What My Mother Taught Me...

As it's Mother's Day on Sunday, we thought we'd share with you the wisdom our mums have shared with us...

What my mother taught me
What my mother taught me
(Image credit: Rex)

As it's Mother's Day on Sunday, we thought we'd share with you the wisdom our mums have shared with us...

She taught me the best way to wear perfume is to spray it in the air then walk through the spray (that way people won't smell you coming around corners). Lola Borg, Contributing Editor

What my mother taught me
(Image credit: Rex)

My Mum always taught me to look after my skin. She drilled it into me so much that it became a household crime to not cleanse, tone and moisturise every day, and completely unthinkable to ever sleep in make-up. She told me it was important to look after my skin while I was young and every time I get a compliment on my complexion I silently thank her. 

Lauren O'Callaghan, Digital Assistant

cleansing

cleansing

My mum taught me never to let people down. Or give up. Ever. From sick days at school (which I was almost never allowed) to dancing lessons, birthday parties and - later in life - evenings out, if I said I was going to be somewhere, then there I would be. Similarly, nothing was ever impossible. When I decided I wanted to be a journalist, aged 15, she sent me off with a list of every publishing house in London, then had me call them, one by one, until someone agreed to give me work experience. Terrifying, yes, but it certainly paid off… Eleanor Young, Deputy Group Digital Editor

school

school

My mother taught me to smile at strangers – which has had mixed results! Miranda McMinn, Deputy Editor

smiley face

smiley face

My mum taught me the importance of being financially independent and, in recent years, I've seen what it has allowed her to do. She bought a barge. I'd like to be able to buy a barge someday. Rebecca Gillam, Digital Assitant

piggybank

piggybank

My mum taught me that you don't have to spend a lot to look great – you just have to have style. Ali Gray, Digital Writer

child dressing up

child dressing up

Don't get a tattoo before you're 40, and try as many boys on for size as possible before you pick the one that fits. (Not deliberately trying to encourage promiscuity as a 14-year-old, I'm sure, but more teaching me never to settle). She also taught me that you can't control how people treat you, but only how you react. So don't go wasting your time trying to win people over if they're clueless enough not to realise you're pretty bloody amazing in the first place. Robyn Munson, Digital Writer

couple in bed

couple in bed

My mum taught me how to colour co-ordinate. To this day, my mum is the most elegant, stylish woman I know (and even my 84-year-old Grandma still has a penchant for coordinating handbags). When I was about 11 years old, and fashion was starting to becoming important to me, my mum taught me the importance of creating outfits that perfectly matched in colour, even down to your finger nails. I took the lesson so seriously that she even had to unteach me slightly - I dressed like a lemon sherbet most days. Becky Freeth, Digital Assistant

street style colour

street style colour

Independence. My mum has never relied on anyone else for anything. If she decides she wants to do something she goes ahead and does it – no matter how hard it might be. I hope just a little bit of that has rubbed off on me. Suzannah Ramsdale, Digital Features Editor

What my mother taught me

What my mother taught me
(Image credit: Rex)

My mother taught me that being kind to other people is pretty much the most important thing in life. And, as much as I would sometimes like to deny it, she also bestowed upon me her unique sense of humour – we can make each other laugh like no-one else. Oh, and she also taught me how to cook a bloody delicious Dauphinoise potatoes. Cheers mum. Olivia Marks, Digital Writer

Mother's Day

Mother's Day
(Image credit: Rex)

My mum taught me to never 'judge a sausage by its singlet', which is a very Northern expression. It was her way of telling me to always give someone the benefit of the doubt because, as she says, '9 times out of 10, they won't let you down.' Nellie Eden, Fashion Features Assistant