The Winnie the Pooh-isms that we should never forget.

My love affair with A.A. Milne’s iconic books goes way back to my childhood – literally decades ago.

So when I had a son named Winston (after Winston Churchill), whom we nick-named Winnie, and he grew into a small man whom everyone said looked like Christopher Robin, it was pretty much perfection to me.

Fast forward almost a decade, when we heard that the Disney movie Christopher Robin was being released on September 13, we knew that would be our first school holidays activity.

 

Here's a quick refresher for those of you who may not be my level of obsessed: created in 1926 by A.A. Milne in a series of books about Christopher Robin, who was modelled on the author's own son, Christopher's adventures with his stuffed animal friends became a staple in children's bookshelves across the globe.

Winnie the Pooh is Christopher Robin's best friend, and also a character unlike any other. He is adorable but wise, brave but innocent. He delivers the sagest advice in the most timely manner - which is why he's such a Pooh-bear-extraordinaire.

I'm not sure I fully understood it as a child, but as an adult, I realise now that he's full of the best life advice - usually delivered in one-line 'Pooh-isms'. His astute, observant and poignant commentary is something I've actually often used on my own Winnie.

Here are some of my all-time favourite examples:

Patience, Pooh style.

Pooh was ever the diplomat. Sometimes, when I needed little Winnie to listen, or if he became frustrated trying to get my attention, instead of becoming annoyed, I would remember this little gem:

"If the person you are talking to doesn’t appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear."

You'd have to agree, it's a much nicer way to think of it, rather than, "Why on earth won't this person listen to me?!"

Winnie understood loss.

When my father died, I found some comfort in Winnie's line about loss: "If there ever comes a day when we can’t be together, keep me in your heart, I’ll stay there forever."

Oomph - that one gets you right in the ticker, doesn't it?

As a mother, constantly worried in the back of my mind about my child as all parents do - I also find this sweet Pooh-ism oddly reassuring, because it reminds you that all great loves never really end.

And it makes me think of another Pooh-ism: "How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."

So lucky indeed.

Go get 'em, Tigger.

Well, Winnie didn't say this directly to Tigger, but this line is akin to the phrase, Go get 'em, tiger! They are fighting, motivational words, if you apply them generally to life:

"You can't stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes."

I say this to my son regularly, especially as he becomes older, if he questions why something didn't go his way. This Pooh-ism is basically about exercising your power.

Our bodies are (honey-filled) temples.

I find the Pooh-isms about eating and exercise the most relatable. Of course.

In Winter, if we ever don't want to leave the house, I'll remind us: "A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise."

But then, luckily for me, Pooh also offers balance: "Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering."

Exactly.

But my all-time favourite Pooh-ism is about self-love, and it's something I say to my own Winnie whenever he critiques his growing shape:

"It's not much of a tail, but I'm sort of attached to it," Pooh declares about his perfect honey-filled body.

I love Pooh for reminding us all that our biggest fan will be the one we see in the mirror...

And our mums, of course.

Disney’s Christopher Robin will be released in cinemas September 13.

This content was created with thanks to our brand partner, Disney's Christopher Robin.