My Relationship With My Father

Me:Hey Mom, Dad's outside working on the car/gardedning/(insert activity here.)  I'm going to go help him.
Mother: Have you put your laundry away? 
Me: No.
Mother: You need to put your laundry away and then we can discuss it.
I scurry off to put away my laundry.

Me: My laundry is away.  Can I go outside now?
Mother: Is your bathroom clean?
Me: No. 
Mother:  Go clean it.  Then we will discuss you going outside.
I hurry to clean the bathroom.

Me: My bathroom is clean.  Can I go outside now?
Mother: Did you practice your piano lessons today?
Me: No. 
Mother:  Go practice.  Then we will discuss you going outside.
Me:  He's going to be finished  before I'm finished.  Am I going to be able to spend time with at all? 
Mother: Probably not.


This conversation happened just about every Saturday and Sunday.  I didn't see my dad much during the week because he was at work and then I had to spend the whole night doing homework.  Instead of allowing me to spend time with him on the weekends, she'd come up with a million excuses as to why I couldn't spend time with him.  I never understood why she didn't want us to have a relationship. 

Sometimes I think my husband feels that I'm pawning our son off on him when he's home.  I'm only doing it because I want them to have as much of a relationship as he does with me.  I don't want him to not know his dad. 
Even as an adult, I wish we'd had a better relationship when I was growing up.  I'm pretty sure my dad feels the same.