We had the meanest mother in the world. While other kids ate sweets for breakfast, we had to have eggs and toast. When others had cokes and cakes for lunch we had to eat sandwiches. And you can guess the rest. Our dinner was different from other kids’ too.

Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You’d think we were on a street gang. She had to know who our friends were and what we were doing. She insisted that if we said we would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for one hour or less. We were ashamed to admit it. She actually broke the child labour law. She made us work! We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook, and all sorts of cruel things. I believe she lay awake thinking of mean things to do to us.

She always insisted on our telling the truth – the whole truth and nothing but the truth. By the time we were teenagers, she was much wiser, and our lives become even rougher. None of this meeting friends in public places. She embarrassed us by making our friends come to the door to get us. Oh, I forget. While other kids were going out at the mature age of 12 and 13 our old- fashioned mother refused to let us go out until we were 15 and 16.

Our mother was a complete failure as a mother. None of us has ever been arrested. And who we have to blame for this terrible way we turned out? Our mean mother of course. Look at all the things we missed. We never got to take part in a riot, smoke, get drunk or do a million and one things our friends did. She made us grow up into God fearing, educated, honest adults. Maybe that’s what’s wrong with the world. There just aren’t enough mean mother these days.

-Deepa Peppins