Do you/Will you handle your household differently from your parents?

[Miss Meow]

Originally posted by Tonya
I swear, our parents are so much alike!

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention my front yard *will not* be having a decorated toilet as the feature

[Kfamr]

Probably not.

My parents aren't close-minded or strict when it comes to chosing our beliefs, they're not close minded when it comes to our opinions, they allow me to chose what's best for my pets, they allow me to chose everything for myself.


I'll allow my children to do the same, as long as it's not harming themselves or anyone else.


The only thing I can think of, it won't be so darn loud.

[binka_nugget]

Nope, I like the way things are here. I'd change very few things.

Our family is similar to what Kay said.

My mom is great. She's very open and not strict at all. I'm allowed to go out wherever/whenever I please but I always make sure to call and just check in. The dogs are my responsibility so I choose what I do with them. She has never given me a lecture about smoking, drugs, alcohol, and all that "parent" stuff but I think that's why I've never turned to those things.. I had my own freedom and chose not to rebel against her.

The only thing I'd change is that we'd be a closer family. We'd have to actually talk and have decent meals together. I haven't had one with my family in years. My dad doesn't know what grade I'm in, how old I am, when my birthday is, etc. I'd also never allow smoke in the house.. nothing that will harm anyone else. One other thing is, we'd have real food in the house. Our house has nothing but instant noodles, mac n cheese and canned stuff.

[Amber]

When I get my own house someday it would probably be just like ours. Doing everything we do now.

But, I would want to have more schnauzers

Something I would change though is letting the dog toys be where ever they are. My parents are always telling my to put them back in the pile.

[popcornbird]

Originally posted by binka_nugget


The only thing I'd change is that we'd be a closer family. We'd have to actually talk and have decent meals together. I haven't had one with my family in years. My dad doesn't know what grade I'm in, how old I am, when my birthday is, etc. I'd also never allow smoke in the house.. nothing that will harm anyone else. One other thing is, we'd have real food in the house. Our house has nothing but instant noodles, mac n cheese and canned stuff.

We eat together as a family *everyday*. I can't imagine having dinner with a family member missing from the table. Just doesn't feel right. That's something I would never change. I love it.

Basically, my household will probably be very similiar to what it is now. Its just these ironing type of chores that I want to have completely different.

[Kfamr]

Wow Ashley.... even what you said was very similar.


My parents used to smoke in the house but they don't any more, and we actually have WHITE walls instead of YELLOW.


I'm not so sure about eating together at the table though. I really don't like others watching me and I especially don't like watching people eat. (Or hearing people eat... ask Cori!)

I enjoy it once in a while, but not EVERY day.

[Tonya]

My mom's newest thing is dead palm leaves. She is going to make her home look all tropical and exotic by attaching them all over.

When we were in San Diego, she was trying to convince us to cram them in the car so she could bring them back home. There was no way I was going on an eight hour drive with dead palms in my car!

[Miss Meow]

Originally posted by Tonya
My mom's newest thing is dead palm leaves. She is going to make her home look all tropical and exotic by attaching them all over.

When we were in San Diego, she was trying to convince us to cram them in the car so she could bring them back home. There was no way I was going on an eight hour drive with dead palms in my car!

Dead palms are nearly better than roadkill - my mums stops if shes a dead bunny or fox and throws it in the boot of the car to take home. (She doesn't if it doesn't look fresh, is her defence .

Tonya, I'm starting to think we're related

[Nomilynn]

Things for me will be very similar. The only thing I would do differently is I will make my kids have jobs I never had to pay for anything my entire life. I am SOOOOOO spoiled. I don't want to be a back breaker mom but I have absolutely no idea about what it's like to be responsible with money I dont want my kids to have to live with worrying about paycheck to paycheck.

I also hope that I won't be as overprotective as my dad I love him to death, but sometimes I have to fight my own battles

[Uabassoon]

PCB my mom is the exact same way with ironing. Sometimes she even hires a housekeeper just to do the ironing! I don't understand it at all.

My parents were very strict with me, and I think I would be the same way but I would allow my kids a little more freedom to express themselves. I was never allowed to dye my hair or do anything like that. I think that as long as it doesn't harm the kid in any way then I would see no problem with that. My parents were also really strict about what clothes I wore. I dont think I'd be that strict. As long as it wasn't anything too revealing then I think I'd be ok with it even if I thought it was ugly.

