Paid In Full

A little boy came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was fixing supper, and he handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on. After
his mom dried her hands on an apron, she read it, and this is what it said:

For cutting the grass: $5.00
For cleaning up my room this week: $1.00
For going to the store for you: $.50
Baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping: $.25
Taking out the garbage: $1.00
For getting a good report card: $5.00
For cleaning up and raking the yard: $2.00
Total owed: $14.75

Well, his mother looked at him standing there, and the boy could see the memories flashing through her mind.
She picked up the pen, turned over the paper he'd written on, and this is what she wrote:

For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me: No Charge.
For all the nights that I've sat up with you, doctored and prayed for you: No Charge.
For all the trying times, and all the tears that you've caused through the years: No Charge.
For all the nights filled with dread, and for the worries I knew were ahead: No Charge.
For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping your nose: No Charge.
When you add it up, the cost of my love is: No Charge.

When the boy finished reading what his mother had written, there were big tears in his eyes, and he looked straight up at his mother and said, "Mom, I sure do love you."
And then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote: "PAID IN FULL".

THE MOTHER

01. When you were 1 year old, she fed you and bathed you.
You thanked her by crying all the night.

02. When you were 2 years old, she taught you to walk.
You thanked her by running away when she called.

03. When you were 3 years old, she made all your meals with love.
You thanked her by tossing your plate on the floor.

04. When you were 4 years old, she gave you some crayons.
You thanked her by coloring the dinning room table.

05. When you were 5 years old, she dressed you for the holidays.
You thanked her by looping into the nearest pile of mud.

06. When you were 6 years old, she walked you into school.
You thanked her by screaming, "I'M NOT GOING".

07. When you were 7 years old, she bought you a baseball.
You thanked her by throwing it through the next-door-neighbor window.

08. When you were 8 years old, she handed you an ice cream.
You thanked her by dripping it all over your lap.

09. When you were 9 years old, she paid for Arabic lessons.
You thanked her by never even bothering to practice it.

10. When you were 10 years old, she drove you all day, from soccer to gymnastic to one birthday party after another.
You thanked her by jumping out of the car and never looking back.

11. When you were 11 years old, she took you and your friends to the movies.
You thanked her by asking to sit in the different row.

12. When you were 12 years old, she warned you not to watch certain TV shows.
You thanked her by waiting until she left the house.

13. When you were 13, she suggested a haircut that was becoming.
You thanked her by telling her she had no taste.

14. When you were 14, she paid for a month away at summer camp.
You thanked her by forgetting to write a single letter.

15. When you were 15, she came home from work, looking for a hug.
You thanked her by having your bedroom door locked.

16. When you were 16, she taught you how to drive her car.
You thanked her by taking it every chance you could.

17. When you were 17, she was expecting an important call.
You thanked her by being on the phone all night.

18. When you were 18, she cried at your school graduation.
You thanked her by staying out partying until dawn.

19. When you were 19, she paid for your college tuition, drove you to campus, and carried your bags.
You thanked her by saying good-bye outside the dorm so you wouldn't be embarrassed in front of you friends.

20. When you were 20, she asked whether you were seeing anyone.
You thanked her by saying "It's none of you business".

21. When you were 21, she suggested certain careers for your future.
You thanked her by saying "I don't want to be like you".

22. When you were 22, she hugged you at your college graduation.
You thanked her by asking whether she could pay for a trip to Europe.

23. When you were 23, she gave you furniture for your first apartment.
You thanked her by telling your friend it was ugly.

24. When you were 24, she met your fiancé and asked about your plans for the future.
You thanked her by glaring and growling, "Muuhh-ther, please!"

25. When you were 25, she helped to pay for your wedding, and she cried and told how deeply she loved you.
You thanked her by moving halfway across the country.

26. When you were 30, she called with some advice on the baby.
You thanked by telling her, "Things are different now."

27. When you were 40, she called to remind you of a relative's birthday.
You thanked her by saying you were "really busy right now."

28. When you were 50, she fell ill and needed you to take care of her.
You thanked her by reading about the burden parents become to their children.

29. And then, one day, she quietly died. And everything you never did, came crashing down like thunder on your heart.