The Meanest Mom in the World

I'm sure a lot of us Moms have been told that we qualify as the meanest mom in the world.  I have been told that more than once.
I have also been classified as such by more than one child in my neighborhood.  Yep, really.

The first time it happened was a few years ago.  My girls had a friend over who falls age-wise right between them so they all played happily together.  While that friend was here, something happened that made me reprimand my girls...probably they hadn't folded their laundry or something and I made them get up and do it.
A week later a neighbor told me that this friend had been at her house and told her that "She treats her kids like slaves!  But she treats her guests like princesses."  So apparently I'm a jerk but a good hostess.

I'm totally ok with that.

Most recently word got back to me at a Mother Daughter activity for the 8-11yr old neighborhood girls. I was a little surprised because I couldn't think of any specific instance that would have prompted that comment from this particular child, but oh well.  There are things that have happened when she was within earshot that probably prompted it.  And she comes from a home with a different parenting style than mine from what I've seen, so it really doesn't surprise me that she'd think that.  Thus I walked away from that classification feeling totally fine about it.

Yes!  Meanest Mom in the world!  See me beam with pride!
I guess she also labeled another neighborhood mom that way.  Sweet!  I have company!

 Well,  I have a child who would echo those statements every Thursday I'm sure.
I have been asked about our chore division and I'll do a separate post on that, but tonight's issue revolves around one particular chore and one particular child.  They all have their least favorite chore to do, and Dallin's happens to be Bathroom/Towels.  It is his job on Thursday to do a quick cleanup of the bathroom (wipe down counters, sink, toilet, mirror, pick up anything left laying around), as well as collecting all the dirty towels from the house and folding and putting away a load of clean towels.  It really isn't that bad of a job, most kids like this one the best because it's quick and easy.  15 minutes max.

Dallin hates it.
On a level that causes his avoidance skills to come into play.
The boy has stuffed towels under the couch to avoid folding them.  He has tucked them behind throw pillows.  He has thrown a few back into the dirty hamper.
This week he just plain took the basket of towels and dropped it in the laundry room and shut the door.  I happened upon it moments later and called him on it.  Next (once I was out of the room) he tried to stuff them all in the pedastal drawer under the washing machine where we keep the rags.  I found that about an hour later and called him on it.  After trying a few more hiding places he was running out of time.  My oldest 4 have karate on Thursday nights which means we must leave the house by 5:40.  Usually we (myself and the youngest 4) hang out in the car and read stories or play games, occasionally we'll go play at a nearby park for a bit or bribe Aaron to leave the ipad home from school so we can play on that.

This week, Dallin folded towels.
For the second Thursday in a row.
Yes, I made him bring the basket of towels along in the car and fold them there.   Just like last week.

See?

Photographic proof that I'm the meanest mom.
But so as not to disappoint on the avoidance game, he did tuck a few behind the back bench in the van.  Which meant he got to finish folding when we got home.  Seven hours after starting, the towels were finally folded.
But I made brownies, so maybe I'm not quite the meanest mom after all.