grace number thirty
looking back, today i am thankful for all the times i helped my mom clean as a child

my mother has always been one of those mothers who believe that responsibility helps a child become a great person. so every weekend when i was a little kid, we would have a list of chores to complete in order to get our allowance. i always had little things like windex the mirrors and clean the tub, etc. then i would get like $2 a week for allowance. i was a money maker, huh? lol.

there were times as i was getting older (and yes the chores got multiplied and got more difficult) that i resented all the work i had to do. but now as an adult i love to think about myself as that little kid loving her chores.

i had such a vivid imagination. i would pretend i was cinderella and my mom was the wicked stepmother and i had to do all the chores before i could go to the attic and play with my mice (no, i didn't have mice). or i would pretend i was a professional house cleaner, and i would have full conversations with my imaginary clients. i just was so proud of myself. it was so fun seeing something dirty, like a mirror full of fingerprints, and then with just a little windex and some paper towels, i could wipe those prints right off, and the mirror would sparkle, sparkle, sparkle!!!

i'm grateful for this today, because i am about to go home from work and con my niece into helping my clean my apartment. she and my nephew are sleeping over my parents house tonight, so i know she will want to come spend time with me, and I NEED HELP CLEANING! i feel like such a bastard asking my little 6 year old niece to help me scrub my toilets, lol! but then my mother reminded me how much ally loves to play cinderella with my mom, and it just flooded all these memories of my childhood. it made me remember how special i felt when my mom "checked my work and gave approval" so i know my niece REALLY will want to help and spend time with her auntie erin.

does this make me a good aunt or a complete jerk? does it make a difference that i plan on taking her out for a "date" after the cleaning? we're going to Friendlies. let me know (and be truthful) what you think, because i am still not sure how i feel about it all.