12 Things You Learn When You Are Brought Up By A Strict And Strong Mother

“Moms are the worst”

Is what we think when we are kids and our moms are very strict with us. But as we grow up we realize beneath all that strict and craggy exterior lies a core of wisdom and purpose.

We realize that because of the strictness of our moms, we turned out to be fine humans. Yes, our childhood was tough in some sense – we didn’t get to watch a lot of TV and we had to clear out the dustbin, but there were important lessons we learned in the process.

1. We learn to respect women very early in our life as a second nature

Misogyny and sexism are alien concepts for us. It has never even crossed our minds to show even the slightest disrespect towards women.

 

2. We learn to not take mellow women lightly because they can become strong at a drop of a hat

Our moms were strong and soft at the same time, and we know that women can get strong very fast.

 

3. We learn to never depend on anyone and be truly independent

Because our mothers were. Yes, our fathers had a very good partnership with them, but they taught us true independence through example.

 

4. We know the struggles women face on a daily basis

We learn to empathize with women. We become sensitive to them too. This makes us, in turn, better husbands, fathers, and moms in the future.

 

5. We learn to give up our seat on buses and trains because we were taught to do so

We may be tired or the woman in front of us may even be young, but we become instinctively better at good manners. So good that we even give up our seats for random people.

 

6. We instinctively know the price of sabzis and groceries because she sent us out to buy them

We were always sent to the weekly vegetable market with limited cash. We were sent to the local Kirana store to get groceries.

And years later we still know how to tell apart fresh vegetables from the spoilt ones and better quality rice from the low-quality one.

Also – getting free dhaniya with vegetables!

 

7. We learn to haggle at the sabziwala and never give up at bargaining

Some weeks she took us to the vegetable market and bargained with the vendor to get the price of vegetable by a miraculous margin.

Years later we still use these bargaining tips when we shop for a discounted pair of jeans at a street market.

 

8. We know what sacrifice really means

Because she told us explicitly about it. We value the sacrifices she made for us.

 

9. We learn that a woman’s slap can level our ego

Because our mother did not shy away from disciplining us. We become wary of scorned women. And their slaps could literally break our egos. We did not turn out to be shameless.

 

10. We learn to speak up for ourselves and for the ones we love when the time calls for it

Women would relate more with this. Even the introverts among men can speak up when the situation calls for it. A strict and strong mother makes it sure we learn the basics of standing up for ourselves well.

 

11. We learn to manage money efficiently

We did not get a lot of pocket money to go with. When we did get it, we were told to save it for future purposes.

Thank God for that, we did not turn out to be one of the “urban poor”.

 

12. We learn how to present ourselves and we never dress shabbily as a habit

We were whacked on the head if we dressed shabbily. We were whacked if we did not take a bath before leaving the house. We learned to be neat and clean if we were going to meet people during the day or before leaving home.

Strict mothers were not conventionally “cool”, but knew when to be strict and when to chill out.

This invaluable quality made them literally, supermoms!

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