Grand Avenue by Mike Thompson for April 04, 2024

Kicking Your Nibling While They’re Down

NOT my story.

My mom just died in 2021, and we inherited some money from her. I invested mine into my tiny home, and I was waiting for it to be finished so that I could move out of my mom’s house, where I was still living when she passed away.

I live from month to month on a fixed income.

It was getting to grass-cutting season, so I called my uncle and asked him if he would come cut my grass, which he had always done for my mom. He said that he always was paid $40 to do so, in addition to a $10 tip. I said okay to the $40.

He came and cut it, and he left the grass all over the concrete; he did not blow it off or anything. Well, I had already made out the check for $40. He started to bad-mouth me, saying that it took gas to come up here, blah, blah, blah, to try to get the extra tip out of me.

Me: “I already made the check out for the amount that we originally agreed on.”

He accepted the check as it was written, but the next time he passed by the house, guess who was cutting her own yard? Me! I had managed to save up and get myself a push lawn mower.

I never asked him to help me with my own yard again as long as I lived there.

You have 2 children in the house who should be helping you. If you are doing it on your own. That’s on you.

Grew up on a farm – cleaning house was done on Saturday by all of us kids – strip the bed linens, dust the surfaces, vacuum and mop the kitchen floor – all done by noon. We did not even think about drawing on the walls or leaving our stuff scattered about as we would get disciplined and our stuff would end up in the trash. Back in those days, the adage was – spare the rod, spoil the child -

Never ending job.

Eight year old children should know not to draw on walls by now