What Mom Should Have Taught Me

[Vanessa Storrs]

One of the worst things about growing up as a boy is that we never got the training in 'girl things' that our sisters received. I wish I'd learned some skills like sewing and how to put on makeup. What do you wish you had learned from your mothers?

[kimdl93]

How to manage my temper. I learned the basics of cooking, mending and home care from her...of course she left out make up, but then she seldom wore any.

[Amalthea]

Me two. How to be more patient. I had an absent father, a mother and three older sisters who raised me. No wonder I ...

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Vanessa, I learned to sew in my early teenage years from my mother
but we never got to the make up thing I learned that myself many years later.

[Dawn cd]

Social graces, listening skills, being deferential, and how to wear a "social face" (smiling, etc), which girls manage so much better than boys. Actually I don't think mothers actively "teach" these things to their daughters as much as model them for their daughters. I wish I has paid more attention.

[Barbara Ella]

Have to agree with Dawn, we tend to pick up the behavior we relate most to. Had a great mother and father, but picked up the German stoic mentality from Dad, and the British "aloofness" (not right word) from Mom, but being a boy I was allowed to do boy things with little guidance from the female side of the family (5 boys, one girl, so we ran the roost). Boy Scouts taught me to cook and sew, but we were hellions when out camping. I hope my daughters picked up some behaviors from wife and I, so far so good. Working overtime on the grandson.....lol

I do agree I wish there had been more things from Mom.

Barbara

[bridget thronton]

Makeup and hair styling skills

[Marleena]

Well Vanessa she could have taught me to walk, talk, act like a girl. This crap is hard to learn at my age!:D

[sterling12]

How to "infer," how to be subtle, how to be discreet, and non-confrontational. How to create social networks.

As a male from The Midwest I learned how to be Direct and blunt! Although it often has it's uses, it can seem to be gruff or cruel. So, I wish I had been taught the "give and take," and The Social Graces that go with it. Believe me Ladies, I think it's a skill that has to be taught from a very early age. Males get little or none of that type of training. Yeah, we can do The "Teamwork" Thing quite well, or we know how to be a "Buddy." But those feminine "skills?" They certainly elude us. If you doubt, just ask a lot of The GG's around here. Our writing often reflects what we Didn't Learn!

Peace and Love, Joanie

[Cynthia Anne]

Mom was a great cook! But boys weren't aloud in the kitchen! So cooking and style in dressing would of been nice to learn!

[Rikidee]

Got to go with how to put on makeup!!! Hugs Riki

[aly01]

Makeup for sure and fashion tips.

[Eryn]

OK, here's a question that perhaps our wonderful GGs can answer: How many of their mothers actually taught them to use makeup?

I have a feeling that most GGs learn more about makeup skills from older teenage friends.

[the_shark]

OK, here's a question that perhaps our wonderful GGs can answer: How many of their mothers actually taught them to use makeup?

I have a feeling that most GGs learn more about makeup skills from older teenage friends.
Mine told me what each of the mysterious tubes and pots were for but it was really the older friends that assisted with teaching of application. So, Eryn, you are correct in my case.
On a side note, I could take this from the flipside, what my father didn't teach me: CONFRONTATION and I do not mix well. I have a heck of a temper, but being taught to conceal that as a girl makes it difficult to almost tell anyone if I disagree with them. I'm getting better about letting my blunt opinions show, but it's a process.

[Stephanie47]

Nothing! (Is that twenty characters yet?)

[heatherdress]

I'm glad mom did not teach me about make up, women's clothing or how to walk in high heels. If she did, I might have grown up and become a crossdresser.

[Contessa]

My mother did not teach me what I learned in the military. Not every girl got the training it takes to learn how to put on make up. No boy would ever receive that kind of training anyway. Learning to put on makeup is very easy, but does take time. Practice and you will be as good as you think all those other woman are. I am still learning cause I have so many to look at that are so good to look at.

Tess

[JohannaSophia]

My mom was a Basketball Player and got me started on the road to dominance but then again she was Pretty, something I secretly aspired to be. She was too good a cook and seamstress for me to compete and besides she was no nonsence territorial in the home.

[Cheryl T]

Mom never used much makeup so I think it would have been great to learn to cook and sew.

[Diane Smith]

Mom wasn't a fashion plate and barely used any makeup, so what I know about those areas I had to pick up on my own. She could cook well when she took the time, and was a top-notch seamstress, but never really offered to teach me either skill. I wish I had at least some minimal ability to sew.

- Diane

[wanagione]

My Mom tought me how to cook, clean the house, set a dinner table properly, she even had me fix her garters to her stockings. She tought me how to be gentle.

[Sophia Claire]

being an observational learner, I picked up a lot from my mom without her having to actively teach me anything. Which is good, because aside from morals, she only ever taught me how to dance. Everything else was self-learning. I don't know if there's anything I'd rather learn from my mom directly...

