Wiser With Age

Author: Victoria Moll-Ramirez

  • In My Mother’s Words: The importance of education

    In My Mother’s Words: The importance of education


    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.

    The one thing my mother truly laments about her life is not being able to get an education. Being a woman from a third world country made this incredibly difficult for her. She’s always said if she would’ve been given the opportunity she would’ve been a teacher.

    This is one thing, among many others, my mother never wanted us to feel. She never wanted us to lament not having an education. Frankly, my brother and I didn’t have a choice. As kids, I remember her always telling us:

    “Tú vas hacer abogada y Renecito va ser un médico.”

    (You’re going to be an attorney, and René is going to be a doctor.)

    For the record, neither of us became either of those but her whole point was to ingrain the idea of higher education in our minds. I thought this was the norm. I thought this is what everyone was told at home. I was wrong. I was also incredibly lucky.

    Having raised us by herself she talked to us about a lot of intense topics early on. One of those included what she wanted for us if she passed away before we finished our schooling. These were always her words to us:

    “Si yo me muero y ustedes no se han graduado de la universidad, el día que se gradúen ustedes van a mi tumba y me dicen ‘Mami, cumplí.’”

    (If I die and you guys haven’t graduated college, the day you graduate you will go to my tomb and say, “Mom, I did it.â€)

    As an adult, I can’t imagine how hard it is to say those words to your children. Today is five years to the date that I graduated college. I’m a journalist and my brother, who also graduated, works as a marketing manager in Chicago. She told my brother and I the exact same thing when we graduated:

    “Ya usted cumplió conmigo.”

    (Loosely translated: You’ve done all I’ve asked of you.)

    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.

    That’s all she ever asked of us, to get an education. She said it was the only gift she could give us. It will forever be the greatest gift she gave us.

    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.Victoria Moll-Ramirez is a broadcast journalist based in Atlanta, GA. She is originally from Miami, FL and had the great fortune of being raised by the sassiest, spunkiest, wisest, most hysterical Honduran woman in the world. Victoria’s mother, Bélgica, is 60-years-old, resides in Little Havana (Miami) and enjoys a good margarita accompanied by a heartrending ranchera. Victoria blogs about her mom’s funny and wise sayings on, “In My Mother’s Words.â€

  • In My Mother’s Words: Always in a rush

    In My Mother’s Words: Always in a rush


    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.

    As mentioned in my previous post, my mother has always had to deal with having a daughter who is unable to sit still, literally and figuratively.

    As far back as I could remember she would always tell me,

    “No corras antes de caminar.”

    (Don’t try running before you can walk.)

    Throughout my life, it’s applied to multiple scenarios.

    Me: Mom, me quiero rasurar las piernas

    Mom: Victorita, no corras antes de caminar.

    (Me: Mom, I want to shave my legs. Mom: Victoria, don’t run before you can walk.)

    Me: Mom, ya no aguanto! Quiero salir corriendo!

    Mom: Mija, ten paciencia. No corras antes de caminar.

    (Me: Mom, I can’t take it anymore! I want to run out. Mom: My daughter, be patient. Don’t try running before you can walk.)

    She then likes to go on and tell me how ironic it is that I’m always “running†when I was lazy and took forever to learn how to walk as a baby.

    The moral is that everything comes in due time. We spend our lives rushing through every moment, every phase. Sometimes you just gotta sit back, drink a mimosa and enjoy the moment.

    (Besides, shaving is so overrated.)

    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.Victoria Moll-Ramirez is a broadcast journalist based in Atlanta, GA. She is originally from Miami, FL and had the great fortune of being raised by the sassiest, spunkiest, wisest, most hysterical Honduran woman in the world. Victoria’s mother, Bélgica, is 60-years-old, resides in Little Havana (Miami) and enjoys a good margarita accompanied by a heartrending ranchera. Victoria blogs about her mom’s funny and wise sayings on, “In My Mother’s Words.â€

  • In My Mother’s Words: Advice on dealing with crazies

    In My Mother’s Words: Advice on dealing with crazies


    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.

    As anyone can imagine, raising two kids on your own is no easy feat. Now, imagine one of those kids being a high strung, energetic, siempre a millón (always going at a million) daughter like myself.

    I’ve been blessed with a mother who knows how to deal with crazy, and in turn, has tried to teach me how to not allow the crazies of the world make me crazy(ier). Or, as she says,

    “Donde hay un loco que no hayan dos.”

    (Where there’s one crazy let there not be two.)

    As simple as that phrase is, I can’t tell you how many times it’s helped me both personally and professionally. When people are under stress, they tend to act out.

    So, whenever you find yourself in a situation where you feel everyone is acting crazy, just remember to keep the calm.

    Lord knows my mother epitomizes it.

    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.Victoria Moll-Ramirez is a broadcast journalist based in Atlanta, GA. She is originally from Miami, FL and had the great fortune of being raised by the sassiest, spunkiest, wisest, most hysterical Honduran woman in the world. Victoria’s mother, Bélgica, is 60-years-old, resides in Little Havana (Miami) and enjoys a good margarita accompanied by a heartrending ranchera. Victoria blogs about her mom’s funny and wise sayings on, “In My Mother’s Words.”