Auntie was literally my first boss. As soon as I was able to ride the train by myself, I was employed by Auntie.
You see, in order for Auntie to pay the bills w/ her day job AND be everyone’s beloved Ms. Val – you know – the loving child care provider, the versatile language teacher, the energetic party planner w/ unlimited ideas and the craftiness to bring to life your wildest dreams, and of course the greatest story time entertainer EVER – some things had to give. Or, as me and my brothers know so well – pile up!
How did I learn to clean dishes like a machine? Washing every dish in Auntie’s house that was littered all around the kitchen.
How did I learn to do laundry? Wading through and sorting mountains of trash bags full of Auntie’s worn clothes – and we better not shrink, discolor, or otherwise mess up her gear!
How did I learn what a “clean” home truly meant? Cleaning Auntie’s entire house top to bottom (regularly). I am talking about, everything. The floors, walls, windows (inside and out), ceiling fans, refrigerator, bathrooms, all the furniture, and the bird cages. Not to mention all the yard work outside. And, umm there better not be a speck of dust on those blinds. She would run her fingers across them and make us do them over, and over again. This got so crazy Jason and I had to find a special duster with fingers on it to satisfy the boss!
We got so good at this, that Auntie started hooking us up with referral house cleaning gigs of people she knew (as long as we could get there on the train).
Bridget – you can thank Auntie for having a husband that cleans up without hemming and hawing about it, and does it better than most professional cleaning services.
My mom and dad benefited greatly from all this Auntie training at home, too.
Oh, and all of this was before I turned 16.