Kaleidoscope

A Kuwaiti & Middle Eastern literary blog magazine where writers and thinkers meet to exemplify, vivify, and stylistically liquefy

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Overworked and Underappreciated

Posted by Kaleidoscope on May 17, 2008

Author: Unknown

Location: Kuwait

Mom and dad were watching TV when mom said, “I’m tired, and it’s getting late. I think I’ll go to bed.”

She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day’s lunches, rinsed out the popcorn bowls, took meat out of the freezer for supper the following evening, checked the cereal box levels, filled the sugar container, put spoons and bowls on the table and started the coffee pot for brewing the next morning.

She then put some wet clothes in the dryer, put a load of clothes into the washer, ironed a shirt and secured a loose button. She picked up the game pieces left on the table and put the telephone book back into the drawer. She watered the plants, emptied a wastebasket and hung up a towel to dry. She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom.

She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some cash for the field trip, and pulled a textbook out from hiding under the chair. She signed a birthday card for a friend, addressed and stamped the envelope and wrote a quick note for the grocery store. She put both near her purse.

Mom then washed her face with 3 in 1 cleanser, put on her night solution and age fighting moisturizer, brushed and flossed her teeth and filed her nails.

Dad called out, “I thought you were going to bed.”

“I’m on my way,” she said. She put some water into the dog’s dish and put the cat outside, then made sure the doors were locked. She looked in on each of the kids and turned out their bedside lamps, hung up a shirt, threw some dirty socks into the hamper, and had a brief conversation with the one up still doing homework. In her own room, she set the alarm; laid out clothing for the next day, straightened up the shoe rack. She also added three things to her 6 most important things to do list. She said her prayers, and visualized the accomplishment of her goals.

About that time, dad turned off the TV and announced to no one in particular. “I’m going to bed.” And he did, without another thought.

Is there anything extraordinary here?

2 Responses to “Overworked and Underappreciated”

  1. jewaira said

    I think a different title would have done the piece more justice.

    I smiled as I read this: it sounds like mom wrote this and not a daughter or a son. Too much detail for a child to be aware of.

    And if it was indeed written by a son or daughter, then it’s even worse that mom was not assisted on her chores :)

  2. flutterby said

    People here are so caught up in stereotypical gender roles! Like men are BIOLOGICALLY superior to women.. Allow me to say, men are superior to women. For one thing, men can urinate from a speeding car lol. Don’t you notice that all our problems begin with MEN? MENtal anxiety! MENstrual cramps! MENopause!

    Listen, if you want to get your man to stand the racket a lil, the best way to do it is to suggest he is too old for it (^_^). And don’t be too judgemental of him because, you see, God gave ‘em all a penis and a brain, but only enough blood to run one at a time. Besides, they are like government bonds… They take so long to mature! so cut him a lil slack will ya ;)

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