7 Pieces Of Advice From Real Moms About Getting Through Hard Times

Moms give us so much to be grateful for, not least of all their wisdom.

Moms are among the first people to teach us that we are loved and worthy of love, they get us ready to go out into the world on our own, and they help give us the tools we need to get through hard times. The world is certainly going through that right now.

In honor of Mother’s Day — and the difficult challenges we find ourselves facing at the moment — we asked HuffPost readers for the best advice they’ve received from their own mothers about getting through hard times. Here is some of what you had to share.

“Everyone’s got a plan ... until it changes.”

Actually, HuffPost Parents reader John’s mom put it more like, “Everyone’s got a plan until they get punched in the face.” But the point remains that things change, life is constantly shifting and no one’s life is stable or linear, even if it looks that way from the outside.

“Fatigue makes fools of us all.”

Need an excuse to hit the snooze button for a few minutes, or plop your kiddos in front of the TV so you can catch a few more ZZZs? HuffPost Parents reader Maggie says her mom is forever asking about her sleep, particularly when Maggie — who battled cancer — is having a hard day.

“It’s hard to tackle the world and be positive and keep going when you’re exhausted,” Maggie said of her mom’s best advice. “So go to bed and try again tomorrow. It’s always been great advice and kept me on a positive path.”

“You’ve got to laugh.”

“She set an example for me to face life with a sense of humor,” HuffPost Parents reader Lisa said of her mother. “In the darkest times, we would always find something to laugh about.”

Lisa said it’s the thing she most misses about her mom today.

“You can get through hard things.”

HuffPost reader Cherie’s mom was born in 1918 and lived through some really difficult stuff. She was also blind. But she did not let such obstacles get in her way.

“She was valedictorian of her class, volunteered hours and hours for different things when I was growing up, and raised three children,” Cherie said. “My mom taught me perseverance, kindness and generosity.”

And that focus on getting through hard times with grace is helping Cherie today.

“Life’s tough, and then you die.”

No, it’s not the stuff of Hallmark cards, but reader Stacie said she has come to appreciate this advice from her mom.

“My brother and I always considered this harsh, but as I have lived more of life, she wasn’t wrong,” Stacie said. “Life isn’t easy for most of us and we don’t always get an easy hand dealt to us.”

What Stacie’s mom’s advice taught her is to “play the hell out of the cards” you do have, have a backup plan (or two) and not take the happy times for granted.

“Times of change are the times of greatest opportunity.”

With so much constantly changing, and so much uncertainty in the world right now, this hopeful reminder from HuffPost Parents’ reader Elisa is just what we need to hear.

“You do the best you can with the information that you have at the time.”

Another one that is perfect for our current moment. The advice from the mom of HuffPost reader Jessie is a reminder that the only way to navigate hard times is to rely on the information you have available to you, however limited it might be, and move forward in a thoughtful way.

Onwards!

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