Is the Mother's Curse Real?

As a mother of teenage daughter and often struggling with the "traditional" teenage behavior – talking back, illogical thinking, lying and horrible decisions on clothing, I have to ask “Is the Mother’s Curse Real?”

Now, I know I wasn’t an angel, but I can’t believe I was as difficult as my daughter is now but I am compelled to ask the question since every once in awhile, I occasionally catch a coy smile on my mother’s face as she listens to my ranting about the latest and greatest battle I am having with my daughter. Although never truly confirmed since my mother always claims that she is sympathetic and “understands”, I can’t help but to feel that she has cast this proverbial mother’s curse on me and is silently enjoying her payback 20 years later.

The irony of it, is I am hoping she teaches me how to cast this curse on my own daughter, 17, who just this morning, proclaimed that she “can’t live with me anymore and she is moving out.” Yes, all of you other mothers are secretly stating the obvious…good, have fun and give me a call in a few years, we’ll do lunch or my mother’s favorite, shall I pack your bags”, this is the natural response we all keep to ourselves but are thinking. As mature parents, we appeal to their outrageous claim with logic and reason – two traits wasted on teenagers.

The mother’s curse, fact or fiction? If you are a daughter, you are very familiar with the mother’s curse. It usually starts with “I hope you have a child that acts just like you someday”! At the time the curse is casted, your feeble teenage mind can’t possibly understand the magnitude so as teenagers do, you rolled your eyes and dismissed the words as the useless banter and information that parents give to their kids. Years later, you remember that moment and wonder, Did she or didn’t she?

The truth is, my daughter doesn’t act just like me, she is 10 times worse so I can only assume that over time the curse gains power or accumulates with each time you made your own mother angry. At a minimum, I am assuming it is intended to provide you with a challenge or to teach you a lesson that you were expected to learn back when you were a young teenage girl.

So the moral of my story for all those teenage girls out there who dismiss their mother’s advice and wisdom is remember the Mother’s Curse and know that your mothers have a power bestowed upon them by a greater power and eventually will make their points known. The curse is intended to have you treated in the manner of which you treat your mother now or ten times worse, so treat your mother with kindness, compassion and calmness.