Expats

[blue_hours_too]

I didn't get enough sleep and it shows. I'm mixing up people and pages and feel blah all around. I tried for some sun and a swim to wake me up during lunch but the pool was too warm so it was like floating in a bathtub - ugh. I hate warm pools, not refreshing at all in this heat. Must tell pool guy to make it cooler. He's creepy, by the way. Old

Comments

[metamorpheus]

Heh, I don't know that growing up with housework brings people to enjoy it. ;) I'm pretty sure most of us don't enjoy spending our time that way.

Interesting on your observations of others parents. In my experience it was always the business brats and a very few select 'first time overseas' American military families who were sheltering and strict on things such as what you mentioned. But perhaps it varies by country/school/other. It would be interesting to compare that! I will forever be grateful for the amount of freedom my parents granted me, as well.

[sakirmo]

Oh yeah, being 'forced' to do housework definitely doesn't make you love it ;) I had to do some as a kid and I ended up hating it so much that when I moved out at 17 I practically stopped doing any - and I still don't bother anything beyond the absolute minimum. My sister, on the other hand, is a cleanliness freak even though we had to do about the same amount, so it all comes down to personality eventually...

[dejinxed]

There's a trend I see in kids living in other countries/cultures:

a) they try too hard to fit in and exclude themselves from anything to do with their motherland etcetera (e.g. Indians living in the US who stress that they don't watch Bollywood movies, Chinese living in Canada who bear some kind of weird grudge against Chinese people who don't speak English well etc)

b) they just stick to their own community/culture, never mingling with others or learning about the world outside.

You seem well balanced though, which is really good. I'm glad your parents have given you that freedom to grow up that way. Too much of lax attitude or strictness is unhealthy.

[prmntwanderlust]

I never had 'chores' either though...oddly enough I did receive an allowance ($2.00 a week).

My Mom wasn't a working mom until middle school and by that point I kind of took it upon myself to start helping her around the house - though I could have done more.

With the two jobs I have I simply MUST have the kids do some chores or you couldn't walk through this house :)

My parents were fairly strict and I was constantly comparing my upringing to the more liberal ones all my friends seemed to have.