Life Is Not a Reality Show by Kyle Richards

her girls. That was her happiness. Her ultimate goal was for us to have a good life and be the best we could be. She got married four times, but she always used to say, “It’s hard for me to be married. All I care about is my kids.” And it was true—probably to the point of annoying the hell out of all her friends and anyone around her! She wanted to be either with her kids or talking about them all the time.
    And yes, I will admit that I’m a little bit too obsessed with my own kids, but, like mother like daughter.
    Mom had this habit where she’d get a certain expression on her face and press her tongue to the roof of her mouth and make a sound like “tststs-ts-ts-ts-ts.” I used to watch her when she did that and I knew she was thinking something like, “Okay, we’re lost. What do I do now?”
    So the other day I was driving and suddenly found myself going, “tststs-ts-ts-ts-ts.” I thought, Where did that come from? Oh my God! I’m turning into my mom!
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They Don’t Make Stars Like They Used To
    When I was growing up, my mother pointed out on more than one occasion how Bette Davis “always takes her time when she speaks.” Mom always told us to speak clearly too; it was very important to her.
    My mom loved the old-time, classic movie stars, like Elizabeth Taylor, Ava Gardner, and Sophia Loren. They were an inspiration to her, and she wanted them to inspire us too. We used to watch old movies together and she’d tell us all sorts of Hollywood stories. I remember listening to one about Elizabeth Taylor falling in love with Richard Burton on the set of Cleopatra and leaving Eddie Fisher for him. (She wasn’t a big Marilyn Monroe fan, but she told stories about her too. I definitely knew who the Kennedys were when I was little!)
    I think she liked the drama and glamour of old Hollywood; she was a drama queen herself! But she felt strongly that actresses were far more elegant in that era than in more modern times. And sexier too. Men used to fall at their feet! She considered them not only beautiful but smart, and she showed us how they carried themselves with such grace. She was big on carrying yourself like a lady! She would never let us chew gum in public because she thought it made people look tough and trashy; if she saw you with gum in your mouth she’d snap her fingers and open her hand and you’d have to spit it out!
    Some years ago I saw Britney Spears do an interview with Matt Lauer on the Today Show and she was chewing gum with her mouth open the whole time. I was just floored! I thought, Where is her mother? I’m glad my mom exposed us to the elegance of those stars, their manners, and their way of moving and speaking, especially in an era where Madonna was writhing on the floor singing “Like a Virgin!”
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    I’m glad, though, because she passed on great values to us. One of the best things about her was that she wasn’t a snob in any way, shape, or form. She taught us that no one was superior to anyone else, regardless of their occupation or the square footage of their house.
    That’s why I don’t mind that some of my friends have mansions so enormous you could fit my whole house into their kitchens! Ha-ha! Seriously, Lisa’s closet—Lisa Vanderpump, my castmate on Real Housewives —is the size of some of my friends’ apartments!
    In other words, Mom made us understand that possessions don’t make anyone superior or inferior. And that’s what I try to instill in my own children, along with gratitude for all the things they’re fortunate to have.
    I was fortunate to have a privileged upbringing. My mother came from a successful family in New York City; my grandfather was an attorney who worked for the city. When she met and married my father, the CEO of a retailing company, they moved into a beautiful house they’d built in Bel Air. Mom loved diamonds, cars, and furs, but she had her practical side too. She did a lot of things for herself in a town where not many people