BLACK DUVET COVERS

My mom was very particular about issues of homemaking. Certain things would always inspire confidence in her. A kitchen that was well-kept, but still had artwork from the children up, made her heart glow. To her, it was a sign that whoever ran the house had a good personality. They were honest, responsible, and caring. On the other hand, certain things would always set her off. At the top of this was a house with black duvet covers.

In her eyes, the way you kept your bed could make or break you. Beds should be neat and tidy at all times. They could be stylish, with pillows artfully thrown about, but the actual bed had to be tucked in perfectly. Most importantly, the sheets and blankets had to be the right color. Black duvet covers, she said, were the worst. Not everyone had to have white sheets and blankets. There were many interesting colors that could set off the decor of the room, but using a black duvet cover would mark you as a bad homemaker. It would show that you couldn't keep the sheets and blankets clean, or that you were so nervous about dirt that you had to resort to black. To her, black duvet covers were cheating. They showed that you could not keep a clean house, and so had to disguise it.

For a long time, I rebelled against my mom's standard of cleanliness. Not only did I use black duvet covers, but I kept a messy room. When she visited the first house that I had on my own, my mom simply stopped and stared. She couldn't even bring herself to enter. At the time I found it humorous, but nowadays I find it tragic. You see, I am not a messy person in general. I don't mind black duvet covers, but clutter irritates me. I was so into rebelling against my moms overkill, that I made a house that I could not live in comfortably. Letting other people control you like that is really shameful!

Nowadays, I have started to pick up better. The black duvet covers, however, have stayed. In a strange way, it has become a symbol of my independence. My mom even teases me about it sometimes. She pulls up the duvet cover black melodramatically and looks for dust. She thinks I am being childish and using the black duvet covers just to irritate her, but in reality I like them. If they mark my house as my own, so much the better!