Childhood resolutions resound in 2023

By Nellie Curtiss …

There’s a bracelet created by Steel by Design named “Mama Says.”  It includes encouragements, resolutions, if you will, from most every mom on the planet like: eat your vegetables, brush your teeth, and say your prayers. Comedians, Facebook sages, and Star Trek fans have 2023 resolutions. Here are some floating resolutions that I’m considering:

Resolution: Be health conscious – Once as a little primary student, I was outside picking pecans from the ground and running around like a wild horse with neighborhood friends when Mama called. “Nellie, time for supper!” I was always asked as the screen door slammed behind me: “­­Nellie did you wash your hands?” This early awareness of germs or being unclean drove our moms to keep hand towels and soap close by.

Resolution: Be more organized. – heard from my parents: “Your room looks like a pigpen.  Clean up your bedroom. Pick up your clothes.” Like so many young children, when friends beckon to play “hide-and-seek,” or Nintendo, then parents sounded alarms for that organization.  It was a daily resolution. Side note: I thought that pigs were pretty cool. It wasn’t until later that I saw that the pigpens were more uncluttered than my own room.

Resolution: Be considerate of others. – Mama would say, “If you’re going to ‘rough house,’ go outside. Play nice with your sister.”  Jumping up and down, chasing my little sister, and being like a “tom-boy” was how I lived.  Rough housing was my favorite activity as an elementary student. Plus, I was often seen jumping off the chicken coop to my cousin’s dare or tackling a receiver in a neighborhood game of football. My aunt brought this resolution into focus when she’d say, “Think about what you’re doing.” She alerted me to being considerate and not hurting others.

Resolution: Be thoughtful, be analytical. – Mama tried to teach me some manners when she guarded against “rocking the boat” and not “talking back.”  Even as a six-year-old “talking back” was not being disrespectful but was asking unspoken questions.  As an advocate and prevention specialist, I did ask hard questions; and I presented educational material that substance abuse addicts found hard to stomach. For me, these issues arose when Mama and Daddy were smoking in the car. We now have research numbers that show smoking around children is detrimental to children’s health and is a directly linked to childhood asthma, ear infections, upper respiratory infections, and to Attention, Deficit Disorder (ADD)—see http://www.trdrp.org/ for more research.   Throughout my childhood, like so many children exposed to parental smoking, I suffered from tonsillitis, upper respiratory distress, asthma, and ear infections.   Still there are times when “talking back” or, “sharing your perceptions”, is better for the planet than keeping silent.  Side note: Mama died of lung cancer and emphysema—all attributed to her lifelong smoking. 

Resolution: Do expand yourself.  – Like settlers from the old countries of Europe, my family prided itself on being satisfied with what we had.  This resolve was a favorite of Mom’s—undoubtedly told to her by her German immigrant parents. Yet, the notion cramps one from bettering oneself, improving one’s lot in life and advancing knowledge. Although taken for what it originally meant which was not to pine after someone else’s good fortune, the whole notion of being satisfied with what you have has become a license to be unconcerned, irreverent of working and to not value education.  So, for me, it is important to strive beyond the status quo for a democratic society and ensure that voice, freedom, and education are respected.

Resolution: Do claim your respect. – Like the adage, “Eat your vegetables,” the notion “don’t put too much on your plate” came out of the hard-times. Mama was born five years after the Great Depression, but times were still lean, and abundance was scarce.  On a psychological note, this proverb reverberates with wisdom— even now.  I saw this phenomenon daily with my students and myself.  When multiple jobs need to be tackled, optimists undertook more than their share.  However, time is finite on earth, our abilities have limits and so putting too much on our plate might not work for us.  Consider Confucius’ proverb:  The journey of a thousand miles, begins with a single step.  The reader might notice that it is not five steps forward at once, or too much on our plates, it is one unit at one time. 

So, I’m resolved to be patient with myself and others, to smile often, love neighbors and myself; and to remember resolutions involve leaps of faith.

— Nelda Curtiss is a retired college educator and long-time local columnist. Reach her at http://www.columnsbynellie.com or email her at columnsbynellie@gmail.com