Well your kinda missing the point a little. I never knew my mom. She died 2 day's after giving birth to me. So I grew up in a home. But what I really meant was not asking for anything stupid, but having clothes on your back, meals on the table, and a roof over your head for however many years. She never asked for anything in return while she was giving you all that did she? Except maybe a few chores? I'd gladly do for my parents if I had any. Well, I consider the old man and woman down the street a close relation. That's why I got no problem doing for them.
LOL, I understand completly what your saying, but that definitly wasn't what I was talking about. See my response to Mortimer. Hell I'm 50 years old and still don't have anything but Rustler brand. Wal-Mart specials baby!!!
There's your problem then... you never had to give anything back. Trust me, my mother was never bashful about asking for help. So while she provided for me when I was too young to take care of myself, I had most of my adult life to pay her back. Believe me, she didn't make out too badly.
I can understand where your coming from. It's just one of them things that I'll never know and shouldn't spout off about. Sometimes I can't help it though. That's why I do for the old couple down the street as much as I can. They take care of my animals when I go out of town, she a helluva cook, so I eat there whenever I can. They never "ask" for anything, but I know what they want. Christmas is a wonderful time for both them and me. Guess we all have somebody. I'm sure you've got some one like that too. But, since I never had a chance to know either of my parents and have the upbringing like most, all I can do is say "Well hell, I'd do this, that and the other thing a whole lot different." I'll back out now. Shouldn't have stuck my nose in where it don't belong.
I seem to remember allot of stopping points as I was growing up! You did see the part where I mentioned the small jobs, too numerous to mention?? Re-hang doors, replace the water heater, repair the lawn mower, move furniture, fix her car, replace the garage door, replace the kitchen faucet, repair the furnace, install a sump pump pit, hang ceiling fans, strip the garage siding and board up the windows to prep it for the siding installers...it never ends! I never said that I never help out! I just refuse to spend so much time there that I may as well move in! I dare you to work 40-50 hours a week then spend EVERY weekend for the last two years fixing, remodeling at your mother's house. That is how much time it would take me to do work she has had done. There is no way I could do it all myself and still maintain my home and family! At this point, raising my own daughter, and spending time with my wife is more important than satisfying my mother's wishes! Also after I have gotten older I realize I could give my mother ALL my time and effort and she would just ask for more! I love my mom, and glad she is around, but I never agreed to take care of her when she is able to do very well on her own! Greg
I'll toss in a "me too" as well. At this point, I'm pretty sure they owe me for crap I've done for them out of pity- seeing as how I haven't been paid for it with much of either cash or kindness, and I've ignored the part of balance sheet where the old man had an awful lot of senseless late-night drunken beatings coming. I wrote that one off when he finally laid off the sauce and turned into an wretched old coot.
It's a give and take, for sure. I don't think you can balance the sheets at the end of the day, just figure out what you are and aren't willing to help each other out with. Just because they share your blood, that doesn't always make them worth bending over backwards for.
Man, that's hillarious. I watched the first 3 episodes of that show, but that "What is it?" segment was so annoying, I stopped. I agree with the other poster that Howdy Doody is annoying.
I stopped watching the regular "This Old House" as well too. You just get tired of watching people pay 30k or whatever for marble tile in the bathroom. Then you have Norm telling people their cabinets are crap because the drawers aren't dovetails (to justify Norm building a new china cabinet or whatever). I like Norm, but just because he has a dovetail jig doesn't mean his cabinets are better than the stuff the carpenter made 100 years ago. Anyhow, This Old House (and Extreme Makeover) are just so out of touch with the financial reality of 99% of the population that they just aren't fun to watch.
Don't get me started on that whole "fixed income" thing.
I hate euphimisms to begin with but this one especially. Almost everyone I know is on a "fixed income" - from myself to my boss to the mayor of our town. Unless you work on commission you are on a fixed income! I know most people who use the phrase mean that their income is limited but then they should say that. In rebuttal I would say that while their income may be fixed it is also (almost always) guaranteed. They can't bet fired like most of us can.
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