Melanie with grandma and mom
Now that you are a mom, maybe, just maybe, you realize that your grandmother or mom was right after all. We asked our readers for some examples and our friend, writing coach Melanie Cutler, told us about two generations of advice she wishes she had heeded:
Grandma Helen ALWAYS had unsolicited advice for whoever would listen. She clipped out magazine articles and mailed them to her children and grandchildren. She was very well-read, and she knew a thing or two about most things nutrition and health-related. We found it annoying at the time, but looking back, she was right— and way ahead of her time in many respects.
About all of it.
Staying out of the sun, wearing sunscreen anyway, improving my posture, rinsing fruits and vegetables, and wait, did I mention staying out of the sun? She knew that you shouldn’t eat the skin of the potato, but that the nutrients are right up against the skin, so you should nibble all the way to the skin. Likewise, she knew that the most nutritious part of the apple was the skin. That it isn’t healthy to drink too much during meals because it interferes with digestion. She told me to hold in my tummy when I was just standing there because it was good exercise. Oh, how I wish I had listened….
I also wish I had obeyed when my mom, Joan, told me to stand up straight, put my backpack on both shoulders (despite the current fad), wear sunscreen, learn to play the harmonica, and worry less. She didn’t dispense as much overt advice as her mother, Helen— probably because we were all duly hounded by Grandma ;-).
Although my back is a bit crooked and I am covered with freckles, it’s never too late to heed their advice.
Maybe I’ll take up the harmonica.
Mothers everywhere, thanks for every “I told you so” you’ve uttered. Keep giving us your advice, no matter how big we get and even if it doesn’t seem like we are listening.
Julie Kardos, MD and Naline Lai, MD
©2018 Two Peds in a Pod®
