I always loved helping others. I would do anything to make someone's life just a little easier, but I never let them take advantage of me. I was nice, but I would gain a bit of attitude if that did occur. 

However, with family asking me for favors, that was a different story.

My mother was a very busy woman. She was a housewife, so she would work at home for twelve or more hours everyday. She would cook, clean, and take care of her kids. My sisters and I would try to help her as much as we could by doing the dishes, vacuuming, folding laundry, and a lot more. 

We would especially help her with things that made her bend her back. She was a bit older, and we would take the opportunity to sweep or mop the floors and clean the bathroom. We usually took turns so no one person was doing all the work. 

Well... That all changed when my oldest sister, Sara, moved out. 

She would always remind my middle sister, Brook, and me to do the chores around the house. She would also do the most when she was free from studying or work. I looked up to her in that sense. But when she moved out, the rules of fair amount of work changed. 

Brook started to get more into watching a lot of YouTube, and she stopped doing some chores around the house. At first, they were just small things like not watering the plants outside. I didn't mind watering the backyard since I loved the outdoors.

What I did mind was the fact that Brook stopped doing a lot of other things as well.

She had stopped folding laundry, doing the dishes, and worst of all she had stopped cleaning the bathroom. I was too young to wash the bathroom, and my mom didn't want my hands getting damaged from the cleaning chemicals. And when Mom started washing the bathrooms again, that made me mad. 

I remember going to Brook and asking her to wash the bathroom. Her reply shocked me.

"No," she said. "That's what you're for."

"Excuse me?" I said. "I'm too young to clean the bathroom. You think that I can scrubs the floors, clean the tub and toilet, and wash the sink and mirror?"

"Stop complaining and help!" She said.

"I should say the same for you! Get you butt out of your bed and at least clean your dang room!"

"Go away!" 

She swore at me before pushing me out and locking the door. 

I sighed and went back downstairs to help my mom with other things. This was all for her, not Brook. I should be proud to be helping my mom. But I still could get over the fact that the cycle of chores was now only me doing most of them. I washed dishes, mopped the floors, vacuumed, and a lot more. It was no longer whose turn was it. Instead, it was more what does Kylie have next?

This then got onto my dad, and he started asking me to weed the lawn, clean the cars, and even help repair some things. He did take acknowledgment for Brook not doing any work, and he made her clean her own car and fix the air vents. He would also get her to study more as well.

I was at least glad for that, but it didn't excuse her addiction to YouTube. 

Brook would stay up I until 5am watching videos or doing her makeup. She loved watching beauty vloggers and other beauty things, and she just couldn't stop watching them. Because of this, during summer break, she would wake up at 12 or 2pm depending on what day it was.

I was beginning to get tired of this since it seemed that I wouldn't have as much free time as before, but it all changed when my mom decided she had enough. I remember her stomping into Brook's room and scolding her for not doing simple tasks and for the excessive amount of YouTube she watched.

After a long week of arguing, she started doing some work again. 

It was great when Sara came back to visit from Med school. She would always ask Brook to do more work or to give me a break when I needed it. She would also help out when she could, but she was usually studying. She would also try to get Brook to study with her, seeing as that was still a problem.

While it wasn't the best doing all of those chores without having the chance to get Brook to do some of it herself, I'm at least happy that I was helping my mom. Plus, now I'm self sufficient because of all the work that I did to maintain my home. 

Who needs excuses when you've got yourself?