My son was talking about a scene in one of the Shrek movies where Donkey and Puss were sitting at a bar drinking and bemoaning Mondays. Ethan's comment about it was, "And the best thing was that they got to leave their glasses on the bar."
What a strange comment, except not so strange. I had just asked him if he brought in the bowl from the backyard … which has been out there for more than a WEEK.
Everyone in my house has a tendency to leave things all over the house, because they think that the magic will happen and someone else will pick it up and put it away.
We all wish for the Cosmic Mom who will make it all better, regardless of what "it" is.
As humans, we are this interesting mix of fierce independence ("Don't tell me what to do or how to do it.") and then this place of "I don't want to take responsibility for all of my life; just the fun parts."
Being an adult means taking hold of all of it. I gotta tell you, it's exhausting. I can barely stay on top of that space within me, let alone other people. Yet, my job as a Mom is to help my kids internalize that notion of self-responsibility, self-soothing, self-respect, and yielding of self to God.
No wonder I am mostly tired all the time!
Drop your mom a note or a text and let her know you appreciate something about her. She didn't do it perfectly – none of us do, but I'll bet she did the best she could with the emotional resources available to her.
And, consider what area of your life needs to grow in ownership of your stuff. Because no one outside of you can adequately do it for you.