I was about four years old when I fell ill with jaundice. My meals had to be changed overnight — out went the tasty food, replaced by bland, boiled fare prescribed by the doctor.

Knowing I would protest, my mother came up with a clever plan. She told me she had woken up that morning and forgotten how to cook the way she used to.

I believed her completely — because mothers never lie.

A few weeks later, once I was better, I came home one afternoon to see her enjoying her usual delicious meal. I clapped my hands in delight. “You’ve got your cooking skills back!” I exclaimed.

At that age, what our parents said felt like gospel truth. But as we grow older — especially in our teens — we start to doubt, dismiss, or even ignore their advice.

Yet life often brings us back to their words, this time revealing the wisdom that was always there.