Like most teenage kids, I liked posters — and I had some classics. The Farrah Fawcett red swimsuit poster. The Evel Knievel wheelie and cape poster. And more KISS posters than I could count.
The problems were where — and how — I could hang them.
Of course, my bedroom was the only room in the house where my posters would be allowed. Mom didn’t think the Fonz should be hung up in the kitchen. I understood.
Mom’s rules on how posters could be applied to the wall were the real trick. Pushing thumbtacks into the sheetrock was out of the question, as that left holes in the walls. Using tape to adhere them to the walls might work, if it was the right tape that didn’t take off paint or leave residue behind. And that chewing-gum-like stuff that was supposed to stick to the poster and the wall sounded great, except it left an oil-like stain on the posters.
The last option was the only option, at least from Mom’s perspective. She didn't really care what happened to my posters, but the walls were not to be marked up in any way. Period.
Do you ever notice how some of your parents’ rules stick with you throughout your lifetime? Mom’s instructions on not using thumbtacks and tape were based on her being the one having to patch and paint the walls in our home. When my kids were wanting to hang posters in their rooms, I had the same rules — and I wasn’t even the one who painted.
Mom’s rules also apply at our workplace today. I cringe when I see items that employees have taped or thumbtacked into walls or woodwork, as I know how much I paid to have those walls painted or woodwork repaired. I gladly supply bulletin boards to anyone who needs them, but some folks just can’t resist the temptation to tape, staple or push tacks into sheetrock.
How about you? Which of your parents’ rules stuck with you for a lifetime? Shoot me a note and let me know.
Have a marvelous Monday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com | 
