Mother's Little Helper

Her Little Designer

Growing up, I spent a lot of time with my mom. She has always been my number one best friend. Because of this, we spent a lot of time doing little projects around the house when we would decide that something was just too ugly to look at anymore. My mom and I used behavioral theory without even knowing that it was a thing.  In the house that I grew up in, there were plenty of projects that we took on. The big projects that I can remember were our fireplace, the kitchen, and the garage.

The Fireplace

When we first moved to our house, the living room had this giant vanilla colored brick fireplace that could have been beautiful. We endured the awful color choice for a few years until one day my mom suggested that we paint it a color that was a little less grotesque. We were utilizing control theory by deciding that the color was just not for us, and changing it; we altered the way that the environment was affecting us. We painted the fireplace with sponges to look like a burnt red brick color and it suited us so much better.

The Kitchen

Source

Our kitchen was not any more attractive than the fireplace. It was functional and everything else that it needed to be, but it was just so hard to look at. The floors were old and dirty; it was this gross linoleum flooring that was intended to resemble brick but, it failed. The walls were the same vanilla color, which did not mix well with the light colored wooden cabinets and green counter tops. We did not look at this kitchen long. it was the first thing that we changed about the house. We painted the walls and re-did the counters and flooring. After we were finished, the kitchen seemed to be more our speed.  

The Garage

Photo Take By Me

The garage was probably the most difficult task that we attempted. It was an old dusty garage that was never used because we also had a carport that was right next to it. At this point, my mom had finished cosmetology school; since she had her beauty license, we decided to turn the useless garage space into her salon. We re-did the floors with concrete paint and added paneling paint to the walls. After furnishing the space with the appropriate gear, it was fit for my mom's new business.

Conclusion

My mom and I were utilizing control and behavioral theory before we knew that it was even a thing that existed. We were just trying to make our everyday spaces a little easier to look at. Those memories are some of the most vivid parts of my childhood. They were the moments that shaped who I am today and the relationship that I share with my mom. It was always fun being her little helper.

Nussbaumer, L. L. (2018). Human factors in the built environment. New York, NY: Fairchild Books, An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing.

tokols, D. (1991). Handbook of environmental psychology. Retrieved October 18, 2018, from https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev.ps.29.020178.001345