LISTEN UP KIDS: Turns out your mother really does know best

It’s official: Your mother really does know best — but most people don’t realise it until the age of 26, according to a survey.

The poll shows that nearly half the population ignored the advice their mum gave them as they were growing up, only to look back and agree that it was actually good sense.

And nearly six in 10 say they fully appreciated their own mothers only when they had children themselves.

The survey of 2000 Britons by the Post Office for Mother’s Day this Sunday also reveals a long list of all the things she was right about.

Treating people as you would like to be treated yourself was the advice most often mentioned, cited by 42 per cent of those questioned in the multiple-choice poll.

Family comes first, life isn’t fair sometimes, and if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all are other popular pearls of wisdom passed on by mothers.

More than a third said they wished they had listened to their mums more, while a fifth say they have turned into a younger version of their mothers, with 31 the average age when this happened.

Three-quarters of those polled will make a special effort to visit their mothers this Sunday, and of those who can’t, two-thirds will send a card and half will put a present in the post.

Four in 10 say that their mum is their best friend and they talk to them an average of eight times a week.

Four in ten also share their mother’s sense of humour, a third like the same food, while a quarter have adopted the same parenting style.

But only a sixth share the same political views.

Laura Joseph of the Post Office said: “It’s great to see how much our mums and the special women in our lives mean to us, even though we probably should have listened to them more.”

. . . AND HERE ARE 20 REASONS

1. Treat people as you’d like to be treated yourself
2. Family comes first
3. Life isn’t fair sometimes
4. If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all
5. A little kindness goes a long way
6. Work hard
7. Know when to say sorry
8. Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves
9. Don’t mix your whites and darks in the wash
10. Never go to bed on an argument
11. Don’t wash your dirty linen in public
12. A tidy house is a tidy mind
13. Remember your Ps and Qs
14. Everything in moderation
15. Always eat your greens
16. Don’t live in the past
17. Don’t put your coat on until you get outside or you won’t feel the benefit
18. Don’t burn your bridges
19. Always make your bed
20. Always send a thank you note after receiving a present