My parents' house

Oh, how I forgot how entertaining it is to be at my parents' house alone. How quiet it is, and how I can nosey through things without a fuss.

Of course, I come across something that I must mention and I get fussed at for being nosey in their stuff and then, I remind them that what is theirs is my inheritance. :-) At which point they just shake their heads.

It seems like my parents never throw away anything. EVER! The reason I'm here is so that I can do my laundry for free. Yup you heard me. I will forever come with laundry until they tell me I can no more.

While in the basement waiting on what seems to be the longest wash cycle of my life, I start wandering and laughing. I found so much stuff, and thought "if they just give me 2 days, I'll clear this baby out." I'm serious, though my dad complains it's my mom, he is as much to blame. TRUST ME!

First, how many fans does my mom need so many fans in so many sizes?

Second, is the typewriter still needed? Apparently just in case they can't do something with the computer.

Third, 12... YES 12 Cake plates (at least 2 were mine that I thought were trashed). She still needs them all... FOR WHAT?

Fourth, the drum set that my bro hasn't touched in 20 years. Donation.







Fifth, the 20+ year old fire engine truck. Little ones don't even visit that much.











Sixth, one of the lamps from one of my college residence hall rooms. The Walmart one. We all had one.










Seventh, why do they still have my cane and two sets of crutches from 2002-2003? The cane ok. But the crutches and the walker?!?!?

Eighth, the two giant a/c units.

Is that my $13 Goodwill purchased table from 2003?

How many suitcases do two people who've lived in the same house since the 70's need?

I did have fun playing in the rain boots. I tried to swipe mom's but she wasn't having it. Dad's well.. yellow just isn't my color.

I love the Cher exercise VHS and the 10 others down there with the VCR that my mom still doesn't know how to use.










My favorite piece of all in the basement... the Sagittarius/Pisces love match picture from their dating days back in the early days. That's something a picture just cannot do justice for. I love it.

I guess this will just continue. Good thing the washer stopped who knows what else I would have found down there.  WHEW!

Pressure Parents

I was out the other night, I decided to go to dinner because well I was tired. When you are alone in a busy restaurant, you overhear more than you choose. There was a family of three sitting behind me, parents and a young teenage man. They were talking about his sporting event. From the moment they sat down, they were on his case as to what he needed to do to get better. He needed to improve and be more like another young man. Hearing these parents compare and mention all the negatives, broke my heart. I know they meant well, as any loving parent would. But I also know what these types of conversations can do to a child. Just hearing his voice, I guesstimated that he was probably in 9th grade. When I saw him, I was probably right.

There conversation then shifted to his college future. They had decided that he was going to have to attend a list consisting of only three school, all Ivy League or close to it. He vocal demeanor changed. Without malicious intent, they have managed to bring down the hopes of their young child. What was funny to me was that there was never a mention of his academics and how they needed to be cream of the crop to get into the school they mentioned. It will take more than a sport or two to get and keep a child in college and maintain success.

Hearing this conversation made me want to turn around and stop them. I wanted to encourage him not to limit himself. To enjoy his young days. I know that early awareness is important but when it comes with put-downs, it is counter-productive. I wanted to tell the parents to mention was he did well in his competition, what makes them proud. But, alas, I maintained my will-power not to throw myself into their conversation. My mother always tells me I need to learn not to always jump in to the rescue with my commentary. Everyone isn't looking for that. She is right, but I am a vocal person, especially when it is for the right reasons.

No I have no children of my own, but I do consider the young people to work with as partly my own. I learn so much from these young people. I do not know what the rules of good parenting are, but there are times that the person looking in from the outside, sees more than those in the situation