"Mum..." A Nice Short Poem

I came across a poem, which is moving but as well being hilarious. Here it is:


My little boy came into the kitchen this evening while I was fixing supper and he handed me a piece of paper he'd been writing on.
So, after wiping my hands on my apron. I read it, and this is what it said:

"For mowing the grass, £5
For making my own bed this week, £1
For going to the shop, £10
For playing with baby brother while you went shopping, £10
For taking out the rubbish, £1
For getting a good school report, £5
For raking the garden, £4"

I looked at him standing there expectantly, and a thousand memories flashed through my mind. So, I picked up the paper, and turning it over, this is what I wrote:

"For the nine months I carried you, growing inside me: No Charge.
For the nights I sat up with you, doctored you, & prayed for you: No Charge.
For the time and the tears, and the cost through the years: No Charge.
For the nights filled with dread, and the worries ahead: No Charge.For advice and knowledge, and the cost of your college: No Charge.
For the toys, food and clothes, and for wiping your nose: No Charge.

Son.
When you add it all up, the full cost of my love: No Charge."

Well, when he finished reading, he had great big tears in his eyes. He looked up at me and said, "Mum, I sure do love you." Then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote:

"PAID IN FULL"
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I never got pocket money when I was younger. But I sure knew kids in my class who got paid for doing all sorts from washing their dishes to helping their mum do the hoover! (By the way I am talking about when I was in primary school!) Hearing this I would think "Eh? Getting paid to do the hoover? Wash the dishes? Taking the clothes off the line? You need to visit a Panjabi house!"

Imagine asking your mum or dad £5 for taking the clothes of the washing line. I can just see the answer being "Thappar Khaana je Karchee Khaanee? (ਥਪਰ ਖਾਣਾਂ, ਜੇ ਕੜਚੀ ਖਾਣੀ?)." In English meaning, "You want a slap or a wallop with a Karchee (spoon)?"