Advice Your Mom Would Give if She Thought You Were Listening

Three reasons I gave my daughter a laundry pass

Three reasons I gave my daughter a laundry pass

on Apr 5, 2014

 

This week, I launched my little gift book, Do Your Laundry or You’ll Die Alone: Advice Your Mom Would Give if She Thought You Were Listening. I’ve done dozens of media interviews recently, having to explain the scary title and answer to a few judgmental talk show hosts about why I gave my daughter a laundry pass so many times that at age 18 she had to be threatened to wash her own clothes.

A few moms will relate to my reasons: 1) She was busier than I was; 2) I cared more than she did; and, 3) every once in a while, kids say ‘thank you’ in ways that make doing their laundry a sweet privilege.

Here is one of those I got this week. An ‘Open Letter to My Mom,’ posted on her blog column. You might need a tissue.

Do Your Laundry or You'll Die Alone

    13 Comments

  1. Well, SCREW the laundry — and the explaining about it! You did good and you’ve got a letter to prove it! Kudos to you — and to your lovely daughter. 🙂

    Jackie

    July 7, 2014

    • Thanks, Jackie. I think SCREW THE LAUNDRY should have been the last page of the book.

      Becky Blades

      July 7, 2014

  2. I did the laundry because, if I didn’t, it would take over the world. We had a rule — if it bothers you, pick it up, clean it up, or take care of it. My tolerance was much lower than my son’s and now that I know what a bright young man he’s grown !into, I can’t help but think that might have been strategic.

    Ruth Curran

    July 7, 2014

    • Exactly, Ruth. Laundry WILL take over the world if we don’t keep it in check. Just so hard to teach kids that.

      Becky Blades

      July 7, 2014

  3. Laundry and tears….good way to start off the day!

    Ellen Dolgen

    July 7, 2014

    • Oh, Ellen. Indeed. I’m afraid a few mornings of laundry and tears are in my future as I launch my girls.

      Becky Blades

      July 7, 2014

  4. Mine are 20 and 26 and I would do their laundry (and still do when they’re visiting, if needed) if they toss it in with mine. I don’t fold it though…same for my husband. We have many, many laundry baskets, and they overflow.

    Kim Tackett

    July 7, 2014

  5. I remember this & like it as much now as i did then. Lovely.

    Carol Cassara

    July 7, 2014

  6. Mine did her own laundry from the time she was about 12. White uniform shirts were often gray but I was the one who turned an entire load red once. So that’s probably why she decided to do her own. Now she brings her laundry to my house to do so we can visit and she can save money. What I DID do was make her a hot breakfast every morning I possibly could, and pack her a good lunch. Food for the brain, I guess was my thinking. She is about to graduate college Summa Cum Laude, and still tries to get breakfast hot on campus even though she lives off. The letter from your daughter was Wonderful. Mine would totally relate to the stiletto heels 🙂

    Pandamom

    April 24, 2014

    • Wow, Pandamom. Good job! What a great way to bond – over the laundry. I’ll be quoting you.

      Becky Blades

      April 25, 2014

  7. Becky, that was a wonderful, awesome-in-every-way letter. Thanks for the kleenex warnings

    Grown and Flown

    April 24, 2014

  8. Ok, so I’ve always loved doing laundry. Just sayin’.

    Carol Cassara

    April 5, 2014

  9. I loved doing my kids laundry right up until they left for college. I even wrote a blog post about it a few years ago. Now they do their own.

    Sharon Greenthal

    April 5, 2014

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