5 Life Lessons from Madea

You may have guessed I am a big fan of Tyler Perry's Madea.  Many of the things she says are not only accurate but as my grandmother also says drops of wisdom.  The question is will you drink or let it fall to the ground.

 

Life Lesson #1: Keep it Real

"It doesn't matter what other people say. You don't have to go keeping up with the Joneses. Hell, I ain't known anybody named Jones in my neighborhood."

In Madea's Family Reunion Madea convinces a niece who is trying to maintain the appearance of a perfect marriage to admit to her family that her fiancé is abusing her.

Life Lesson #2: Learn From Your Mistakes
"Whatever you've done in the past is done, and don't be ashamed of it. As long as it didn't involve animals or children, you're all right."

In Daddy's Little Girls a working class father falls in love with his white collar lawyer while she's helping regain custody of his three daughters, but a dark secret from his past jeopardizes their relationship.

Life Lesson #3: Know When to Let Go
"Some people come into your life for a lifetime and some come for a season. You have to know which is which."

In Diary of a Mad Black Woman a housewife becomes so obsessed with revenge after her husband leaves her that her bitterness prevents her from embracing the new man in her life.

Life Lesson #4: Confess Your Secrets
"Everybody's got skeletons in the closet ... my advice to anybody with skeletons is to dust them off every now and then -- as long as your closet ain't full of them. It's not good to have more than two or three."

In Why Did I Get Married? a perfectionist wife gives everyone else relationship advice while her own marriage crumbles in the aftermath of a family tragedy she secretly blames herself for.

Life Lesson #5: Don't Give Up

"Life is sometimes hard, and you have to laugh your way through it."

In Meet the Browns a desperate single mother's strength is renewed when she goes home for the funeral of the father she never knew and is embraced by his eccentric family.