Thursday, March 27, 2025
As a child, my mother expressed a lot of “don’ts” to me. She wanted to raise me right, keep me safe from harm, and for me to meet all the behavior standards she expected of a small child. To achieve that goal, she would constantly tell me ways to modify my behavior. Sometimes, it was an instruction to take an affirmative action, and, many times, it was instructions not to do something. Either way, my mom had it covered and she did not hesitate in making sure I heard her “requests” loud and clear.
Some of the subject matter of those “don’ts” expressed by mothers have not changed over the years and are things I might still say to my grandchildren. Things like, “don’t forget to wash your hands after you use the bathroom,” or “don’t forget to brush your teeth before you go to bed.” I heard those refrains a couple million times as a youngster, and they are still sage direction to give a child. Afterall, we don’t want our little ones to carry germs or to have dental decay. Warnings were instructions to mold young minds to the appropriate behavior.
On the other hand, some of the “don’ts” I received no longer have any application. The world has evolved, and warnings that may have been important in the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s are no longer relevant. While I heard, “don’t play with matches” a couple of million times as a young boy, I bet my grandchildren have never had an adult mention the subject. The reasoning is simple: The days of matches being next to every ash tray in the house are long gone. When was the last time you were in a house that had an ash tray, much less a book of matches on the coffee table? Except for an occasional kitchen match to light a campfire or the fireplace, I cannot remember the last time I saw a book of matches.
As I got older, the telephone was another subject matter that was full of warnings and “don’ts.” “Don’t play with that phone; it is not a toy. It is something for adults to use.” I am sure a lot of you remember being told to either hurry up and get to the phone to talk to your aunt or grandparents because the call was “long distance” or being told to NEVER make a call that was long distance. In today’s world, there is no such thing as a long-distance call. Phone bills are much less, and, amazingly, a person can call and speak to someone on the other side of the world for the same price as talking to someone next door. It never made sense to me that the further away you were from the person you were calling, the more money it cost on the phone bill. It is not like your voice had to walk all that distance.
Makes a fellow wonder what sort of “don’ts” the next generation will hear about. Maybe it will be “don’t forget to plug in the car” or “do not talk with strangers on the internet.” Whatever the warning, I am sure there will be plenty of mothers giving directions. Afterall, that is what Moms do.
Thought for the day: I was told to just be myself, but as much as I have practiced the impression, I am still not good at it.
Until next time ... I will keep ridin’ the storm out!
