The lessons I learnt are the ones I teach !!!

I am a cleanliness freak and I think, I got it from my Mom. She was not screaming at her top of her lungs to instill that cleanliness factor in me…rather she did it and proved by example, how good it is to be clean and tidy, in everything.

Now, that’s a lesson I’ve learnt well and I really want to pass it on to my daughters.  Its only when I practise it I find the difficulties in making them do small chores, in order to learn something useful for life.

I always think that learning a few things at home, is never going to hurt my children, rather it’ll help them so much when they are on their own, in college or later working. You see, I need to think ahead !!!!

I taught my daughter to make tea – now it’s for me and S, but later she might become a tea person.

I also taught her to cook a cup of rice and dhal – now, isn’t that essential to keep away the hunger, when she is on her own ???

There are so many small things which I make sure that my girls do – keeping the shoes back in the shoe rack, arranging the books in order in their shelf, putting the used clothes in the laundry basket, not throwing the wet towel on the bed, making the bed, setting the table for eating and clearing it afterwards, clearing the washed vessels….I think there are umpteen small things to do every moment, in the effort to make a home from a house.

They might not do all these everyday, for after all they are also bowed down by school pressure on some days. But these are some things, which go in the long run in keeping the home clean.

My girls might think that these tasks are cumbersome and boring and Amma is being so cruel, to make us do all these – just as I thought when I was young.

But now, I thank my Amma for all the small things I learnt from her, which makes me a great home maker, a clean and honest host for the relatives, a smart planner when I get guests at home – all these were taught just like that, with no special classes or forced learning.

So, I think, in due course of life, my girls will also find all these knowledge on basic home maintenance a boon to a healthy home.

My idea is certainly not gender based, even if I had boys, I would have made sure that they learn all these things – for now, the boys too stay together with friends and cook and clean the house they live in.

These are basic skills for survival, in a clean environment.

I’ve also seen some mothers, who go behind the son / daughter, with the clothes they need to wear in the morning (uniform). Then later the clothes to wear for playing are laid out on the bed, the nightwear ready again when the children get ready to bed. The paste is ready on the brush. The socks and shoes polished and ready to wear.

I feel that all these are too much.  This will only make the child more lazy and totally dependent on basic choices.  Now, how will the child think to decide what to do in their life ????

Why cant the child be given the choice of what to wear  ??? This dependency will affect them, when they are on their own in hostel, unable to decide the outfit for the day.

Polishing the shoes is a must do task, which everyone needs to learn. Then why not teach the child abt it ????

I point out things bluntly sometimes and may be my daughters think that I am the rudest mother on Earth.  But there are some things, which I want them to learn for easy survival later. It’s always good to be independent and practical and smart enough to know the ways of the world.

I just hope that the girls do well in their life later, being on their own, deciding for themselves, living life to the fullest and of course, having a clean home. 🙂