We were raised in a small town in Connecticut with a combination of traditional New England values coupled with Irish-American sensibilities. At the highest point there were 10 siblings. Running a household like that was a strain on my mother. She ran a pretty tight ship. When I get together with my brothers, we often reminisce. Sometimes we'll focus in on 'house rules' and all of the cliches we grew up with. Mom always had something to say, especially when it came to behavior and manners. She also had a wicked sense of humor. With that in mind, here are things mom would never have said. She'd get a good chuckle out of them.

• "Well, if all the other kids are doing it, it must be OK"

• "Do your homework later. Watching cartoons is better for you."

• "Leave all the lights on. It makes the house feel cheerful"

• "Let me smell that shirt. Yeah, it's good for another week"

• "Honey, please smoke in the house."

• "You can keep that stray dog. I'll be glad to feed and walk him every day"

• "The curfew, it is just a ballpark time. Come home whenever"

• "If you don’t like that, I’ll cook something else for you"

• "Grades aren’t that important, as long as you’re having fun at school."

• "If you need beer money, just ask."

• "Of course you can use the car. It's not like you need a license."

• "Use your sleeve. It's better than tissues."

• "How can you see the TV that far away? Move closer."

• "Don't worry about cleaning your room. Someone else will do it."

• "That's OK. Keep doing it. You won't go blind."

How about your mother? Is there something she never said? We'd love to hear it.