Our Moms Are Full of Good Advice! Who Knew?

We all know moms are full of advice. Most of the time, it’s good advice, and it’s always well-meaning. But sometimes Mom’s advice isn’t always the best. We thought we’d ask our staff about the WORST advice their mom ever gave them.

It seemed like a great question. Little did we know there are so many great moms among our TJM family. We had trouble finding bad advice! We’ve been told, however, that dads aren’t quite on the same pedestal. Stay tuned next month for our Father’s Day question….

Matt Maio

I don’t know if it really counts. My grandmother raised me, not my mom. It may not be the worst advice, but certainly an annoying one that I refuse to ever follow. Her advice was when ordering food at a restaurant was to always change something on the order to make sure it was made “fresh.”

Especially at fast food places, she would ask for French fries with no salt and her sandwich with one less condiment than it was supposed to have. Because of that, and working in restaurants for a long time as a young adult, I will order what I order however it comes. If I don’t want something, I will take it off myself. [Editor’s Note: A good idea Matt, but it’s darn near impossible to get all that lettuce off a Big Mac after it’s put on.]

Lena Ruotolo:

To be honest, (Mom) doesn't give a whole lot of advice at all! She's so busy that she's better at listening than giving feedback, when she has time. [Editor’s Note: Sometimes the best advice is no advice.]

Rick Cundiff

My mom was smart, talented, loving – and not a great cook. She wasn’t a foodie at all. When we went out for steak, she always ordered it exactly the same way – well done. Every cut, every restaurant, every time. She wanted to make sure it was done, exactly the way she cooked it at home. Anything less than one shade short of charcoal, and her entire meal was ruined, even if the steak was redone to her specification.

She advised me to do the same, which I did for years. When I switched to medium-well, and later to medium, it was truly a revelation. Who knew steak didn’t have to be the texture of shoe leather?

Shannon Moore

Well. This is going to sound like a big ol’ dirty lie, but its not ... I don't have any  pieces of "worst" advice that I've been given from my mom or mother-in-law that I can recall.  Even if there was something that didn't go wonderfully, I probably didn't look at it in a negative light. "Eh, at least I tried something.”  Both people are typically pretty calculated individuals who wouldn't give a flippant or rushed response when I'm actually asking for advice.

Matt Fischer

My mother is a saint. If she gave me advice that turned out to be bad advice when it was all said and done, I know that what she told me at the time was told with the best of intentions. I have no examples otherwise. [Editor’s Note: While we don’t doubt the sainthood of Matt’s mom -- which was confirmed by another employee -- we note that every mom’s advice is given with the best of intentions. Even those who recommend well-done steak.]