“No one ever died from sleeping in an unmade bed,” –Erma Bombeck
I might not have died but perhaps a slight stroke may have occurred. First of all, I was raised by Depression Era grandparents. That said, explaining why there is never enough food in the pantry even when I could supply a small army or large party is a moot point. Its also their fault when it comes to explaining why two people need as much toilet paper and soap as apparently I seem to think we need. I also have some difficulty taking a nap during the day if anyone else is home. Hence, just one of the reasons hunting season isn’t always a bad thing.
I wasn’t allowed to sleep in no matter how late I had stayed out the night before. It was a two fold issue: nice girls didn’t stay out late to begin with so therefore no need to lay in bed until 10. I can’t say I have EVER been in bed past 8 am. I feel guilty to be burning daylight when there is so much to do. What is amazing is how their legacy has impacted me. I haven’t lived with either of them for twenty years but their rules live on as ridiculous as they might have been. Guilt seemed to work for them on me. It remains that little voice in my head even now. The rest of the world might wonder WWJD? I seem to operate under the guidelines of What Would Grammy Think and try to imagine if she found out about what I was up to, what would she think. This may be the crux of effective parenting: figure out who your kid would least like to disappoint and go from there.
As far as the unmade bed phenomena goes, I used to tell my Grammy I wanted to be a boy because boys never had to make their own beds, first their moms did it and then their wives. I was thinking maybe having a wife would be a good thing to have. I still think that, wouldn’t everyone be happier with their very own Donna Reed? I will take clean sheets with a side of baked macaroni and cheese, please.
In fact there seems to be lots of good things about being a boy at least from my childhood perspective: when I was in elementary school, girls weren’t allowed to wear pants to school, forget even considering jeans. Boys got to grow up and be firemen and astronauts. Girls in my day became nurses and teachers who had a lifetime of bed making ahead of them.
I have been known to make the bed in hotel rooms. I have a cousin that used to wash her dished before putting them into the dishwasher. Never quite understood it but considering she is a family member, not surprised. The only slightly off thing I have ever caught the Hub doing, is washing his truck to go to his farm. There is a lot of dirt road driving along the way and it just seems pointless…kind of like bed making.