Happy Birthday Mom

Today is my mom's 87th birthday. I want to take the time right now as I have with her, to thank her for all of the meanest things a mother can do to a child, she did to me. I want to thank her for forcing us to push in our chairs, clean up after ourselves, put dirty clothes in the hamper. She made us be polite, respect our elders, hold open doors for people, say Thank you, and please. She made us go to school, not that we would have thought there was an alternative? She made us have good work ethics, to finish what we started (Ok so I veered from that plan). She pushed us to share and interact with people.....can you just see how mean she was??? I really didn't realize these life lessons, until my second marriage, my MIL was a nasty beeach, well only after we got married and what is that about, don't you think you would want to scare someone off before the big day???? Hello stupid!!! When she would come to visit, she would make messes all over, leave her chair in the middle of the kitchen after getting away from the table. She left chewed gum on my wood end table, newspaper laying all over and worst of all she left her son with the same training. I was raised as an equal not a maid, I raised me son to share in the housework, we were a team, we worked together so we could play together. After a few visits from MIL dearest, I thanked my mean mom for teaching me how to be an invisible guest, pick up after myself, offer to help.....sometimes we don't realize these life lessons till someone else smacks you in the face with them. So Mom, Happy Birthday and thanks for being so mean!!!