No

[cjsmith]

Why do I say yes to things when I want to say no?

Get a grip, CJ. You're thirty-five years old. It's way past time to cut out this crap. Thirty-five years of doing what OTHER people want you to, and what does it get you? That's right. So stop already.

(Some day, this will be called a handicap, and parents who raise children to do this will be labeled abusers. Improvement?)

Comments

Re: good grief -

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

You've got those T-shirts too? Yikes! I keep hoping it was a limited run.

"If there's something to be done, why AREN'T you doing it?"

Oo, what a pernicious line. It's fine unless there are no acceptable excuses, at which point it becomes weirdly like a command.

Re: good grief -

[persimmon.livejournal.com]

Well, there were some acceptable excuses. Like doing your homework, cooking supper, or having made a commitment to do something else. Especially the latter: if you had SAID you would do something, then unless you physically couldn't do it - sickness, stranded somewhere else - you followed through. Period.

To be fair, however, I should point out that this applied to him as much as anyone else, and that he didn't consider housework of any kind to default to the female members of the family. Work was work, and if we all did it, then it got done faster, and we all had more time to do other things ...

Another line that appears to have gone in while the wax was soft is
"All that is asked of you is to do your best" - which sounds reasonable. But it meant your absolute best, at all times, in all areas - which is, um, rigorous. He required this of himself, too - but it has taken years for me to accept that some days, my personal best can be pretty damn sloppy, but it's the best I can do at that time.

Does any of that sound familiar, too?