Mothers have a funny way of teaching life lessons, even in the smallest moments.

Whether it is shouting from the gate about forgotten jackets or reminding children to just be patient, years later, those little lessons somehow stick.

Read more: Daily Bread celebrates Mother’s Day with mothers from underprivileged communities

May 10 is Mother’s Day in South Africa, and to celebrate it, a few of our Fourways residents shared the things their mothers taught them that they still carry today, and, in some cases, are already passing on to the next generation.

For Kitty Chen, a 19-year-old teacher at Crawford International Lonehill Pre-primary School, the lesson came from constantly losing things as a child. “I used to leave my stuff everywhere. My mom would always tell me that before leaving a place, I must check my surroundings properly and make sure I am not forgetting anything.”

Whether it was a jersey, a lunchbox, or probably half her stationery at some point, Chen said her mother’s reminders became a habit she still follows today. “It sounds small, but it actually taught me to be more aware and responsible. It is definitely something I also teach my class.”

For coach Hlulani Mashaba, from Little Kickers, a junior soccer club that offers private football soccer lessons for toddlers and kids in Johannesburg, the lesson was patience, something he now uses daily while working with children. “At the time, you do not really realise how important it is, but now I understand it properly.”

Also read: Joburg Zoo honours mothers this Mother’s Day

He said coaching children requires calmness, understanding, and the ability to handle different personalities, making his mother’s advice more valuable than ever. “That lesson stayed with me. Now, I use it every day with the kids I coach.”

Another resident, Ziyanda Sitsheke, said her mother taught her the importance of prayer and living a prayerful life, something she is now teaching her own daughter. “It started with my grandmother and mother, who also made sure to teach me to pray through everything. It is something I now teach my child as well because it helped me through many things in life.”

Although each lesson was different, the common thread remains: That mothers often leave lifelong lessons in ordinary moments, even the ones that seem small at the time, and somewhere out there today, there is probably still a mother reminding her child to check the playground before coming home.
Happy Mother’s Day.

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