[shais_mom]

Well, my mom cleaned house every week, religiously, and GOD forbid anything happen that she couldn't.
My sister and I are lucky to clean once a month and I clean more frequently then my sister does. I go to my sister's house and actually feel like I need a shower sometimes.
My mom and my grandmas could not stand CLUTTER at allll!!!
My sister and I both have things stacked and piled on occasion. Too me it isn't bad but it drives my mom nutso. My sister's is again waayyy worse then mine. I don't have anyone to blame but myself, but my sister has a husband and 2 kids that don't help an an ounce.
My mom and her mom never allowed animals in the house. We had our dog as a kid inside for a very short time, but when he peed and pooped he was outta there. I brought a kitten in the house one time and my best friend/neighbors could here him SCREAMING at me at their house. I was in hysterics for almost 3 hours. (when my dad yelled you knew it). My mom allows me to bring my dog inside, she wasn't to sure at first but now she even allows Keegan to be left alone outside of her crate. We don't even use the crate anymore. She got sick once and mom requested her to be in the tiled hallway the next time and I thought that was just fine... The time after that, I started to block off the hallway and mom said "no she will be ok, leave her out". I think this is a HUGE improvement, it shocks me. My Maternal grandma even allows me and my cousin to bring our dogs in her house.... which is a shock also...
My Paternal grandma (Grandma Tippy) was a HUGE animal lover they had baby pigs/lambs and dogs and cats in the house, so that must be where my sister and I got it from.
The one thing I think that I will not differ from is the actual way that I was raised. My parents weren't exactly strict and I was never ever abused in any way, (the few and far betwen times I was spanked, I definatley deserved it) but if I wasn't allowed to do something, that was pretty much the way it was. There wasn't any me telling them "No, I will do it" Like I see everyday. (the times I did do that --- see above - I got what I deserved. )And that is where my sister is night and day from my parents, when she disciplines them she doesn't follow thru. My bro in law is even less then a help. My nephews talk back, tell their mom and dad "NO" will occasionally say please and thank you but don't hold your breath, and are basically rather unpleasant to be around, their favorite thing to do is run off in a crowd. My dad tries to discipline them b/c he gets so angry (and I do too) and my mom won't let him. We tell my sister almost everytime we see them "they need to spend a week with grandpa" and it is so true. I love my nephews but I don't have to like them.... and I find that so sad, but they are so unpleasant to be around.....

[Barbara]

Nicole, what is your mom doing with a fresh dead fox

Differences to my parents household:
I am ironing just like you would PCB: in the morning when I want to wear the thing.

I don't vacuum daily. My cleaner does it twice a week.

We eat much more outside. We have more friends. We have cats.

In the week we don't have dinner together- because my husband and I have different time rhythms. The weekend however I like to cook and then we enjoy dinner together.

I don't iron my husband's stuff and he decides for himself what he'll wear that day (my mom used to put new clothes for my dad every morning. He would not have been able to decide which pair of socks ).

In the weekends we have very late breakfast and no lunch.

I use to stop at the grocery and buy fresh food for just a day or two- I hate to having the freezer full with stuff that has to be eaten before it gets old

That's all I can remember now- I'm sure there is more

[Rachel]

It is very important to me that my house is not like my mother's was....cluttered and unorganized. Although she had strong ideas about what should be cleaned and when, the house never looked clean because there was too much stuff and things in disarray. Even though it has been over 40 years since I lived with my mother, it makes me crazy when anything in my house digresses in anyway which reminds me of that chaos. I do wish I had been taught the habits of organization and techniques of keeping a tidy house when I was a child. It seems I spent much of my life *looking for misplaced items*. Simple principles of organization would have spared me all that wasted effort. I still do not consider myself an organized person as it doesn't come naturally, but it is a goal I strive for.

[Lillycat]

yep, i was right.....this is a hoot!...i think generational differences are soooooo interesting......

[catnapper]

Ok, the ironing thing in reversed in my house:
Mom wouldn't have an iron and ironing board if it wasn't for me! I iron hubby's and my clothes for the week Sunday night while watching King of the Hill & Simpsons. If I didn't, he'd leave for school every morning with wrinkled shirt that had two huge hanger puncture marks on the shoulder! I iron mine while I have the iron out just because I have it out. I used to iron as I needed every morning.

As for other things...
I have color on my walls. And pictures. Lots of pictures. Dad thought walls and trim were supposed to be white. Nothing else. And oh-no!!! A nail hole was the biggest sin! We'd NEVER sell the house because someone put a nail hole in the drywall! Um, dad, thats what spackle is for. And touch up paint. I am always in the middle of painting SOMETHING. I love to paint and repaint something every two years to keep it fresh and clean looking.

I have a royal laundry fetish. Mom used to just toss the clothes in and pull them out. I have eight baskets lined up in the basement next to the washer. As soon as clothes from the hampers upstairs they get sorted immediately. the eight baskets are as follows: white clothes, white towels. jeans, lights, mediums, darks, reds, dark towels. All heck will break loose if you "borrow" one of my laundry baskets to clean up your room. they are sacred and should be treated as such! Yes, I have an emotional problem regarding laundry. some day I'll explain why - its too involved!

The major difference in my house is that I don't cook. At all. Nothing, not even toast. I have a husband who likes to cook and three teenagers. They can do that for me. No food, no siree.


Funny thing is, I'm more like my grandmom when it comes to the house than my mom! If its not usefull, I get rid of it. If its ugly, its gone. I am a lean mean trash tossing machine! You'd call me a bold faced liar if you saw my basement, but thats all stuff I'm saving for that yard sale I intend to have.... some year.

The laundry thing is more like her (if she'd ever thought of it!) than my mom.