Family counseling
Dear Readers: Advice from family members can be funny and honest, but always should be thoughtful and considered. When asked for the best advice you’d received from family, you came through! Homemaking, life skills and interpersonal skills were the biggest topics. Enjoy the following. — Heloise
n “My Uncle Walt gave me this hint: Leave a clean, dry towel next to the sink. Every time you use the sink, wipe all the water out of it, off the fixtures, the counter around it and the mirror. You will almost never have to clean your sink/counter/mirror, because they stay clean and dry.” — Danine F., via email
n “The day I told my grandmother that I was engaged to be married, she sat me down at her dining-room table and told me, ‘If you want to have a long, happy marriage, always treat your spouse the way you want him to treat you.’ We just celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary and are looking forward to our 75th!” — Betty T., via email
n “When I got married 57 years ago, my mother advised us to wait before having children. Have some fun and travel before having children, she said. Work and save, then make a nest for your children. We did that and waited four years until we started our family.” — Gisela S., via email
n “I will always remember my mother telling me that when raising children, ‘Nothing is worth hurt little feelings.'” — T.J.M., Laguna Niguel, Calif.
n “My grandmother always said, ‘Never leave a room empty-handed.'” — Donna T., Keizer, Ore.
n “The best advice I’ve ever gotten came from my favorite teacher: ‘Live your life as though everything you say and do is written in 20-foot letters across the sky.'”“It was a lesson in integrity. Make each choice a conscious one, rooted in ethics. If it’s a mistake, it will be an honest one, and an opportunity to grow in understanding, not an embarrassment. This has proved to be liberating, freeing me of the fear of being wrong.” — Cindy B., via email
n “The best advice I ever received was from my grandmother, who had lovely, unwrinkled skin. She told me that sunbathing was not good for you, no matter how pretty a tan was. I followed her advice and will be 80 next month, with no wrinkles.” — V.P. in Florida
n “Get an apprenticeship in a trade. No college is necessary, and the salary can be as good as some college-degreed jobs.” — A Reader, Dayton, Ohio
n “My mother taught me two life hints that I still try to live by:
“1. Believe nothing you hear and only one-half of what you see.
“2. If you can’t say anything nice about a person, don’t say anything.” — Linda H., via email
n “Dad always said, ‘The harder you work, the luckier you get.'” — John M. in San Antonio
n “My dad used to say to us four, mostly at the meal table, ‘You can’t learn anything by talking.'” — Frank D., Kerrville, Texas
Send a hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or email it to Heloise@Heloise.com.