As the only child in my household, I was the goto kid for all chores that might normally have been shared by brothers and/or sisters if I had them. As the first-born and only son, I was on the top of my father's short list for cutting the grass, washing the cars, weeding the flower beds and whatever other chores he thought I was old enough to handle. However, nothing on his list pre-empted the chores my mother gave me. These included clearing the table and doing the dishes, dusting and vacuuming and putting away the finished laundry. I did not dare to ask for an allowance as did most of my friends. Instead I was expected to earn my money. Each chore had a non-negotiable value. Washing the car was worth 25-cents. Cutting the grass with our push mower was also worth 25-cents. Most everything else was worth 5-cents unless I was the main beneficiary of the service. Folding and putting away laundry might be done per gratis if most of the laundry was mine. Although I may have resented it at the time, I came to appreciate the sense of responsibility and understanding of productivity that this early childhood training gave me for adult life. I also learned the hidden value of collateral clean-up.
When my mother cooked a meal, she tended to leave the pots, pans and utensils for clean-up til after the meal. This made doing dishes a real challenge for me. When my father cooked, he usually cleaned up the pots, pans and utensils as he prepared the meal. By the time the meal was served, only the meal dishes remained for me to wash, dry, and put away. Seems he had done some stints as a cook and dish washer in his teen years. In a busy restaurant, pots, pans and utensils are in constant use. You either clean up as you go or risk having food orders back up while you are waiting for something to be cleaned.
The hidden value in collateral cleanup goes beyond food preparation. My mother's general rule of household organization was: "A place for everything and everything in it's place." I may have had to do more dishes when she cooked but there was never any doubt about where to store them once they were washed and dried. My father, on the other hand had no such rule. If I was not available to help him with clean-up he would usually put stuff wherever it might fit. I don't know why he operated this way, but apparently in those busy restaurants, there was never a need to store anything since it was in constant use the hours he worked in the kitchen.
Pick 102 - Generation Alpha
Screen technologies are the base of everything that characterizes Generation Alpha and truly distinguishes them from every other generati...
