By Gretchen Leigh

One of my biggest annoyances in life is that I am not only the chief cook and bottle washer, I’m apparently the Master of Motivation (MOM – see what I did there?).

I hate being depended to motivate my family; it’s too much pressure. Whipping people into action is not one of my strengths. I’m no cheerleader. When I try and get my kids to be more active on the weekend, they tell me they have homework; as they stare at their computer games or catch up on episodes of some creepy crime drama. I don’t always have the energy to nag them.

I guess MOMs are born into their role. Or rather our husbands married us and our children were born and we just naturally stepped up to the position. But why does everyone have to be dependent on my level of productivity? Why can’t they wake up in the morning and want to accomplish something? Why do MOMs want more for their husbands and children than they want for themselves?

For instance, I have to be busy with a project on the weekend in order for my husband to get anything done. We don’t always even work on the same tasks. And if I have a particularly lethargic weekend, so does he; again, we’re not necessarily being lazy at the same thing.

I get that he works all week and likes to relax on the weekend. But I’m at home all week working and tending the house and would like to use the weekends to get the things done that I can’t take the time for during the week or tasks that I need help with.

It took until Sunday this last weekend for my husband to get motivated. Actually, he did work in his shop on Saturday, but that’s nothing that affected me. I feel the people I live with are only productive when they are doing something for the good of the family. Because I’m MOM, the good of the family is my whole being.

However, my husband must’ve read my mind Sunday morning (that’s a first), because I had just noticed there was still debris scattered across the backyard from rebuilding his shed. I thought, “Our yard always looks like we’re on the edge of being white trash. We don’t have to live like this. Time to pull out my best MOM skills.”

Then, without me saying a word, he cleaned it up. Whoa! I’d like to think after twenty-three years we communicated telepathically because of our strong marital bond, but I think it was totally his idea. I mean, he doesn’t take the garbage out or do the dishes just because I wish he would. Or maybe he got moving because I wouldn’t watch movies with him Sunday morning, preferring instead to get back to the scrapbooking project I was on the verge of finishing..

We still have a white trash aura that wouldn’t cut it in a fancier neighborhood. The back patio is still a mess, old roofing is spread in the far corner of the yard in another attempt to kill the Japanese knotwood, and I’m sure the space behind his shop looks like a hoarder situation, but the yard certainly looks much better than it did last week.

The important thing is stuff got done. When a weekend is like that, I come out of it feeling really confident, productive and especially worthy. My MOM skills once again spilled over onto my husband.

Now if only my motivation would bleed onto my kids. Be the MOM!

Gretchen Leigh is a stay-at-home mom who lives in Covington. You can read more of her writing and her daily blog on her website livingwithgleigh.com, on Facebook at “Living with Gleigh.”or follow her on Twitter @livewithgleigh. Her column is available every week at maplevalleyreporter.com under the Lifestyles section.