After reading For One More Day, I decided not to take my mom for granted. I helped her with the housework today. I am fully aware of all the tasks she needs to do and how unappreciative me, sis and dad have been.
Housework is not only physically demanding – you can really sweat buckets in 1 hour – it also requires some strategic planning. Otherwise you will be wasting time and precious resources.
I can understand her frustration all these years. Imagine being alone from 8 A.M to about 7 P.M. every weekday. You cook, clean, mend broken stuffs on your own. In your spare time, you meet up with what few friends you have for coffee or some shopping. Your kids and husband come home and take your efforts for granted. They complaint when some of their stuffs are misplaced. They do it when they find the same food for dinner again. And again when they can’t find that shirt/blouse/socks they want.
During weekends, when you thought the kids can spend some time with you or help out with some chores, they go out with friends or sit in front of computer watching mindless videos or playing useless games. Your husband wants to read newspaper and play Sudoku. When you talk to them, they take your nagging like poison to the ears. Blah, blah, blah.
I don’t blame my mom for blowing up every now and then. She is doing what domestic helpers are doing today and she doesn’t get paid. Above all, she still has to be a wife and mom. She has made a lot of sacrifices, but is unappreciated and gets complaints. She is home alone for a good 55 hours per week and feeling tired all the time. If something happens to her, no one will know. That is pretty lonely and dangerous.
I think 2 other factors that made her frustrated would be (A) house is too big and (B) cumbersome furniture. My house is a 135 meters square 5 room and it’s nothing like the small pigeon holes HDB build these days. To clean it in 1 day is too tiring. My mom has staggered her cleaning schedule (sweep today, mop tomorrow) but it’s still taking a toll on her body.
The furniture is not being helpful either. The usual sofa, coffee table, beds, tables, chairs all get in the way. If you still live with your parents, you will understand what I’m saying. The bigger it is the more durable and steady. There is some furniture that’s the same age as my sis.
My future home will have a “leg-less” concept. Anything that can be mounted on the wall will go there. If it can’t be mounted, it’s got to have wheels. It makes the cleaning so much easier. Walls will be white. . Some nice art work or painting will provide the much needed color.