymore, and it's been amazing how something so seemingly small has improved my relationships and has made my life better and less stressful than I could have expected. I wish Mom had laid into me sooner."
9. "'Don't touch that, it's too hot!' I learned that it was, indeed, too hot."
10. “'Sometimes you won’t be in love with your husband. But it will be your commitment to stay together that keeps your marriage working. And then one day you find yourself back in love with them.'”
11. "'Look in the mirror and see if you see a friend in there. If you don’t, take a longer look and get the friend back.'"
12. "'When people show you who they are, believe them.'"
13. "I wouldn't say it's a single thing she told me, but the collective amount of knowledge over many years. She has given me everything I need to be a successful person, and I love her so much for it. The one that does stick out is, 'Most people want to be liked, so find what you do like about them and show them what that means to you.' This has allowed me to find the best in people, and then you can compliment them about something they might not even notice."
14. "My mom always said and has always taught me to respond to situations instead of react to them."
15. “'We don’t know who discovered water, but we know it wasn’t a fish.' When you’re in a situation, it can be very hard to be objective. No matter how hard you are trying to see what you’re going through, you will never have the perspective of those who aren’t. Trust your loved ones who aren’t immersed in 'water' to tell you when something is wrong."
16. "'Even if you love each other sooo much and he is so sorry and it will never happen again — if he hits you, you leave.'"
17. "'Water finds its own level.' Essentially, everything will work out in the end the way it should work out/karma evens out in the end. Yeah, there might be periods that suck and seem like things aren't going to be okay, but in the end they will be."
18. "'Being gentle never goes out of fashion.'"
19. "My two favorites from my mom: 'Never trust anyone whose flaws you can't see. It means they're hidden deep.' 'As a parent, don't pat yourself on the back or blame yourself for how kids turned out until they're 40.'"
20. '"Live east of where you work. That way you won't be driving directly into the sun in either direction.'"
21. "'It took me nine months to make your heart; don't let someone break it in a day. People will come and go in your life, but your mother will always love you.'"
22. “'She isn’t worth jail time.'”
23. "'You can't please the world, so you have to please yourself.' That and 'Don't settle for something that is similar to what you want. Be patient and save up for what you really want.'"
24. "'Don't rely on others for your happiness.' I found out the hard way that it's unhealthy and puts a lot of pressure on relationships."
Has your mom given you a piece of advice that you will never forget? Tell us what she said and how it impacted you in the comments below.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.