My mom was mean. Really mean. When I was a kid she made me clean my room! Oh yeah, and if I didn’t do it right the first time, I had to go back and do it again!
As I got older, things got worse. Next thing I knew I had to help clean the rest of the house. The bathrooms, the kitchen, the laundry room. I even had to help clean her room sometimes! I had to dust everything, sweep all the floors and scrub the toilets. Sometimes I had to wash windows.
Two times a year I even had to help deep-clean the house. I would try and rush through the job and skip things. But that didn’t work. My mom would come back, rub her finger over an area and find dust. “How can that be mom? I know I dusted there.” So I had to go back and do it again. I tried to get out of it by taking forever and that didn’t work either, because the next day the job would still be there.
Well, as it turns out, I know how to clean! I can clean fast and get the job done well the first time.
Another quirk of life is that I’ve started cleaning houses for an income. Do I like to clean? Not really. But it pays well, offers a way to earn a nice income and still have time at home as a wife.
Back to how mean my mom was. Turns out, maybe she wasn’t so mean after all. Maybe she actually did me a huge favor. You see the people I clean for say sweet things like this: “I really like how you work, you get the job done right.” “I don’t think any-one has cleaned my house as thoroughly as you.” “Everything just feels clean when you are done.” I hear comments like that all the time. It makes me smile. It makes me think to myself, “Thanks Mom!”
Hehe! It’s the crazy cleaning lady!
So yeah, I know I’m not very photogenic. But hey at least I made you smile!
So here is a little tip for you dear moms who have just about had it with that stubborn child. That one who refuses to do his chores right, who complains about how unfair you are, and if he isn’t saying it, he’s thinking it, “My mom is sooo mean!” Just put your mom hat on and stick to your guns. All the while chanting in your head, “you’ll thank me someday, you’ll thank me someday, you’ll thank me someday”!
To my own dear mean mom. Thanks for being “mean” Thanks for sticking to your guns when I was a selfish little brat. And thanks for teaching me skills that are serving me well today.
christina says
July 16, 2012 at 9:17 amhahaha that’s awesome =) I totally think about my mom making us clean all the time because even though our house is never as clean as I would like, I have HIGH standards about what clean is and I can definitely do the job right. I will make sure to pass it on to our kids, too. cute post =)
Kendra says
July 16, 2012 at 9:29 amThanks Christina, Even though we hated it, we will be sure to pass it on to our kids, won’t we? 🙂
Sue@housepretty says
July 16, 2012 at 10:08 amOh, I sure wish my husband’s mother had taught him that valuable lesson! Oh, do I ever! My husband has two brothers, one younger, and one older, and each of them was left totally unprepared for life as an adult. My husband is extremely unorganized, and sloppy, which is such a shame, because he is such an intelligent, God loving man!
As far as I’m concerned, any mother than does not teach BOTH her son and her daughter how to clean, and manage a household before they leave home, has done them SUCH a disservice. An adult (regardless of their gender) needs to know how to manage and (keep clean) a home, on their own. That’s just a life lesson, as far as I’m concerned.
Kendra says
July 16, 2012 at 10:21 amI hear you, I love my MIL to death and she is really sweet. But a very relaxed house keeper at best, so my hubby is pretty relaxed about things as well. But, he does like seeing our house clean and I will say he has made amazing changes in the past few years.
Reannah@ShapedbyGrace says
July 16, 2012 at 10:50 amHaha, oh my mom was so mean too! I had to clean aaall the time! Now I’m the mean mom making my kids clean! 🙂 Glad to see it is paying off for you — love the pic too. 🙂
Kendra says
July 16, 2012 at 11:30 amHaha thanks!
deborah says
July 16, 2012 at 11:12 amVery good! Life skills are so important and we can be thankful to have parents willing to teach us! Unfortunately, that’s pretty hard to see when you’re a kid! But, we grow up and then we understand and are thankful!
I can still hear my mom saying “You missed a spot” or “There’s a streak” when we were washing windows! Now, I totally get it. If you are going to put forth the time and effort, then make it a job well done!
Kendra says
July 16, 2012 at 11:29 amAh yes, I forgot about the whole window washing thing! That was even worse 🙂
Liz says
July 16, 2012 at 1:17 pmWe also had to clean the silver every now and again and she always made sure we cleaned up high and down low on the little rungs under the 60’s style dresser. I could hardly handle her attention to things that clearly didn’t matter. As she got older, she seemed to care less about all that (probably as we moved out and it became her job – Ha!) and I cared more. Funny. I came by from Lines Across and am following by email! Thanks for cohosting!
Liz
Kendra says
July 16, 2012 at 3:34 pmI never had to clean silver. Whew! 🙂
Danielle says
July 16, 2012 at 3:19 pmGreat Post! Kinda goes right along with what I was thinking today! Thanks for the encouragement! 🙂
Kendra says
July 16, 2012 at 3:32 pmHaha it does don’t it? Great post btw, its just hard to comment on blogs with my phone:)
Jill Flory says
July 16, 2012 at 4:17 pmSo satisfying for your mom to hear you say it!!! I hope mine say the same thing someday – I don’t feel like i’m teaching them that stuff nearly as well as your mom taught you!
Kendra says
July 16, 2012 at 10:48 pmI’m sure you are doing you best 🙂
Mrs. Baker says
July 17, 2012 at 12:09 pmso cute and true! i actually love cleaning now!
http://babybakerlove.blogspot.com/
Kendra says
July 17, 2012 at 12:24 pmI’m not sure if I actually love to clean, but I do appreciate the fact that I can clean well and it pays well 🙂
Kassi @ Truly Lovely says
July 17, 2012 at 1:23 pmYay for good mommas!!! My mom was mean too. 😉
Kendra says
July 17, 2012 at 4:00 pmThat’s awesome!
Arlene says
July 17, 2012 at 4:21 pmWhen my kids call me mean, I just tell them that’s part of my job description! And then remind them I’m not nearly as mean as….(insert name), so they remember they don’t have it so bad after all! lol
Kerri says
July 17, 2012 at 4:47 pmLOL! I love it. I hear that from my son all the time: “But Mooooom, why do I always have to do all the work?” (At not quite 6, “all the work” is putting the dogs out, getting them in, and feeding them.)
Great post. Glad I found you through CWA. Where do you live? I could REALLY use some cleaning done!! : )
Kendra says
July 17, 2012 at 4:50 pmhaha! love a 6yr old’s take on life! I live in Ohio lol I doubt that is very close to you 🙂
Elizabeth says
July 27, 2012 at 9:26 amEveryone needs such a mean mom! fabulous post! thanks for linking up!!
Kendra says
July 27, 2012 at 9:44 amhaha yes we do 🙂
Trinity B. says
November 10, 2012 at 10:08 pmI so needed to hear this today! I have a stubborn one that detests cleaning. It’s like pulling teeth to get her to pick up after herself, so I’ll be doing a lot of chanting. 🙂