While I was growing up, my mom seemed to have some cliché phrase to throw at me for everything. If I dared to pout out the words “I’m bored,” she’d come back with something like, “If you’re bored, there’s plenty of cleaning to do.” If I argued with my siblings, she’d say, “Why can’t you be nicer to your sister? She looks up to you.” Really, 
mom? It must be my childhood naivete that keeps me from identifying her use of scissors on my Barbie’s long locks as an expression of admiration.
After hearing the same things, over and over, I vowed I’d never sling any momisms at my children. If those words irritated ME that much, I wasn’t going to use them to torture my kids. No way.
Fast forward to 30-something Jessi, mother of three. The halls echo with, “Were you born in a barn?” and “Close the fridge. You’re letting the cold out!” among many other phrases, passed down for generations. I used to be disgusted with myself, but I’ve come to realize, it’s a part of motherhood.
There must a universal mommy memory bank that we’re all born with. Then, when the need arrives, we have the perfect saying to complement our children’s eye-rolls, newly created mess or full-on ninja fighting. It’s not only the words that we say, but the way they are said that make them true momisms.
My husband can try for half an hour to keep the kids from jumping on the couch, but one firmly spoken “Don’t” freezes them all in their tracks…including dad. The momism goes far beyond the simple witty retorts to lippy kids, it’s a right, nay, a super-power, to be used for good. Dads have their -isms as well, but they don’t quite pack the punch of a tried and true phrase, uttered by the “weaker“ sex. A dadism would be “Don’t make me come back there.” The mom equivalent, which always yields results is “When I get back there…”
As society and family structures change, so must momisms. They now incorporate video games, computers and iPods. “Your iPod’s going to be MY iPod if you don’t get your homework done.”
The reason these one-liners have stood the test of time is because they’re universally, timelessly true. As long as there are mothers and children, momisms will live on.
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