Interview with Mom: Raising strong women and lookin' good.

In honor of Mothers' Day, we're talking to my mom. Yesterday, she dished on her real-life "Mad Men" experiences. Today, she tells all when it comes to raising a daughter and finding her personal style.

Me: How did your "Mad Men"-esque experiences impact how you raised your daughter?

Mama C: I'd like to think she learned the value of herself, although I don't think any of us really do. We're basically conditioned to doubt ourselves. To stand up for who she was, not take any crap.

Realistically, we played house and school for hours on end - typically female roles. So I don't think I instilled radical feminist beliefs in her except by accident. But I think she knew [and knows!] that she could do anything as well as anybody else, male or female.

Me: Well, for what it's worth, when some idiot on the playground attempted to belittle me by saying I was "just a girl," it didn't work, because I had no earthly clue what he was talking about.

Mama C: Thank you for that!

Me: I've always experienced you as being very feminine – your nails are impeccable, and you’d rather die than leave the house without earrings. Have you always been a girly girl?

Mama C: You have to remember that I grew up in an era of starched dresses, hats, gloves and mary janes. I remember slacks because you had to wear them UNDER your dress when it was really cold outside and you were walking to school. Even in high school and my two years of college, I was still wearing skirts [mini tho they were]. I did wear jeans once in a variety show in high school. And hair - once I was in high school, it was the era of teasing and hair spray ... flipped, of course, which was tricky. Sleeping in curlers. Ack!

Me: In my mind, though, you knew all the tricks. So glamorous! Who / what influenced your style, either back in the day or now? Also, it kind of kills me that you remember the one time you wore jeans in high school. I must have been a huge disappointment.

Mama C: No you weren't ... I was envious. I would have loved to be able to wear jeans. Oh, and we didn't have panty hose either so there were the undergarments and nylons and runs. Egads, So ... I really wanted to be Audrey Hepburn, but I wasn't built like her. I looked at the magazines for trendy styles for hair/clothes. I watched what my friends wore. What was worn on TV. Truthfully, I worked to buy my clothes, so my wardrobe wasn't very extensive. I've always wanted to just have a classic look that never goes out of style. Haven't found it yet, but I still clean up pretty good. Is that called peer pressure?

Me: You know, Audrey probably would have killed for your rack.

Mama C: Hahahahaha. I will keep that thought in mind always.

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My goodness, I love this woman.

Tomorrow? Mom talks marriage. A lot of marriage. Because she's been doing it for a long time.