Mean Mothers

Was your mom mean? Ours sure was! We had the meanest Mother in the whole world.





As we were growing up, many of our friends got to eat yummy doughnuts and Coke for breakfast, but we had to have cereal, or eggs and toast, or oatmeal.





Other kids had a Dr. Pepper and a Twinkie for lunch, but we had to eat sandwiches.





And, of course, our Mother fixed us a dinner that was different from what other kids had, too. We weren't asked what we "wanted" for supper. No. We ate what would make us strong even if we didn't "like" some of the food.





And can you believe this? -- Our mother made us work. We had to wash the dishes, help cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, empty the trash and all sorts of hard jobs. Besides these general family chores, we had to keep our own rooms clean. And get this: we were expected to do our assigned chores regularly without being told each time. It was considered our contribution as members of the family.





Our mother always insisted that each of us tell the truth,the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. She insisted that we "said what we meant and meant what we said." For example, if I said I would be gone for an hour, she expected me to be gone for an hour or less.





She made it clear that if any of us ever took anything that didn't belong to us, he/she'd have to take it back and tell the true owner, "I stole this yesterday; please forgive me. What can I do to make up for my dishonesty?"





She just sat back and let us take full responsibility for our actions even when the penalties for those actions were harsh. We certainly could never count on her to blame someone else for our poor choices.





During the week we went to school every day unless we were REALLY sick. It was just what we did. No discussion. No option. Education was considered important; we went to school whether we wanted to or not.





On Sundays we weren't given the choice to remain in bed half the day. Our family went to church together. It was just what we did. No discussion. No option. Christian education was important; we went to church whether we wanted to or not.





By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds and had eyes in the back of her head. Life really got tough then.





She insisted on knowing where we were going, with whom, and what time we would be home. Yes, our dear mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. She had to know who our friends were, and what we were doing with them.






Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet them. (Although, as much as I hate to admit it, most of our friends didn't mind this. They loved to spend time at our house.)





She let us see anger,disappointment, and tears in her eyes. She let us find out that she was not perfect.





She said "NO" when she knew we would hate her for it.





Because of our mother my siblings and I missed out on lots of things other teenagers experienced. None of us was ever caught shoplifting or vandalizing other people's property. None of us was arrested for any crime.






Since my siblings and I left home, we have each become educated, honest adults who are contributing to the betterment of society. None of us have had drug or alcohol dependency problems or have committed any crimes.





We are each working hard to be mean parents just like Mom was.





Do you suppose the world would be better today if we had more mean mothers?






This is a picture of my mean ol' mother with 5 of her 7 children.


Click on this link to visit my mother's blog.