Things My Chinese Mom Says

For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to write a memoir of all those funny little things my mother said to me growing up.  Even to this day, despite the fact that I am 32, married and with three kids,  the infinite amounts of Chinese wisdom and wives' tales silliness that pour out of my mother on a daily basis never cease to amaze and stupefy me, all at once.

So while I slowly try to finish my book on the side (life's busy with three kids under four and a part-time job from home), this will be an easy way to capture those things my mom says for now.

And so.. Chinese Mom Say is born.

#Chinesemomsay #abckidprobs #immigrantchild #foblife

My mom would probably kill me if she saw the photo of my big mouth.  Have you ever put a slice of orange into your mouth so that the orange peel fills your entire mouth and you have a big mouth full of orange peel?  Yeah, me neither.. and my mom also never told me to stop doing that for fear of making my mouth bigger.

"Stop laughing with your mouth so wide open!" she'd tell me.  "Looking pretty, but the mouth is too large and open, close your mouth honey," she'd say.

"Don't smile with your mouth open!" she advised for the 4 years I had braces in my mouth.  I was so mortified by my ugly brace face that I ripped up a photo in the seventh grade of my ugly smile with braces.  But then, I also got in trouble for that because I wasn't "having enough confidence!" and I was punished for that as well.  Life is tough when you can't quite figure out what your mom wants you to do.

Sorry mom, I just have a really big mouth.  And while the orange peel may have exacerbated it, in the American culture, big teeth and big mouths with thick lips seem to be a thing of appeal.  So there!

Here's to big mouths everywhere.