Thanks to Nestlé® Pure Life® Purified Water for sponsoring today's discussion

Making me Drink

This week, my fourth of five grandchildren turned three. (He didn’t really…we are celebrating early because Dave was home…and we wanted him to get to enjoy the party.)  We had a small intimate gathering in the near by park. 

Watching him at the party this week, made me realize how we grow as parents.  As I stood watching my little grandson with his mother, and mine standing in the background, I realized how very precious our time with each other truly is. 

And yes, that is paint on his arms…the night before the party….he was helping paint a potting bench,  one of my junky backyard projects.  The white on his arm, is primer….and MAN did it ever stick!  Rather than scrub his skin off..we decided it didn’t look that bad.

ANYHOO….This picture reminded me of a saying that my momma always said:

  “You can lead a horse to water…but you can’t make him drink. “

I realized that Sara (my daughter) had done such a wonderful job teaching Jude to drink water…

I know that’s not exactly what my momma meant when she said that…but in many ways, it was!  Although it can have meaning in other ways…it can mean “literally” drink. 

Mom constantly tried to help us through daily struggles, but she wanted us to learn to do things on our own…so she would tell us a particular way that might be helpful, but that was as far as she took it.  ( The proverbial leading us to water) .   The doing was always left to us. 

I think one of the best lessons in life that we can give our children, is to realize when they’ve been led to the water hole.  To realize when there is an opportunity facing them……     Whether it’s an actual opportunity to drink, or some other important possibility in life.  Teaching our kids the value of just discerning when an opputunities are presenting themselves, may be more important than any other lesson Mom might have taught us girls.

Although drinking water wasn’t what my mom was trying to teach us, it’s a lesson that our family does teach from one generation to the next…as you can see in the picture above.  Jude doesn’t have a soft drink, or sticky punch in his hand…nope, that’s a Nestle Pure life water he’s drinking…just good ole water….and I’m so glad he’s learned to love his water. Staying hydrated is another one of those lessons everyone could use.

In order to keep her family on track, some Moms pass down advice through generations; others create their own pieces of wisdom.  Sometimes the advice Mom gives can seem a little “out there”, influenced by her own unique traditions and values.  But there’s no denying that Mom’s advice always comes from the heart. We celebrate Mom for all of her unique wisdom.

Moms have provided many pure words of wisdom. Listed below is some of our favorite advice.

“Be patient, breathe, and smile. Everything will always work out.” #momswisdom
“Don’t be a worrywart” #momswisdom
“Be independent and follow your dreams.” #momswisdom
“If someone is giving you a hard time, give them kindness in return.” #momswisdom
“It’s always better to walk away than to say words you can’t take back.” #momswisdom
“Don’t let small details upset you. Look at the big picture and what’s really important.” #momswisdom
“Your individuality makes you unique and wonderful.” #momswisdom
“Mother knows best” #momswisdom
“Opportunity is always knocking, you just have to listen hard enough to hear it.” #momswisdom
“Trust your gut instincts.” #momswisdom
“Learn from your past but do not let it define you.” #momswisdom

Nestle pure life agrees.  They are encouraging a movement of hydration!