Mom-Code for Chore Requests

You’ve finally sat down after a marathon day — laundry folded, dinner made, dishes conquered.

You breathe. Silence. Peace. Then, out of nowhere:

“Oh, you’re just sitting there?” It’s the calm before the chore storm.

Suddenly you’re running upstairs to grab her glasses, taking the trash out,

and calling your grandmother who “hasn’t heard from you in forever.” You blink once and

realize you’ve been tricked into three errands before the TV even unpaused. “Just sitting there”

is apparently Mom-code for “available for unpaid labor.” Next time, fake a conference

call. Bonus points if you add hand gestures. She won’t interrupt “work.” It’s the