Grandmothers can throw out some strange advice. And while it comes with varying degrees of apparent relevance, it often does contain quite a bit of wisdom. Here is some odd advice from my own grandma that has (surprisingly) proven true. 

1. Making your bed is the key to chastity  

If chastity is your goal, then according to Grandma, all it takes is a minute when you wake. Choosing to do the little, hard tasks now – like making your bed every morning – strengthens you to do the difficult, hard tasks later in life when the stakes are higher. Additionally, it’s also rather difficult to make your bed when someone is in it. 

2. If you’re crabby, eat something 

Bad mood got you blue? Make yourself a sandwich and see what happens. No need to worry about something until you’ve had a sandwich and a good night of sleep. 

3. Don’t be codependent, be interdependent 

Look to those who love you for help and be helpful to those whom you love. You don’t need to white knuckle through your whole life, but you do need to be generous. Those who are interdependent with their friends and family find a network which helps them flourish and learn to take responsibility. 

4.You don’t have to tell your parents everything (sorry Mom)

Save your mother the extra grey hairs and tell your tales to Grandma instead. She’ll properly scold, praise, and advise you, but at this age not much shocks her. 

5. You can’t change a boy, but a boy can change for you. 

This goes for both men and women. It’s impossible to change someone – you simply can’t make them do anything. Instead, be committed to self-improvement, and if your partner is serious about you, they will commit to self-improvement too. You’ll see changes for good in the both of you regardless of where the relationship goes. 

6. Nothing good happens after midnight 

You’ve heard this a thousand times. Just be honest with yourself. Sure, not all post-midnight activities are pure evil, but can binge watching Netflix late into the night when you have a 6 am wakeup call qualify as good?

7. Two kids are easier than one

This may seem counterintuitive, but think about it this way. You’re not paralyzed with fear this time, you have some left over newborn diapers, and now the kids have a playmate to keep them occupied. 

What advice did you get from your grandmother? Have you, like me, found grandma’s wisdom to be worthy of attention? Furthermore, would society be better off if it began to pay attention to the wisdom of the older generation once again?  

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[Image Credit: Flickr/U.S. Department of Agriculture | CC BY 2.0]