'Mean Mom'
I Was Thinking…
I have said it in many places but not yet in “Third Day Thoughts”…I was raised by the meanest mother in the world. My mother expected me to do my chores which consisted of dusting, vacuuming, sweeping half of our basement (my sister did the other half) and mowing the lawn (we called it ‘cutting the grass’). My mom expected me to do my homework. She expected me to make up my bed. As I grew older she expected me to communicate my ‘whereabouts’ and to be home by a set curfew. I’m telling you momma was mean.
My mother would not allow me to say curse words nor tell falsehoods. She actually expected me to tell the truth. She would not allow me to watch television while the family shared a meal. She expected a blessing to be said before we took the first bite of food at every meal. I was expected to clean my plate and clear my plate. Can’t you see I was raised by the meanest mother in the world? She was mean…awfully mean!
She required me to dress appropriately and sit up straight. I was expected to say ‘Thank You’ and to say “Yes mam or no mam!” She would not allow me to hit my sister (even though I wanted to slug her on many occasions). I couldn’t run in church nor could I talk during worship. And if she found out that I had misbehaved during dad’s sermon. She was the cheerleader for dad to give me ‘what for’ when we returned home. She was mean!
She made me go to school unless I had a temperature (that’s what we called having a fever of above 98.6 degrees). And then if I stayed home I had to stay in bed until my ‘fever broke’. Mom’s philosophy “If you’re home sick then you are not well enough to play, watch TV”…all activities for the day were cancelled and in the bed you stayed with few exceptions. I had a terribly mean mom.
If I got into trouble at school…then there would be more trouble once I returned home. My mom expected me to respect my elders and listen to my teachers. She expected me to study hard and make the best grades I could make but always I should have an ‘A’ in conduct…there was no excuse for less than an ‘A’ in conduct. My mother was unapologetically mean.
And now…well you know what I’m going to say, “Thank God for a mean mother.” Her expectations and ensuring consequences when expectations were not met have given me a life filled with health and joy.
Maybe what our world needs is more ‘mean moms’ (if you know what I mean). Happy Mother’s Day Mom!
Always Thinking…
P.S. My dad was mean too. They are, even today, a dynamic duo of meanness. I thank God for them!
comments powered by Disqus