Irritating Perfection

Just need to do a quick rant to calm myself down before I go about the rest of my day.  Mark and I are in Indiana for the weekend.  So as we are getting ready for Sarah's baby shower this afternoon my mom was getting a salad ready and I was going to help.  Everything was ready to go, all we had to do was to tear up the lettuce and put it in the bowl.  NOT COMPLICATED!

All of the lettuce has been washed and so I sit down at the table and start tearing up the lettuce and putting in a bowl.  "Wait wait wait wait."  Mom says.  "There's a method to this madness" she says.

I look up utterly confused.  Are there lettuce ripping methods I am not aware of.  Quickly I am scolded as if I am 5 and told that I am not doing it correctly.

"What do you mean?  Mom you are making this more complicated then it needs to be.  It is just a salad."
She is stumbling over her words.  "You just can't.....you have to do like....Never mind!  I will just do it myself" she says starting to get worked up.  Now that I am feeling thoroughly attacked and belittled I start to argue again, "You aren't telling me how you want it.  You are making this too complicated"

Dad chirps up from the couch "Megan just leave it alone.  Just let her do it."  -Dad the strong silent type doing just about anything to keep his wife from having a complete meltdown.
I silently leave the table.

Let me just say that I hate perfectionists!  DRIVE ME CRAZY!!  Having a perfectionist for a mother is incredibly difficult as it always tends to leave me feeling like I'm not good enough.  Makes me want to run to my room and lock myself away like a little kid.  The only up side is that my mother can occasionally recognize the crazy in herself and she did just apologize to me.  Not that that makes me feel any better, because honestly is doesn't.  I just don't get the perfectionist way of thinking.  Lettuce has to be torn is a certain way??? REALLY??  It is just beyond ridiculous to me.

Irritating perfection.