[Sharon B.]

I was taught to sew and how to cook my parents belief was you might have to cook something or sew a button on. My mother didn't use much makeup but I wish one of my sister would have taught me some stuff as one of them knew I wore her clothes every chance that I had.

[Randee]

Just wonder how different it would have been if Mom had me change into some of my sisters' leotards and tights and shuttled me off at ballet classes with them two afternoons a week after school.

[katie_barns]

Mom was a working mom. So with only boys, she taught us what we needed to know to help her out. I was a star student. I can cook, clean better than most girls now days, sew, know how to do laundry the right way, decorate, and just finished crocheting that blanket for the bed.
What I failed to lean and struggle with now is feminine movements, makeup, and voice. But we never stop learning.

[ChelseyD]

Well Vanessa she could have taught me to walk, talk, act like a girl. This crap is hard to learn at my age!:D


You got that right girl!

[SherriePall]

But then, what did she teach you? Mine taught me how to roll up those long woolen socks worn under hiking boots, in the same manner she rolled up her stockings before she put them on. She also taught me that lipstick could be used as chapstick (I don't remember if it were a light color or if it had to be wiped off somewhat. And, that vaseline could be used as a sort of mascara (this was in talking about her youth).
Hey, maybe she knew. I'm still afraid to ask her about these things and others I probably forgot about.

[Persephone]

My Mom was a fantastic cook and an incredible craftswoman who could sew, knit, crochet, and many other wonderful things. If I didn't observe and learn some of these things it wasn't her fault, it was my own.

Same for my Dad. He knew how to build things and repair things. I always thought I learned a great deal from him, but only after I owned my own home did I realize how much I hadn't watched carefully.

They were wonderful loving parents and I miss them.

But I was thinking about this in relation to my son. I've found out that he did learn enough about tools and things from me to be able to make many of his own repairs.

His mother, my spouse, is a retired engineer and executive. She could teach him how to organize a company, but uses practically no makeup and almost never cooks.

I was the homemaker through almost his entire childhood. So he probably learned cooking from me (although in all fairness, despite the fact that I did all of the laundry, it was my spouse who took the time to teach him how to do that).

And he seems to have learned makeup skills from me! He's not a crossdresser but at one time he was very into going to Rocky Horror. He knows that I crossdress, so he'd pop in on me and say, "Dad, can you help me with my makeup?"

Or "Dad, do you have a pair of high heeled boots I could borrow?"

As far as I can see, along with cooking and makeup skills, he apparently came away with tolerance.

Hugs,
Persephone.

[IwishIwasTracy]

One night I crawled into bed with my wife and I still had on my bra. She looks at me and says "Didn't your mother ever tell you it isn't healthy to sleep with your bra on?" My answer was no she didn't.


Tracy

[Madam Rose]

Sadly mine didn't teach me a thing about anything. they where to busy being drunk.

[Chari]

Mother was a strict tyrant who demanded I start learning when I was age 4, to do housework, cooking, wash/dry dishes, laundry, sewing, and doing ALL the things little girls do, including makeup, setting my long hair, wearing sissy clothes, etc. and behaving like a good little girl!

[Noemi]

Hi Vanessa,

I had all brothers so I ended up helping Mom cook and clean. To this day I prepare allot of the traditional holiday food. We had allot of fun, my Mom and me, during the holidays. It was unheard of for me to be feminine, heaven forbid I was allowed to really express myself. She would correct that right away, which was never pleasant.

Only in the last 10 years I have begun to notice that I am the only male sitting in the kitchen around the holidays. Not that the other men don't help out, they do. But when things wind down and people are either watching the game or smoking I am usually with the girls cleaning up properly and talking.

I stopped doing this because some people in my family are on to me. Not that I am hiding but they talk about gay this and that in front of me.

My Aunt says once, "my girl friend wishes she had a gay child"...you know that was single and had time to pay attention to her still, not overly busy with wife and family........

Oh I did not intend to write all this, well maybe I did.

I wish my Mom taught me how to act like a lady. And that I was really her daughter and we could really be girls together, and it would be all right with her.....

♥♥♥
Noemi

[Jan Michell Collins]

Well lets see ,,, had to learn how to cook on my own. I learned how to hem my pants with a office stappler, on my own. So I guess there was a lot I wish my mom would have showed me to do.

[Angela Campbell]

I'm glad mom did not teach me about make up, women's clothing or how to walk in high heels. If she did, I might have grown up and become a crossdresser.

Heaven forbid! she did teach me to cook though.

[Beverley Sims]

The mother of one of my friends taught me how to dress and act like a girl and seduce boys.
I did kiss a couple, that was enough seduction for me.
No I did not turn gay either.:)