The BabyWebsite
Written: Monday, December 7, 2009MOTHER'S SAY
Eight out of ten mums admit they have 'turned into their mothers' - by using tried and tested adages to deal with their kids, it was revealed yesterday (Fri).
Researchers found 'Because I said so' and 'Wait and see' are the most common retorts fired at the children along with 'If someone asked you to jump off a cliff, would you do it?'
'It'll end in tears' and 'who's she, the cat's mother?', also emerged as common answers to annoying questions.
Kathryn Crawford, spokeswoman for www.TheBabyWebsite.com, which conducted the study of 3,000 mums, said: ''The funny thing about this research is that many mums will insist they are nothing like their own mothers.
''But the reality is that we can't help but teach our children as our parents taught us, and that means using old sayings, familiar methods of discipline and routines which worked for our parents.
''It's easy to understand how some of the top 20 sayings could feature in everyday conversations.
''Children are always questioning their parents, pushing the boundaries to see what they can get away with. Sometimes a quick retort such as 'Because I said so' is all mums can offer before running out of patience.''
It also emerged today's mums often find themselves repeating other sayings such as 'You'll have someone's eye out with that' and 'What did your last slave die of?'.
'It'll end in tears', 'I've told you a thousand times!', and 'There's no such word as can't' all also appeared in the top 20 most used sayings.
More than half of today's mums claim they intentionally use some of their parent's best loved phrases because they think it worked to discipline them.
But 40 per cent of mums admit they sometimes repeat things their parents said even though they didn't really know what it meant.
Sayings such as 'close the door, you don't live in a barn' baffle mums but they continue to use them because most children don't know how to respond.
Two thirds of mums said their own parents found it hilarious that their sayings are being re-used on their grandchildren.
And six in 10 children are said to regularly question the funny things their parents say to them.
Some of the popular things parents say include 'Say pardon not what', 'What did your last slave die of and 'I want never gets'.
Other favourites include 'That's for me to know and you to find out', 'Do as I say, not as I do' and 'Don't sit too close to the TV you'll get square eyes'.
Kathryn Crawford added: ''There were even more hilarious sayings which didn't quite make the top 20.
''Phrases such as 'children should be seen and not heard', 'when will you learn' and 'eat your dinner of you won't grow up to be big and strong' were also close contenders.''
TOP 20 SAYINGS
1. Because I said so
2. Wait and see
3. If someone asked you to jump off a cliff, would you do it?
4. You'll have someone's eye out with that
5. What did your last slave die of?
6. Close the door you don't live in a barn
7. I've told you a thousand times!
8. There's no such word as can't
9. Say pardon not what
10. It'll end in tears
11. Who's she, the cat's mother?
12. I want never gets
13. If you're too full to finish your dinner, you're too full for desert
14. That's for me to know and you to find out
15. Back in my day!
16. Don't sit too close to the TV you'll get square eyes
17. I'll give you something to cry about
18. Carrots will make you see in the dark
19. Ask your father / mother
20. Do as I say, not as I do
