Growing up, my mother would give me a white, plastic bucket on a nice summer’s day. She would then say that I could not come inside until I had filled the bucket up five times with pinecones. Pinecones. This woman had me picking up pinecones all around the yard. I hated it. When I was not picking pine cones or pulling weeds in the yard, I was folding towels or vacuuming the floors of the house.
My childhood consisted of chores, chores, and more chores. Often times I had to tell my friends, “Sorry I can’t play today because I have chores to do.” Although I disliked chores when I was young, I am glad that my parents made me help around the house. Many of my friends never had to do chores. They never folded a single towel or picked up a single pinecone.
I have moved on from the pinecone days, thank goodness. Now, when I come home for breaks from school my mother has me paint. I do not paint murals or portraits of our pets. I paint the cinder block walls of out basement, but only after them have been vacuumed. I paint the back of the steps, or even the floors. Not to toot my own horn but I am a pretty good painter. My mother really wants me to embrace our off-brand artist name. It is only a few letters off of the famous French painter, Henri Matisse.
When students come to college they have more responsibilities. They are own their own and must take care of themselves. I think that those who have done chores as a child are more prepared for college and life away from home. They know how to do laundry, clean the dishes, and vacuum the floors. And those that never had to do chores often find that their rooms are littered with water bottles and dirty clothes scatter the floor.
Unfortunately, I still know of some college students that take their laundry home to their parents’ house on the weekends. This is part of the experience and part of growing up. Soon enough we will have graduated and will have our own apartment of house. We will have to mow the lawn, wash the dishes, wash the windows, fold the towels, and vacuum the floors.
Nowadays, I wake up and will often vacuum part of my house or empty the dishwasher before heading off to school. It feels like every day I am doing laundry. And now that fall is here, the leaves and pinecones will begin to cover the ground. I cannot wait until I have my own little pinecone slaves, I mean children. I have developed so much respect for my mother, but there are times where I still think that she is overboard with the cleaning and chores. She will ask me to vacuum the first floor of the house and then will be upset that it only took me half an hour. Meanwhile, it takes her four hours to vacuum a single closet. I cannot help that I vacuum better than her, it just comes naturally. And, if you are ever looking for a cheap, but talented painter you know who to call.
PHOTO TAKEN by Caroline Mattise
