"All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his." -Oscar Wilde

Life Lesson #37: I have become my mother.

This wouldn't be a particularly bad thing, except that I am not the current, lovable, cuddly version of my mother that walks about buying toys for her Grand kids and paying tuition for her academically inclined undergraduate daughter. Oh no. I have become the "I-have-six-children-at-home-and-I-have-to-clean-up-after-them" version of my mother. Considering that I don't even have children yet, you can imagine how this is just going to get worse from here on out.

I am the only person in my house who seems to do dishes, or keep my things out of the living room, or keeps their laundry moving along. Yesterday I made dinner for about seven hungry friends, and I told them to bring their own bowls and spoons because I didn't want to do their dishes. I let two visitors use our dishes and I yelled at them to clean them up before they went home. I get very grouchy when my house is messy and I grumble about my roommates to everyone, including my roommates. However, I've asked them very nicely to please clean the kitchen and living room, seeing as I've done all their dishes. If they fail to do so, I will be forced to ask again and again until I am finally screaming at the top of my lungs that they'd better clean the house or I will ground them.

I know you all thought it would never happen, that I would forever be a messy individual, but you were all wrong. I have become a compulsive neat freak. And, in a way, I should be grateful to my messy roommates. If it weren't for their complete disregard for housekeeping, I might never have developed the compulsion that makes me more like my mother everyday.