Remembering What Mom Taught Us

Bob Schieffer Tells Of His Mother's Advice

(CBS)  Weekly commentary by CBS Evening News chief Washington correspondent and Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer.

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It's Mother's Day. If I asked you to remember something your mother told you, what's the first thing that would come to your mind?

Here's what I would remember:

"It's better to get to the airport too early than too late." She must have said it a thousand times, but she never missed a flight as far as I know, and never kept anyone waiting.

"You'll do better with a smile on your face and a shine on your shoes," which she believed were the first steps to any successful transaction.

"What do you mean, he was bigger than you are?" - an excuse we learned early on not to make.

"You've been sick long enough, it's time to get up and go to school." She believed all sickness ran its course in three days. After that it was back to class.

"I didn't raise you up to get you out of jail." No explanation required on that one.

My mother hated liars and thieves, was suspicious of rich people, preachers and every girl I ever brought home, and was always on guard against mini-warehouses which, she was convinced, someone was always trying to build in her neighborhood to drive down her property values.

Her rules were simple: if you obeyed them she took your side in any argument and against any foe; if you didn't, you got whopped, severely whopped.

That philosophy probably wouldn't pass muster today but her kids turned out all right, and not a day passes that I don't think of her and what she taught us.

I've even started to worry about mini-warehouses.

Happy Mother's Day!

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E-mail Face the Nation.

[cfin5]

My mom would always say... "Live your life as simple as possible, having some is better than none".

Posted by A-JI at 12:08 PM : May 12, 2008-----What you said reminds me of one of my favorite songs about how a good Mom talks it straight to her boy,...."Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. These new songs are so lame, no heart or soul. The girls just get a plastoboob job and start doing their exercises to a 20 year old tune. Guys sound like a bunch of fancy mans.....ZZZZZZZZZZZ

[a-ji]

My mom would always say... "Live your life as simple as possible, having some is better than none".

[ranger1948]

My son graduated second in his class at law school. My mothers comment was he will never amount to anything. My sisters two sons have both been in jail for drug dealing, work at jobs with no future and no benefits yet she thinks they can do no wrong. I don''t need this woman in my life.

[garyws1]

finally told my parents a few years ago to get therapy...or stay away from me...they were as toxic as they can come...more stories than anyone would want to hear about...the most that i feel is that they missed the chance to really know their three really good kids..{i have two sisters}...God help them...and yes...i still do love them...i just don''t like or trust them...

[ranger1948]

AUSMSCMAJ
While my daughter was serving in Iraq my mother called my son and told him my daughter had been wounded. I am overseas. I sopent a week trying to find out what happened and eventually my senator intervened. My daughters first sergeant called me and said she was fine and let me talk to her. My mother likes to cause problems every chance she gets . I gave her a chance last summer before my daughter went to Iraq. She was as hateful as ever, so no there are no more chances, i have walked away forever.

[ranger1948]

ausmscmaj
I to wish i hadhad a good relationshiop with my parents, but because of it i made sure my relationship with my children was the best. I raised two alone but we are all very close.

[jdgrannie2]

My mother died when I was 4 and my Dad married a great lady from the UK who went through h--l during WWI. She taught herself to cook and left that part of her personality with me and my daughter. She had a hard time always coping with the American way of life, because she had only known poverty and devastation when she was growing up, but she always loved MY Dad and I will always respect her for that. She died 11 years ago, and I still get angry whenever I think of the way she died. She is at rest now, and her spirit will always be with her step-child (Me) and her 4 grandchildran and 2 great-grandchildren. Happy Mom''s Day.

[iwillbecause]

Ranger, your story is sad indeed. Very sorry. The important thing now is to honor the people (family or not) who cared about you and saw you through the good and bad times...they are all that matter anyway.

[digdafunk]

Bob,I would say your Mom''s kids turned out better than "all right." You are world-class material in my book. My own Mother''s words become truer every day. I lost her in 1999 and every single day I need and miss her. Happy Mother''s Day to all Moms everywhere.

[ausmscmaj]

Ranger1948. How sad! I wish you could have had the experience most of us had because, what wonderful memories Moms make. My own was taken by Leukemia long ago, but in her brief life, she instilled much of what I am, or what I will ever be, and created wonderful memories of what I (and she and our family) was. So I thank God for all mothers. It seems that regardless how difficult may have been their own lot in life, they always made their childrens'' better. Or at least they tried.

Ranger, it sound like it''s still not too late for you to work toward that relationship with your Mom. I can only wish mine was still around.

Happy Mother''s Day, to all Moms!!

[ranger1948]

Very nice sentiments. I always wished i could have had a relationship with my parents. I grew up in my sisters shadow. They were only concerned about her. I wrnt to work at the age of 11 and enlisted in the military a day after i graduated high school. Nothing i did was ever good enough to satisfy them. Everything i and my children did was wrong in their eyes. I finally walked a way a few years ago, my father died about 18 months ago and all i could think was i never knew the man or had any feelings for him. My mother has gotten worse with age so i don''t call or go arouind her. Be thankful you have the relationship you have. I always missed not having it.