An Apple Does Not Fall Far from the Tree

They say our parents play a pivotal role in shaping our values and habits. The older I get, the more I realise how true this is.

Both my parents are very neat people; as in, they like things to be tidy and orderly. As a child growing up, I used to hate that part of my parents. My mum would insist that we made our beds every morning and wash the dishes immediately after we ate (no dirty dishes to be left in the sink, heavens no). My dad would angle the shampoo, conditioner and body-wash bottles so that they were parallel and the floor had to be swept daily to ensure that it was shiny and dust-free (no easy feat, considering we always had at least one canine companion growing up).

This obsession with having things tidy and orderly was a constant source of conflict between my parents and me. My bedroom was the one place in the house that my parents could not bear to look at; my bed was always in a mess, my dressing table was coated with a thick layer of dust; my clothes were strewn all over the bed and the floor (hey, it's not easy looking good), and my wardrobe was so messy that even I could not find what I wanted. My dad used to joke that my bedroom  was the result of "hurricane Anne". Looking back, I wonder if perhaps this was my way of rebelling silently. I used to tell myself that when I grow up and have my own place, I will never ever be like my parents.

Well, I'm all grown up now and have my own place. And you know what, I've come to the (horrible) realisation that I'm a neat freak!?! I like things to be in their rightful place and I absolutely abhor clutter. You know how some people have the habit of accumulating items over the years because of sentimental value? Well, I'm not like that at all. I don't see the point of keeping something just because someone (special) gave it to you. In my mind, if it's of no use then it should be discarded (either thrown away or sold). Ed reckons I lack emotion. I don't agree. I think I'm just practical. Fact is, if we had a huge house with plenty of space to spare, I'd probably keep a lot of the things I'd discarded. However we don't. We stay in a typical Singaporean apartment (less than 1000 sqft) where space is limited. If we want the place to stay neat and nice, we have to be very careful about what we buy or keep.

I'm neither proud nor ashamed of the way I am. I just find it fascinating that after all those years of rebelling against my parents and vowing never (ever) to be like them, I turned out to be very similar after all.  :)