Good old mom. She of the "stand up straight" and "if your friends jump off a bridge, will you jump, too?'' fame has her day Sunday.

Her advice -- rarely wrong -- and our reaction -- rarely right -- are part of the rite of passage from childhood to adulthood. So here are some words of wisdom from Good Old Mom, as recalled -- dare we say missed? -- by some residents of neighborhoods in the Route 19 corridor.

Now run out and get that sappy Happy Mother's Day card. [No guilt, wink wink.]

"Always eat your beets because they're good for your blood.''

-- Lisa Como, 42, of Bethel Park, controller at Jefferson Regional Medical Center;, about her mom Marlene Ganassi, of Upper St. Clair.

"Don't cross your eyes because they'll stay that way.''

-- Cathy McDonald, 52, of Brookline, a restaurant server, about her late mom, Mary Ann Freuden.

"If you drown, I'll kill you.''

-- Joan Hodson, 52, of Dormont, a flight attendant, about mom Millie Musiol, of Carnegie. ``My mom always had a fear of water. But all five of us kids swam like fish,'' Ms. Hodson explains.

"Always check the back of your hair in the mirror before you leave the house.''

-- Joanne Hahey, 46, of Bethel Park, vice president of Jefferson Regional Medical Center, of mom Joan Reagan, of Bethel Park.

"Don't go outside with a wet head because you'll catch pneumonia.''

-- Barb Gastgeb, of Bethel Park, a homemaker, about her mom, Margaret Krest, of Whitehall.

"Always say what you mean, and never be mean with what you say.''

-- Marge Besselman, 56, of Heidelberg, a state employee, of advice from her late mother, Laverne Happe.

"Make sure you don't have any holes in your socks in case you're in an accident and have to take your shoes off.''

-- Helenia Simoni, 24, of Dormont, a server, about her mom, Paty Kamtsios, of Dormont.

"I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week.''

-- Alma Vogel, 76, of Bethel Park, a homemaker, about her late mom Tillie Eigenbrod. "It was her way of keeping us five kids in line. We never knew what it meant, but you didn't question her.''

-- Compiled by freelance writer Margaret Smykla.