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My Mother’s Best Advice

Spring is here and in addition to Easter it’s a time to celebrate mothers. I was your typical teenager and disliked my parents. This is not to say I didn’t make the best of time engaging in Gin Rummy where I had to earn the win and quilting and sewing with my mom.

My introduction to being a mother was a colic baby that thankfully was adorable. He transformed into a cuddly toddler and sprouted up into a child. It was in this adventure as a mom that my mother gave me the best advice about parenting…I was wearing myself out trying to protect this child and making myself a nut as I hovered. In communicating my daily ritual, which sounded more like a safety meeting than the life of a balanced mother, my mom said, “The first one lives through everything.”

That advice changed my life. It wasn’t that it was a ticket to leave out the chemicals or feed him less than nourishing choices. It was about allowing him to explore, to discover and to develop. It was about stepping back and determining what was healthy for him (and me) and understanding that it is okay.

Then my second child arrived and he was far more curious and busy than any other child I had encountered, always sporting a black eye or band-aid from his trial and error. It was then, in my exhausted voice, I had to ask my mom, “How about the second? Are you sure they live through everything?”

Mom’s advice allowed me and my children freedom. I still incorporate it today when we are at the park and my husband is overly involved…”Let them figure it out.” I say…and they always do!

This year, remember Mom and her wise or unwise advice with a Tiny Prints Mother’s Day Cards. They offer  Mother’s Day greeting cards for all sorts of moms – mom friends, moms, mothers-in-law… You want to tell her she’s doing a great job as a mom or thank her for being there for you? They have the card for it!

About Julee Morrison

Julee Morrison is an author and writer with over 35 years of experience in parenting and family recipes. She’s the author of four cookbooks: The Instant Pot College Cookbook, The How-To Cookbook for Teens, The Complete Cookbook for Teens, and The Complete College Cookbook.

Her work has appeared in The LA Times, Disney’s Family Fun Magazine, Bon Appétit, Weight Watchers Magazine, All You, Scholastic Parent & Child, and more.

Her article "My Toddler Stood on Elvis' Grave and Scaled Over Boulders to Get to a Dinosaur" appeared on AP News, and her parenting piece “The Sly Way I Cured My Child's Lying Habit” was featured on PopSugar.

Outside of writing, Julee enjoys baking, reading, collecting crystals, and spending time with her family. You can find more of her work at Mommy’s Memorandum.

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