11 Things Mom Said That Turned Out to Be 100 Percent True

Let's face it: when we were kids, some of the lessons our moms taught us went in one ear and out the other. Most likely, an unnecessary amount of eye rolling was involved when our moms tried to teach us what we needed to know but didn't necessarily want to learn.
Now that we're older and wiser, we can admit that moms were (and are) right about, well . . . everything. Here are 11 things we've heard our moms say at one time or another that prove very true.
 

1. It's NOT the End of the World

Whether we were 5 years old and our popsicle fell (tragically) to the ground or we were 16 and it turned out that the guy we thought we were in love with was (tragically) in love with our best friend, it was not the end of the world as we knew it. It seemed that way at the time, but as our wise mothers tried to explain, there are always more popsicles and boys.

2. If You Can't Say Something Nice . . .

Middle school and high school years were rough. We were all a bunch of kids with braces, acne, and raging hormones — basically thrown into a Hunger Games-esque ring where we had to duke it out. So it was pretty easy to jump on the gossip bandwagon when it came around. Our moms always said that "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." If only we had listened! Most of us learned the hard way that gossip gets you nowhere and just leaves everyone (including yourself) worse off.

3. Wear Sunscreen

If you are like us, the only way you ended up wearing sunscreen was reluctantly. It was slippery and smelly, and we wanted to get TAN! We can thank our moms for saving our skin (literally) and helping our complexions stay youthful and healthy.

4. Time Really Does Heal All Wounds

This lesson was always on par with "things happen for a reason" when it came to frustrating phrases that you didn't want to hear at the exact moment when moms seemed to offer them. But we have to admit this one is spot on. A whole lot of time (and maybe a pint or two of ice cream) tends to be the cure for most of life's heartaches.

5. Go Outside!

We are all probably a little guilty of taking our childhood freedom for granted. Now on beautiful days, as we look outside the office or classroom window, we can only appreciate it from afar. Thanks to our moms, more often than not, we were herded out the door and "forced" to play in the sun.

6. Leave Everything Better Than You Found It

From making the bed after sleeping over at a friend's house to leaving a room full of people happier than they were before you entered, moms instilled in us a great consideration for others. We weren't always the biggest fans of the R-E-S-P-E-C-T mantra, but it is one that we put into practice on a daily basis now.

7. Always Bring a Jacket!

This lesson is true in both the literal and figurative sense. Moms always wanted us to bring jackets everywhere, even if it was 85° outside and it seemed silly. But when we got inside that freezing restaurant or movie theater, we had to (grudgingly) admit that she was right. Moms taught us to think ahead and to always be prepared for the unexpected — so that when and if the unexpected happens, we have the tools we need to deal with it.

8. Don't Take Things For Granted

Life is certainly a mixed bag, with plenty of ups and downs along the way. Moms reminded us to appreciate the good things we were lucky enough to have and to keep those things in mind when the harder days came around.

9. Don't Overdo Your Makeup!

As overzealous teenagers, we tended to act with a heavier hand when it came to the sparkly eye shadow and bright lipstick. Moms knew the deal: less is more. They always told us that beauty comes from the inside, and they were right!

10. Watching Too Much TV Will Damage Your Eyes

This one isn't entirely true. OK, it's not really true at all. But the sentiment is. Moms just wanted us to enjoy the finer things in life, and watching hours and hours of TV was not one of those finer things. In hindsight, we are glad that we were ordered away from the TV on those beautiful Summer days, although as hardworking adults, we definitely deserve a Netflix binge session now and then.

11. Unconditional Love

The most important lesson our moms taught us was how to give and receive unconditional love. No matter what kind of mistakes we made growing up, moms always had our backs. Even if we weren't as grateful for our moms as we should have been then, we now know the true value of a mother's love, and we know how to give it back. We have her to thank for that!

POPSUGAR MOMS