Nag Nag Nag

Some mothers are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers, but it is love just the same, and most mothers kiss and scold together. ~Pearl S. Buck

A mother's duties include nagging, it's inevitable.

Rachel remarked one day that I was nagging way too much. I replied good-humouredly that mothers are meant to nag. If one day I stop nagging, something must be wrong. Rachel, in her witty mood, reciprocated, “Then DON’T stop nagging. I wouldn’t want a mother who has something wrong. Or I’ll need to send you to the mental hospital.”

I believe most of us grew up with one or, most unfortunately, both parents who just refused to get off our backs. I had a bothersome father who loved to pick on trivial matters and make a mountain out of a molehill. I swore then that if I ever become a parent, I will definitely NOT nag at my kids.

Well, it’s like claiming that you’ll not get wet while giving the dog a shower. IMPOSSIBLE!

There are times I try to be the “perfect-unconditionally-loving” mother. It’ll be a miracle if it can last through the morning. By noon, I’ll be badgering Mervin and Angel to finish their lunch faster so as not to be late for school; Rachel will be nudged for almost an hour just to take her shower after she return home from school; I’ll hound on the kids to do their homework after dinner; they’ll be carped at for not helping around the house; Mervin and Angel will be lashed out mercilessly for kicking a ball around in the living room; they’ll be harped on for not turning in at bedtime.

The list just goes on and on and on. It’s amazing how the kids always strive to do things out of the ordinary or spout irrationalities just so to observe how the parents will react and revel in the antiphon. But when it comes to embarking on a given task or school project, their mind go dead and momentarily they’ll become as docile as kitties while relegating the oh-so-important assignment to us.

In the society nowadays where educating with love is the rave, I still prefer to take hold of the reins and mete out punishments whenever necessary. I want to give my kids the best but they need to learn that the world out there may not always be that forgiving and accommodating to them in real life. If they want to break the rule, be prepared to pay for it.

I doubt there’ll be a day when I’ll stop fussing about the kids. Be it that they’re children, adolescents, adults, parents or even grandparents. I pray hard I won’t stick around that long. It sure won’t be music to the ears when two old people are locking horns.

I do conciliate my kids after making their lives miserable. I kiss them tenderly, in their sleep.