"The best piece of advice my mum ever gave me."

As long as you live under my roof, you’ll do as I say.

Did you clean your room?

Don’t ask me WHY. Just do it.

I’ll treat you like an adult when you start acting like one.

I don’t care what “everyone” is doing. I care what YOU are doing!

You’ll thank me one day for this!

These are just a few of the things my mum said to me and nauseum growing up, and I’ll bet you also heard a few of these ‘mumisms’ growing up too.

Just as an FYI, you should know that this post is sponsored by Novotel. But all opinions expressed by the author are 100% authentic and written in their own words.

At the time, we rolled our eyes or cried into pillows at the frustration of it all, but when you put those awful teenage years behind you (and they were truly awful) and really start to listen to what our mums say, you soon realise that most of the time their advice is pretty spot on.

And some of it stays with you for life.

It wasn’t until I gave birth to my own daughter that I started to understand exactly what this motherhood business was all about.

My husband was away and missed the birth, but my mum didn’t. The hospital called her (I was in too much pain) at 6am to tell her that I was probably going to give birth in the next 45 minutes. Somehow, despite being more than 45 minutes away she got to the hospital in 30 minutes. It’s these superhuman acts of love that sum up what it is to be a great mother.

Motherhood is one of the most rewarding, baffling, amazing, fulfilling, nail-biting and gut-wrenching experiences you can ever throw yourself into. Some days you’ll wish it away and at other times you want each stage to last a lifetime.

It was in one of the former particularly tough times that my mother gave me the advice I have never forgotten. I can’t pinpoint exactly when she said it to me (thanks to the special kind of hell that is groundhog day sleep deprivation) but she said: “The days are long, but the years are short.”

That quote is from Gretchen Rubin, the author of The Happiness Project, she also happens to be a mother. In the two and a half years I’ve been doing this parenting gig, I haven’t heard anything more poignant about motherhood than that statement.

It’s hard, the days drag on, the sleep deprivation is a killer, but blink and you’re standing at your toddler’s third birthday party wondering where all the time went.

Even though mother-daughter relationships can be rife with conflict and misunderstanding, during the fights, emotional meltdowns, eye rolling and pillow crying, your mother ultimately wants the best for you. She always has. And don’t be surprised if in five, 10, or 20 years from now you find yourself using the same gems on your kids. And if you get it half as right as your mum did they will actually thank you one day for this.

So Mum? This is that one day you’ve been waiting 34 years for. Thanks for everything, I love you.

With Mother’s Day fast approaching, it’s the perfect time to reflect on just how great mums are. All their sage advice, witty pearlers, and infinite wisdom included. We asked the Mamamia team to share what some of the best advice their mums gave them were, click through the gallery to see what the team said:

Here at Mamamia, we love mums. As so many of our team are mums themselves, we know that all mums deserve a break. We are always looking for ways to say thank you for all the hot dinners, relationship counselling and rent money they have given us over the years. Mamamia has teamed up with Novotel to offer 5 lucky readers the chance to win a night’s accommodation, just in time to give to your mum on Mother’s Day. To enter, submit the best piece of advice you ever received from your mum below. Good luck! For full terms and conditions – click here. 

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED.

At Novotel hotels, your kids are personally welcomed with a special gift on arrival and they stay & eat free. Our rooms are designed to enjoy quality family time, spacious enough for 2 adults & 2 kids. If you need more space for your kids or their grandparents, you can book a second room at 50% off. Don’t forget, at Novotel hotels you can enjoy a sleep-in with a late 5pm check-out on Sundays. Along with room service, movies, buffet breakfast & best of all, no cleaning up, how can you say no?

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