Happy Fourth of July.

The child comes home today and I'd be really excited about it if I had time to dwell on it. But, my parents are bringing home the child which means as soon as I post this blog, I am off for some MAJOR house cleaning. Mainly because my mother maintains a certain standard of cleanliness that's hard for most humans to maintain. What's worse is that she's not too shy sharing how I do not quite live up to that standard. She might not say anything at first, or ever, but then you see in her eyes how she's scanning everything and making a mental note as to what she's going to tackle first. And when I say tackle, I mean clean. It bothers me that I can't control what goes on in my own house when she's here. I tell her to stop and attempt to physically restrain her from cleaning, but then she tells me she's just trying to help me and why don't I let her help me and why do I try to make her feel guilty for wanting to help me. It's a point of contention that will never be resolved because my mother simply refuses to acknowledge that it's not her god-given right or responsibility to clean my house, or rearrange it, or improve it, and I refuse to acknowledge that it is. In many ways, this argument boils down to cultural differences. Korean mothers do clean their children's houses and the children let them, and in some ways expect them to do it. However, as far as house cleaning goes, I'm thoroughly American and don't want my mother to feel like she has to do anything other than relax when she in my home. In fact, I find it somewhat disturbing that some of my Korean cousins don't have any problem letting their mothers do their housework. In my mind, my home is my responsibility and I'm certainly not going to expect my mother to lift a finger in addressing that responsibility. Anyway, although I love having my parents here, it's always just a matter of time before that bomb explodes and we end up with another screaming match about cleaning. It's a bummer to have that cloud hanging over your head. So, I'm off to clean. How does this all fit in with Fourth of July? It's all about the fireworks, baby.