a tale of tails, tenacity, and tedium, as told by me, usually barefoot and bellowing

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

My Girls Never Had A Chance At Normal...

It was literally impossible with a straight spoken, shoot-from-the-hip, don't mess with me mother like myself.  I wanted them to learn how to deal with life, no matter what hand they were dealt.  No folding in our house, you played the cards you were given.

Beginning life education at an early age,  a cat having kittens was a wonderful opportunity to teach them about birth.  We gathered round Patches, she didn't mind as she continued her birthing.  We talked about uteruses, birth sacks, umbilical cords and carefully related  these to the birthing process of  people.  Patches was cleaning up wonderfully after each kitten to get her naturally high protein (sometimes animals are pretty darn smart).  The girls asked if the human moms had to eat the afterbirth.  I said, no, that is why humans go to the hospital and they said, oh, and the doctors eat it!!!  So much for that lesson.

One thing seemed to be an issue...cleaning.  As they grew closer to leaving the nest, they resisted the cleaning even more.  Okay, I am working a sixty-hour week,  going to college, taking correspondence courses in addition to life in general, I don't think I am supposed to clean a teen-ager's room. 

My last words when I left for work, Clean your room or I will.  First mistake they made...they did not believe me.  Came home after a ten hour day, no rooms cleaned.  I don't explode when I am angry, I become calm, determined and very tunnel visioned...hey, I told them.

I removed the screen from the window and began to throw every thing out the window.  With Melissa's underwear hanging in the tree, she began screaming and running out to get them.  As she ran in with an armload, another batch of stuff went out.  If it was on the floor, it left the room.

Hubby was standing in the neighbor's yard visiting, the neighbor became concerned with all the activities and sounds.  He asked hubby, Uh, is some thing wrong.  Hubby said, Nope, Gail is cleaning Melissa's room.  While this was happening Maria was very quickly cleaning hers because she knew she was next! 

Years later when we had a foster child, I asked her to clean her room.  Melissa and Maria were both here and advised my foster daughter to clean her room.  I heard them say, Believe us, you don't want Mom cleaning your room...and I smiled.

My girls are very good daughters, grown with children of their own.  I can only hope the price of what Mom called "paying for your raising" is not too steep.

20 comments:

LindaG said...

I like that. I may have to start doing that...

ellen abbott said...

what a great lesson. why didn't I do that? I'd just wait til they were gone and then get in there. threw away so much stuff they never missed.

B. WHITTINGTON said...

What great stories. You were a great mom.
I never thought of that. My three daughters turned out so different to be raised in the same home.
I'm big on cleaning. Oldest daughter can take it or leave it. Middle daughter runs a clean tight ship.
Third daughter is in between the two and cleans when needed.
I wish I'd done more reading to them and less cleaning them and their rooms!
Bless you for this lesson - a little late for me.
Barb
PS they turned out to be wonderful moms themselves and that's what counts.

Country Gal said...

I was just the same and was raised by a mum the same. It always baffles me how some childeren are raised today and walk all over their parents and the thing that gets me is they let them. The way we were raised and raised our kids is to respect for all around you ! Your a great mum ! Have a wonderful day !

Mary Aalgaard said...

Funny, funny post. I can picture you tossing the unders out the window. And, the line "The doctor ate it?" Oh, my. I read about Eskimos who did eat the afterbirth. Enjoy your grandkids!

Tamara said...

This is so funny and so something I've done! lol My daughter is the most messiest girl you ever want to meet. Over and over we fought over cleaning the room. One day I said you clean it or I will. She didn't do I did. When she came home, all of her things were loaded into big black garbage bags and down on the highway next to the big green garbage bin. :) She had to dig thru it all and haul it back to her room. I wish I could say that she was neat and kept her room clean after that but...it lasted for awhile...then she was a mess again. lol

Farm Girl said...

Oh yeah, My Mom would do that stuff too, so I kept my room clean. I don't think I ever had that problem with my kids though. We are all so OCD that we make it into a art form.
They are cleaner than me. They sort of drive me nuts. :) They always want to clean out my stuff.

This was so funny, I can see the underwear in the tree. :)

StitchinByTheLake said...

I love that story - maybe because I did the exact same thing! :) blessings, marlene

Pat said...

Great stories! I laughed about the afterbirth! I bet your daughters have a LOT of stories to share about their Momma! :)

Rudee said...

Practical lessons are the best, and you are probably one of the most practical people of all, Gail.

Thanks for the laughs today.

Rob said...

Nice one, I think that is a great way to teach kids to do what mum says. I think to many things are let slip these days.

sarah said...

Now this is advise I might use on my 13 year old!!!! You are cool, Gail. x

Susan Anderson said...

I think I've told you a couple of times that you remind me of my older sister.

I'm going to say it again.

;)

DesertHen said...

My dad told me once that if I didn't pick up my shoes (several pairs all over the house) that he was going to pick them up for me and throw them away. Well I didn't pick them up and I was minus several pairs of shoes! Mom had a freak out and got really mad at him for doing that, but I never left my shoes all over the house again and to this day, I put whatever pair of shoes I have been wearing for the day away in my closet! Lesson learned!

Jules said...

LOL, my Mom did the same thing and I responded as your daughter did. Thank goodness I have own my house now. :)
Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

Dreaming said...

Oh, thanks for the great laugh. What a sight that must have been. I could never decide how to deal with the boys' rooms. I finally let them do as they wanted... but I would muck the rooms out once each year. Recently my son told me how much he loved coming home from camp to his newly cleaned room!
I think your girls were extremely lucky! I bet they are great moms... just like their mom!

Lori Skoog said...

I'm with you 100%.

carolina nana said...

I HAVE DONE THE EXACT SAME THING ONLY IT WAS RAINING THE DAY I DECIDED TO HAVE A CLEANING AND LIKE YOU I NEVER HAD TO ASK TWICE AGAIN.
WE MIGHT END UP IN JAIL NOW FOR OUR CHILD RAISING TECHNIQUES, YA THINK!!!!!
BLESSINGS
MARILYN

Buttons Thoughts said...

Way to go good Mom. been there done that. B

Far Side of Fifty said...

I emptied their rooms into a snowbank a few times..and often I would pile everything on the floor onto the bed..can you believe I have one very neat child (almost compulsive) and one not so neat:)

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