Mothers are one of the most important women in a child’s life, and why should they not be?

They are responsible for raising the next generation of movers and shakers in the world and the lessons they impart are likely to stick with their children throughout adulthood as well.

Mothers may come in all stripes, but there are some things that will never change when it comes to how they tend to raise their kids – Malaysia, anyway.

1. Whip out the ‘rotan’

Corporal punishment tends to be frowned upon in the West, but for Malaysian mothers, “spare the rod, spoil the child” is almost certainly their personal motto.

Malaysian children know they’ve gotten into hot soup once the “rotan” is whipped out.

Most of the time though, mothers don’t actually use it on their children, but rather brandish it to intimidate them into submission.

However, that does not change the status of the “rotan” as being a Malaysian mother’s most prized possession and a child’s most feared weapon of intimidation.

2. Gently promote the professions of engineering, law or medicine

Like any good mother, Malaysian mums want only the best for their children.

After all, every good parent wants their child to live a better life than they did – and what better way than to be an engineer, lawyer or doctor?

So, if you had the audacity to suggest otherwise, watch the colour drain from her face as she rolls her eyes, shakes her head and inhales long and sharp before sitting you down to convey her grave disapproval of your “life choices”.

3. Enquire why their Facebook friend request is still pending

Malaysian mums like to keep tabs on their children’s whereabouts as much as possible, even and especially on social media.

After all, for many mums, social media is a dark and dangerous dungeon rife with unsavoury characters their kids must be protected from.

But for any child, receiving a Facebook friend request from their mother is a crushing blow to the “cool” online persona they’ve painstakingly built.

After all, one tends to behave differently online, and letting your mum invade this private world is a terrifying prospect.

Often, the best defence whenever asked by mum about when that friend request will be accepted is to simply say, “Oh ya, sure!” and conveniently forget about it.

4. Compare you to others more often than you like

Constant comparisons to the children of more successful relatives or friends is something most Malaysian kids have had to harden themselves to.

It could be a cousin who aced their examinations or a sibling who landed a dream job; mothers are likely to invoke their name in trying to get you to emulate them.

In reality, being the subject of constant comparisons can lead to pretty adverse effects, especially with regard to one’s fragile self-esteem.

The dark and dreary feeling of always living in another’s shadow is hard to shake off as it’s a constant reminder that you can never quite measure up to her expectations.

However, just because they believe you have room to improve does not mean they don’t value you as their child – or so you keep telling yourself.

5. Brag about you

She may compare you to others, but that doesn’t stop her from bragging about you to relatives and friends.

Every good quality you have (and some you likely don’t), will be magnified ten-fold as she sings your praises as if you were the best thing that happened to humanity.

Each time you come back home with good grades or small achievements, she makes it a cause for celebration and may even cook up a feast to match.

Even ordinary good behaviour is worthy of praise, and she will unashamedly brag to all her friends about your outstanding feats.

Because at the end of the day, the only thing that a good mother wants is for her child to be the best that they can possibly be in this life.