NRC but I need to vent.
Random venting from a frustrated host of a long-term house guest:
For the life of me, I cannot understand why ALL parents don't teach their children the stuff my parents taught me. I know that sounds ridiculous, but I'm just being honest about what goes on in my mind. Some parents are so busy making sure their kids are fly, or know how to play video games or act like little hood rats or know how to recite rap lyrics or whatever, and forget their WHOLE responsibility. The responsibility of a parent is to prepare a child for adulthood. That means, you prepare them to live on their own, to be somebody's husband or wife, to be somebody's student, somebody's employee, somebody's neighbor, mentor, customer, boss, client, etc. I'm so sick of seeing grown men and women who don't even have basic skills.
Parents, if you teach your children to turn off a light when they leave a room, when they get older, they are more likely to turn lights off when they leave a doggone room. If you teach them to empty the trash baskets into the larger trash, and then take the trash out when the bag is full, they will probably do that when they get older. If you teach them to wipe up crumbs, close drawers, clean up spills, hang up clothes, wash dishes in HOT water (who the heck washes dishes in cold water?? Even if your mama didn't teach you that, isn't it common sense?????
) and not leave them in the sink overnight, close the curtains at night, use a coaster, etc. that is what they are most likely to do when they get older. Teach them to put lotion on their skin after they shower. Seriously. Teach them what it means to clean a bathroom (tub, tile, toilet - inside and out, basin, counter, mirror, floor and trash).
You'd be surprised how many grown ups don't know the basics. It's one thing to know it and not do it. I can get with that. You're grown. You run your home however you want to. If you want a $400 electricity bill, knock yourself out. If you want dishes in the sink overnight, hey, it's your sink. But if you just don't even know better.... woe is you! If you're staying in someone else's home and don't know how to clean after yourself.... SMH! I can remember times I couldn't stand my mother for making me do chores when I'd rather be playing or whatever. But I'm about to call her and say thank you! So many parents don't even let their children do chores because they think they'll make a mess or like my godchildren's mother, they feel like children should be able to enjoy childhood. That's fine, just know that when they get older, they're gonna be somebody else's headache and everyone is gonna know you screwed up as a parent!!!!!
