Photo: www.allrecipes.com
Tales that keep Telling
We have all heard “old wive’s tales” passed down from older generations. I remember visiting my grandmother; while sitting at the kitchen table, I enjoyed cookies and tea while she reminisced about “the good ole days.” My grandmother, known to her grandchildren as “Mom-Mom,” used to tell the best stories. She kept us entertained with fiction and non-fiction stories. At the time, we were unaware of the lessons being taught to us. We were too busy devouring cookies and drinking sweet tea to keep up with the colorful characters in Mom-Mom’s stories, which usually ended with a catchy phrase. Even though Mom-Mom has passed on, her memory and stories live on through her family. Mom-Mom, like other older people, had a way of teaching valuable life lessons through storytelling. Although she created her own stories around these lessons, which made them more attractive, the lessons always remained the same. I can’t recall all the stories but I remember the lessons. I have heard different versions of these “old wive’s tales” over the years. These tales often involve what some people would consider superstition. However, to our culture they are sayings we have come to live by and continue to pass down from one generation to the next.
Photo: www.masterfile.com
This is a list of “Old Tales”, see if you recognize any of them.
Step on a crack and you’ll break your mother’s back
Sticks and Stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you
Don’t cry over spilled milk
If your right palm itch, you will receive money
If your left palm itch, you will pay out money
If your eye twitches, it means someone wants to see you
If someone sweeps your feet, you must spit on the broom so you don’t go to jail
An apple a day keeps the doctor away
You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar
Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater
Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face
Why buy the milk when you can get the cow for free?
Don’t split a pole, or you will have bad luck
Don’t let a black cat cross your path, or you will have bad luck
Never open an umbrella in the house; it’s bad luck
If you break a mirror, you will have seven years of bad luck
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
Never let your right hand know what your left hand is doing
Feed a cold, starve a fever
If you dream about a fish, someone is pregnant
If your bones start hurting, it is going to rain
If you put your purse on the floor, you will never have money
You should have cash in your pocket when the clock strikes 12am on New Year’s
When you are pregnant, and you have heartburn, your baby will have a lot of hair
Never count your chicks before they hatch
Don’t look a gifted horse in the mouth
You can lead a horse to the water, but you can’t make them drink
You can’t have champagne taste with beer money (or caviar taste w/ tuna fish money)
Poor little rich girl!
If you see a crow, it is a sign of death
Death comes in 3s
Momma’s baby, Poppa’s maybe!
Don’t sell yourself short
The devil is a liar
Black don’t crack
Beauty Hurts!
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
Don’t let your eyes be bigger than your gut
Don’t write a check with your mouth that your butt can’t cash
What’s good for the goose is good for the gander!
Photo: www.silvercentury.org
Keep in mind these sayings are not proven true, they are not backed by scientific research or data. They are simply “old wive’s tales” that we choose to entertain and probably give way too much time and attention to, but for some reason they are a part of our culture. Even though they are funny, silly, lame or corny, they remind me of my childhood. I am thankful to my Mom-Mom for sharing her imagination, kindness, and wisdom. I learned at an early age how to be patient, kind, and grateful through her stories and “old wive’s tales.”
