Yesterday, I came home and decided to clean the house so I wouldn't have to do it on the weekend. I haven't vacuumed in three weeks and the balls of Sara's hair were approaching melon girth. With the music blasting, I danced around sucking them all up. It occurred to me that my adult habits are a reflection of my childhood. Well a reverse reflection (which is what a reflection is anyway, when you look in the mirror, you're not seeing what everyone sees looking directly at you) anyway. I realized that everything I had to do as a child, I'm loathe to do now.
Like cleaning my room. Taking out the trash. Doing the dishes. These were my chores to earn my allowance. I didn't have to vacuum though, so of course, now, I vacuum.
Then I started wondering what other things I'm opposite of as I was then. (Something's wrong with that sentence but I can't discern what.) I know I had to wear underwear when I was young. Giggle. Oh, and I had to take a shower every day. (Except when I was little and it was once a week. Those were the days.) Snicker. As I was sucking up the dust bunnies under the bed, I started questioning if I do things now I was forbidden to do then.
Let's see. I wasn't allowed to swear. I couldn't eat dessert first. (What a crock. Dessert is so much more satisfying if consumed first. After the meal, you're full, so the dessert is less delectable. Mom was right though, it could spoil your meal. ) I couldn't watch TV in the evening. And of course I couldn't smoke, drink and have sex. I was just about finished as I smiled, satisfied for having found a little key to my personality, and maybe that of many others.
We're rebels against the prison of our upbringing.
Then I thought, whew, I stink, and took a shower.
18 comments:
...when you look in the mirror, you're not seeing what everyone sees looking directly at you) anyway.
Since WHEN?!
Was this on the news???
Great Blogpost, Torn. Now that your all grown up you can do all the forbidden things. I always wanted a pet Monkey, my mother said no. Now I could probably get one but I don't want one. My mother forbid me to be Gay, sorry Mom some things are bigger than both of us. LOL. Ed anymore.
?I don't know where the word anymore came from sorry. Ed
You are so cute, thanks for the laughs this morning. I used to be shorter, but now I'm tall?heehee.
That's why having dessert as your only course works. :) There is a restaurant here that does just that - they serve up huge desserts that are absolutely delish - and because they are so big, you couldn't fit anything else in afterwards.
I always thought adulthood was the years spent in therapy recovering from childhood.
Now tell us about your experiences with toilet training...
Wow, did your parents allow you to breathe? I can see why you moved out of the country.
The prison of our upbringing...
No truer words were spoken!
I clean when I am angry, which I also did as a teen. It helps soothe the chaos. I still hate cleaning the fridge though.
I had to dry the dishes after every meal. I refuse to dry dishes. Air dry is healthier anyhow, right?
As for the last statement, somehow I seem more appreciative tonight of the direction of the jet stream and the prevailing winds. :)
I love it when you say "Melon girth" and "dancing around sucking them up" all in the same post. You're right. Habits don't go too far away, do they? pardon me....I've got to go vacuum now.
I was just thinking today about how great it is to be an adult.
I had to eat boiled summer squash. Which I will not do now on pain of dath.
I don't always finish everything on my plate either.
So there.
There's a lot to be said about your theory, which is one I'd never thought of. My Nana, bless her, wasn't the world's greatest housekeeper. I am pretty much the opposite. When I was a kid I couldn't wait to be grown-up so I could stay up late (I once declared that when I grew up, I was NEVER going to go to bed). I also hated having to finish everything on my plate.
Oh, and I dance my way through vacuuming, too.
I'm gonna be doing some reflecting on my childhood to see if I can figure myself out.
One question: does knowing the source of your aversions and attractions reduce their hold on you?
I think it's funny when you finally realize that you are rebelling against things that aren't actually there anymore. Makes you stop and go, "Uh, well, I guess no one really cares if I leave the fridge door open, but I still feel the distinct need to leave it open while I'm preparing my sandwich, just because I'm not supposed to."
We are all just kids roaming around in bigger bodies.
Then I started wondering what other things I'm opposite of as I was then. I know I had to wear underwear when I was young.
Should I infer from your post that you go "commando?"
I hated showers and baths as a kid, Mom used to have drag me in there, now I loves um... last time I visited my mom (before she died) she complained, "isn't three showers a day enough?"
i dunno, i pretty much can't think of any cleaning chores that i like as an adult. it seems the older i get, the less i seem to care about my housekeeping skills.
sure it's great to relax a little and not feel the pressure of always having a clean house. but when the doorbell rings and i feel my heart pound with fear, that's a sign i've taken the relaxation too far.
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