Mama Knows Best: Things My Mom Said That Finally Make Sense

My mother was a colorful woman, full of sayings, warnings, and little pieces of wisdom that used to go in one ear and out the other. Back then, I thought she was just being dramatic. Most of the time, I did what she said simply because she told me to, even if I didn’t really understand why. Now, I realize she was preparing me for life in ways I couldn’t see yet. As an adult, I’m grateful she instilled certain things in me, habits, instincts, and values, that probably kept me safe long before I even knew there was danger.

“Stay Out of Those Nail Shops!”

If you know me, you know I do my own nails pretty much all the time. I haven’t been in a nail shop in years. I started learning how to do them as a kid because I found it interesting, but like most girls in high school, I eventually got hooked on acrylics. I was obsessed with having a French manicure and a cute design every two weeks. My mother, however, was never thrilled about it. She’d warn me, “You don’t need to be inhaling those fumes and nail dust! That’s why they have masks on, but you don’t have one, though!”

Of course, teenage me wasn’t trying to hear all that. I needed my tips done.

By the time I got to college, I had given up salon nails because typing research papers with acrylics was a nightmare for me. Plus, by then, I’d picked up plenty of tricks from watching nail techs and doing my own research. I did fall into the gel manicure trend for a while, but when I felt my nails burning under those UV lights, I knew that couldn’t be a good sign.

Now, as a grown woman, a writer, and an avid weightlifter, any kind of extra nail appendage is a hindrance anyway. And with more wisdom (and a little more Google access), I can admit my mom wasn’t being extra; she was right. Many nail techs develop health issues after years of breathing in those chemicals, and studies show that the UV lamps used for gel manicures might even increase the risk of skin cancer, though that always seems to get downplayed.

I’m not here to tell anyone what to do with their nails, but you won’t catch ya girl in a salon every two weeks ever again. Regular nail polish works just fine with the right top and base coats. Don’t let them tell you otherwise!

“Don’t Be Touching Everything!”

I can’t tell you how many times I heard this from my mom when I was growing up. She would scold me constantly for touching things in public, putting my hands on my face or in my mouth, or not washing them enough. I always noticed how she’d open public doors with a napkin or her elbow, and she always had a wet wipe ready. She even wiped off silverware in restaurants before using it. She instilled that in my sister, my dad, and me, and now, as an adult, I realize that’s probably a big reason why we rarely get sick.

I’m an avid hand-washer to this day. I carry sanitizing wipes with me everywhere, and I try to avoid touching door handles, elevator buttons, and similar surfaces whenever possible. I even wipe down my phone and laptops whenever I take them out of the house. When you realize most stomach viruses and similar bugs spread through hand-to-mouth contact, you’ll think twice before putting your dirty hands near your face again. Well… at least I hope you will!

My mom was basically a germ-fighter before it was trendy. By the time the pandemic hit, we were already well-trained professionals. While everyone else was panic-buying wipes and bleach, we had a whole stash ready to go! Thanks to her!

“Nuke It!”

My best friends, my sister, and I always thought it was hilarious when my mother would say “Nuke it!” about any restaurant food we consumed. We even affectionately called my mom “Nuke” behind her back, because she literally told us this all the time. Her reasoning for this was that we needed to kill the germs on the food due to its handling. Anyone who cooks knows that heat absolutely does kill most germs, but a bunch of kids don’t care about things like that.

To this day, I reheat almost anything I bring in from a restaurant. It’s basically second nature now, and I always feel a little uneasy when I can’t do it. Obviously, when I go out to eat, I can’t exactly ask the waiter to toss my plate in the microwave in front of me, so I just hope and pray everything’s all good. But at home? Oh, it’s getting nuked every single time, especially if it came from DoorDash. (I’ve seen what happens to some of those orders…ain’t taking no chances!)

My mom really had me out here ahead of the curve, long before “food safety TikTok” was a thing. And honestly? She wasn’t wrong.

No Artificial Sweeteners!

A good way for me to get popped as a child was to start messing with those little packets of Sweet’N Low on the restaurant table. My mother was very against consuming artificial sweeteners. There were always rumors floating around about them causing serious illnesses, but the “experts” constantly denied it or said there wasn’t enough evidence to prove anything. My mama wasn’t taking any chances. Even now, with certain sweeteners like Aspartame being labeled “possibly carcinogenic,” they still won’t fully confirm or deny how much harm they can actually cause.

Still, my mother’s warning ultimately protected me, regardless of the conclusive evidence. As an adult, I eventually discovered that I’m allergic to Sucralose. I had been consuming it by accident and kept getting sick without knowing why. I’d have terrible headaches and waves of nausea until I finally figured it out. So, imagine all the times I avoided being sick just because I listened to her! Honestly, I’ll take that as proof enough.

And let’s be real, who even wants fake sugar anyway? Give me the real thing or none at all!

“You Don’t Need to Be Eating All Those Nitrites!”

As a Southern Belle, bacon is always around you. It’s on the breakfast table, in your beans, collard greens, peas, basically in anything that needs a little more flavor. My mother, the Queen Southern Belle, from the red dirt of Alabama, was very much against the overconsumption of any kind of processed meat. To her, even turkey bacon was an opp. There I was thinking I was eating healthy, and she’d be ready to toss my package of turkey bacon straight in the trash. “You don’t need to be eating all those nitrites!”

At the time, I didn’t even know what nitrites were. I’ve since learned that they’re preservatives added to processed meats to maintain the pink color and salty flavor we all love. Whenever I mention this to people now, they love to correct me with “You mean nitrates?”—so clearly, a lot of folks still don’t know the difference. And yes, nitrites have since been linked to some pretty serious health issues. So yeah, mama wasn’t trippin’!

I eventually gave up turkey bacon altogether. These days, I only eat bacon sparingly, mostly when it’s mixed into something, and I don’t feel like picking the pieces out. I do still have a deep love for Conecuh sausage, though. If you’re from the South, you already know what’s up!  But even that’s reserved for special occasions—like family cookouts when my uncle’s on the grill or when my sister (whom I lovingly call Hattie Mae) decides to throw some sausage in her pot of beans.

Some habits die hard, but at least now I enjoy them with a little moderation… and mama’s voice still in the back of my head.

Turns Out, She Was Right (Again)! Mama Knows Best!

Looking back, I realize my mom wasn’t just being dramatic or crazy; she was teaching me how to take care of myself long before I knew what “wellness” even meant. Every warning, every side-eye, every “don’t do that” came from a place of love and wisdom. Now I find myself repeating those same phrases, sometimes without even thinking about it, and laughing when I catch myself doing so. Everyone says I’m the child that’s most like her, so I guess it makes sense. The older I get, the more I understand that those little lessons shaped who I am.

My mom might not have had a medical degree or a wellness certification, but she had common sense and intuition, and that’s something you can’t teach. I’m eternally grateful for those lessons and hope that you gained something from them as well.

Turns out, Mama really did know best.