Mom Said To Water All The Plants, So He Nearly Offed Her Roses To Prove A Point

Every parent of teenagers (or parent in general) knows that you have to be very specific when you’re giving instructions.

If you don’t tell them exactly what you want done and how, you’ll likely be unhappy with the result.

OP was a pouting teenager, so when his mom told him to water ALL the flowers, that’s what he did.

I don’t remember the exact circumstances now because this was back when I was a resentful, hormonal teenager half a century or so ago.

I think my mother was going shopping and I wanted to go with her, but she told me I had to stay home and do chores, including watering all the plants.

I apparently didn’t immediately react in a polite enough manner, so she reiterated in a louder voice, “you need to water ALL the plants!”

So I did.

Including her precious roses in the backyard.

In the middle of winter.

She was not amused.

When she got home and let the dog out and noticed water-related evidence in the backyard that should not have been there she started shrieking at me, what did I do, how could I be so stupid, was I trying to kill her roses, etc.

I just looked her straight in the eye and said “well you did tell me to water ALL the plants.”

No roses were harmed in this malicious compliance.

(And no, the roses did not die because it didn’t get cold enough that night.)

Reddit loves angsty teen stories, right?

The top comment had to make OP feel even older.

This gardener is unsure about the malicious part of the story.

It’s pretty much your job.

Oohhhh this is definitely a step too far.

Really she should be thanking him for not being worse.

Oh I would have been so mad as the mom.

I also totally would have done this as a teen. Ha!

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who invited herself to her parents’ 40th anniversary vacation for all the wrong reasons.