We’ve all heard about generational trauma, the unfortunate circumstance when negative and toxic behaviors are passed from parents to children across generations. This happens when people do not get the appropriate helps and supports to address their own emotional baggage and instead teach their children to react to situations with fear, anger, manipulation, pettiness, and aggression.

Not exactly a fun topic, right?

Today, let’s discuss the positive lessons we can pass on through the generations. Here is a list of inspiring lessons we hope you’ve learned from your mom. And, if you haven’t rest assured that you are fully capable of teaching these lessons to your kids and ending generational trauma.

Lessons Worth Passing On

Here are just a few things we hope you’ve learned from your mom that you can pass on to your children.

1. Life Skills: We hope you learned the basics of cooking, cleaning, budgeting, calendering, job hunting, and home and car repairs. We also hope you learned a bit about childrearing. Schools don’t often teach these things anymore, so it really is up to families to pass on this knowledge. And isn’t it so special to have a beloved family recipe or something similar to hang on to as an heirloom?
2. Soft Skills: We hope you learned soft skills like the ins and outs of communication, how to speak to people kindly, how to mail a letter, how to RSVP, how to reply to messages in a timely manner, etc. We hope you learned how to set goals, put together a plan, conduct research, ask questions, work hard and talk to people in a comfortable and friendly way. These are vital skills in any job, but they are often hard to come by.
3. Kindness: We hope you learned how to treat people with respect and love. We hope you were taught about compassion, empathy, service, tolerance, and acceptance. We hope you know the Golden Rule and that you live by it. We hope your childhood was full of lessons about apologies and forgiveness, fun and responsibility, and boldness and humility. She hope she taught you to look for beauty in the world, to offer a helping hand to others, to stand up for what’s right, to listen and learn from others, and to practice patience.
4. Belief: We hope your mother shared with you her beliefs. You don’t have to believe the same as your parents, and it’s okay if their beliefs don’t follow a traditional religious creed. But, beliefs are so personal and an important part of someone’s psyche; we hope your mom opened up and shared her deep thoughts and feelings with you, if only to strengthen your bond together.
5. Priorities: We hope you learned how to set priorities, and that those priorities should always include people over things. We hope she taught you to put family first over work, and that goodness and ethics are more important than money. We hope she taught you to be true to yourself.
6. Individuality and Worth: We hope your mom told you that she loved you just as you are and that your unique self is irreplaceable, valuable, and needed in the world. We hope she told you that your worth and potential are infinite, and that you felt unconditional love from her. We hope she helped you develop a positive self-image and self-esteem so that you would not accept abuse from anyone. We hope she showed you how to be all that you can be!
7. Live Life to the Fullest: We hope your mom helped you feel safe so you could practice bravery and seek out adventure. We hope she fostered creativity and wonder in the environment she created for you. We hope she made childhood magical for you and empowered you to create the life you always dreamed of.

Remember, if you didn’t get these lessons from your mom, it’s not too late for you. You can learn these lessons from other sources and pass them on to your kids. You can break negative cycles and sweet generations up for success!

Mothers Are the Best Teachers

MacaroniKids in Pensacola, Florida published an article on this topic a while back with submissions from community members. One lady said:

I was able to be very daring and adventurous in my life because my mom always told me she was my safety net. I knew if I failed at something or got into trouble, she’d have my back. My mom is gone now, and that is hard, but I try to be the same support for my daughter. 

As moms, whether we are young or old, we are the best teachers for our kids. We can take lessons from our past and make life so much better for our posterity!