I was reading an article recently regarding how mothers are often not listened to and the kids end up regretting those choices. Speaking from personal experience, I can say that my mother has always been right on the money when it comes to advice.

She was always the one telling me to take a jacket with me as I left the house. I thought I was too cool for a jacket. After all, I wanted to show off my new Panama Jack shirt. A few hours later, it would start to rain and I’d be freezing to death.

I can’t count how many times my mother told me to wear a toboggan as I ran out the door to catch the school bus. I’d grumble and moan and stuff it into my pocket.  Later on in the day when my ears had ice icicles hanging on them I was so glad I had the toboggan to put on.

Those wise words of my mother have finally taken root and turned me into a responsible adult that takes a jacket with me even if I don’t think I need it. I even carry a blanket in my vehicle as I was told to do so many times as a teenager.

I recall so many times when my mother would tell me to eat lunch before going on a trip. I didn’t want to take time to eat. I was ready to take on the world.

Later on in the day when those hunger pains began to streak through my stomach I would look in my backpack and sure enough there was a peanut butter sandwich that was worth more than gold.

However, in the interest of fairness, I will say that I can recall a time when my parents didn’t listen to me either and they certainly paid the price for it.

I couldn’t have been more than 8 years old at the time and my parents and myself were crammed into the cab of my dad’s pickup truck like sardines and headed to town to pick up another sibling from the high school football game.

We lived quite a few miles away from the school so the trip home seemed like an eternity to me. I was sandwiched between my dad and mom in the truck and I announced that I had to take a pee.

It was late at night and we were in the boonies headed home. My dad told me that I would just have to wait to go to the bathroom. I accepted that answer for a few minutes and then announced a second time that I really had to go. Again, I was told to wait.

With me drinking a 20-ounce soda and my young bladder only holding 10 ounces simple math tells us that something had to give. It was then that my muscles gave out and I welcomed sweet relief as the urine flowed down my leg and onto my dad’s leg as well.

When my dad felt the warm liquid touch his leg he jumped higher than if he had seen a snake. I didn’t react, I just said, “I told you I had to go.” My sibling and mother couldn’t say anything because they were too busy laughing.

So we see, it’s not always kids who ignore their parents. Sometimes the parents don’t listen to their kids either.

With that said, I think I have to pee now and I may or may not get up.