I look back on my 'early days' and wonder how I could have behaved as I did over basic chores and pulling my weight in the family. God often lets us relive those times in our own children! The most frustrating part of raising children is trying to impart what we have learned so they don't make the same mistakes. Uh, do I hear my mother calling to me from the grave and saying with a smirk, "I told you so!"
Each of our children is different and each have their own quirks, personalities, etc. The one thing most all of them have in common is the inability to see dirt or the need to remove dust, dirt, and clutter! And, it is not so much this youthful 'blindness' as their desire to not bothering to see. I didn't raise stupid children which is probably part of the problem . . . They are often a few steps ahead of me! Anyway, if I knew that if the youth of the world would listen, especially my own brood, this is probably what I would try to tell them and hope they believe me.
We all live in the same house so share the same dust and clutter . . . It doesn't take much to pick up a item or discard it . . . without being asked. When mine were in the 8-12 year old range, I assigned them the chore of picking up the livingroom and kitchen. Unknown to them, even to this day, I purposely set out crumbled pieces of paper and such and put coins under them. If they obeyed, they made some money. Not one of my 'plants' were uncovered yet they said they had done their job and just didn't see the ones I pointed out to them.
Rule to live by: Never leave a good opportunity neglected. You never know when it will reap a treasure.
When I was growing up, I hated doing dishes to the point that I went to such lengths to shorten the task that it actually took twice as long. I have to admit that it wasn't until I was in my 20's that I realized that doing dishes takes less than ten minutes and if you clean up as you cook and bake, you leave the kitchen sparkling, something good cooling on the counter, and a complete sense of accomplishment. I discovered this for myself when I was baking and waiting for a pan of cookies to exit the oven. For some reason, I grabbed the one that has just come out . . . and washed it while I waited. Cookies take approximately ten minutes to bake. It takes two minutes to scrub a cookie sheet. Now, when I bake, when the last batch comes out of the oven, I only have one baking sheet left to wash, and I'm out of the kitchen.
Rule to live by: Take care of problems, even cleaning problems, as they come along. It makes the future a lot more bearable!
My mother nagged me a lot . . . and I grew up to realize it was my fault. Yes, I eventually did as I was asked but, by that time, I was peeved and my mother was angry. I always wondered what was wrong with her. One morning, I cleaned up the living room before I went to work. My mother almost cried with happiness. I was shocked by her elation but now, as a mother, would like a lot more of that elation myself.
Rule to live by: You can't say you love your parents unless you help your parents. No, they aren't perfect but neither are the best of children.
No one ever understood me! This was a frequent lament of mine. As I grew older, my mother shared stories with me of growing up in World War II Germany. She never complained, just stated facts but I could read between the lines. My mother had already lived through a war and didn't need daily battles with me. Our past can shape our present but we can still change our future. The more I learned to listen to my mother, the more I realized she shouldn't have to earn my respect. No, we never agreed on everything or even a lot but we could always come back from our separate ways and chat over a cup of tea.
Rule to live by: Love your parents regardless. They aren't perfect. One day we all realize that we haven't grown up any more perfectly, just differently.
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