Mother Daughter Wisdom Flows Both Ways

Even as a small child, I understood that women had secrets, and that some of these were only to be told to daughters. In this way we were bound together for eternity.” ―Alice Hoffman, The Dovekeepers

A few years ago a UK-based greeting card company conducted a research study to identify some of the pearls of wisdom our mothers pass on to us. After studying 2,000 adults their findings showed that we not only listen to mom while growing up but we hold onto her wisdom as adults and pass it on to the next generation. So if you catch yourself sounding like your mother, there is a good reason for that. Some of the most common bits of shared wisdom are “Always try your best” and “Get an education, no one can take that away from you.”

Mom advice covers the gamut of how to live a happy and productive life. She may have shared her thoughts on education, food/eating, finances, respect, and etiquette. But does mom’s advice still hold up under the changing role of motherhood? In 2012, the Pew Research Center reported that twenty percent of children lived in a two-parent home with a stay-at-home mother compared with forty percent in 1970. Statistics on breastfeeding, discipline, childcare, and mommy guilt along with the groundswell of sources of information including the Internet and social media may steer you to think that a lot has changed. It has and it hasn’t. “Stay true to yourself,” “Respect others” and “Save money” have been, and still are, good pieces of advice.

“Stay out of the sun” is another piece of advice moms often share with their daughters. But, moms who listen to their daughters grow in wisdom too. I have seen the affect moms and daughters have on each other when they are purchasing skin care products. Daughters are looking for preventative solutions that keep their skin healthy and youthful. They research online to find natural, organic, sustainable skin care from boutique firms that share their values.

Their mothers may still be relying on chemically processed skin care products advertised in magazines and on television. Once they learn how well these natural products work and how good they feel, they are liberated from routine ways of thinking. In some ways, what’s new in skin care is actually returning to the values of previous generations. Keep it simple, educate yourself, and receive compliments gracefully.

Chances are you also remember how your mother’s touch and smile brought you comfort without any words being spoken. This Mother’s Day say Thank you with a gift from YASOU Skin Care.