Living vs staying

My daughter has cleared up some important facts for me.

She is not living here, she is staying here. This means she has no responsibilities to do anything useful for me. No housework is to be expected, no food will be purchased by her, but I should be grateful that she finally cleaned the shower that only she is using. It was clean when she moved in. I mean started staying here again.

Watching my dogs who live here with her, I mean live here where she is staying, was a terrible inconvenience for two whole days while I was gone and she had the house to herself. Besides, look at all the money I saved by not having to pay a dog sitter. Truly I was astonished that she did not ask for money for watching the dogs.

My house rules are horribly cruel. I expect the toilet lid to be down. I expect the dog gate to be up blocking the hallway where her room she is staying in is not available to my dogs. I do not want them in there where there is not one inch of floor space showing. I do not want my dogs injured, nor do I want the backlash if they damage something left on the floor that interests them. This could include about 12 partially empty bottles and glasses of soda and water. On the floor. I also get upset when I get up in the morning and find that she again came in at 3 am and did not close or lock the front door.

The suitcase still sitting in the foyer was a gift to her. Well, no. The one I gave her about 5 years ago is still sitting in the garage where she abandoned it about 3 years ago. The one in my foyer is mine which I loaned her about 2 years ago because she didn't want to use her own. I let her borrow it when I took her to Las Vegas with the hopes that she would quit smoking while not with her smoking friends. I took her 3 times. I paid for her nicotine patches out of my pension checks. I still hope she will quit one of these days. No parent should outlive her child.

I also should not be concerned about the money she borrowed from me over a year ago to cover a test she had to take for the job she had then. After all, I have money in the bank and I can use that. She will just be out that cash, if she ever pays me because the company did not pay her back. I suspect she did not turn in the proper papework to get reimbursed. Besides, she forgot she owed it to me so it doesn't count. I reminded her a month ago. I am still waiting for the first dollar.

I should not mind all the furniture, clothing, papers, cell phone charger, shoes, hair products, books, and other things all over the house. She plans to move out in a month because it is just horrible staying here with someone who doesn't thank her for anything.

She can't pay me back because she has to pay for her own car. Well, yes she does. I paid for the first 3 cars, although I only agreed to the first one. How is she going to pay rent when she is having trouble paying just a lease on a car and the insurance? Got me. That will be her roommate's issue, not mine. The rest of her income pretty much goes to entertainment.

I am a very mean mother. I am glad that was pointed out to me tonight. She was very glad that she was going out because she sure didn't want to be here with me.

So I am working on my travel pictures. Quietly and calmly. I need to plan another trip, ASAP!