I'm tending to believe you. My son was a terrible mess. I went to visit his college apartment once and he told me he had cleared a path from the door to the bed for me. He did not lie. There were piles of WSJ (he and his roomies were smart cookies, I guess I should take some solace there) up to my knees, mixed in with the clothes and sports gear./
I realized I had actually turned into my mother when I found myself cleaning their kitchen - and liking it.
My late husband, however, had been in the Army. He used to take the faucets off of the sink to clean under them. He would wake up happy on a Saturday, ready to start the day off cleaning. He did the laundry the whole time we were married because as a young bride, I had once made his underwear pink. I wish he had been around when our son was an older teen; he might have listened to him rather than the 'nagging' mom.
The boy is still something of a mess, but not as bad as he was. I think girlfriends' comments are a mediating factor, whereas mom's words fall on deaf ears.
I think some of them just have to rebel, no matter which parent they are opposing.
Good luck. My son is now 40 and his wife is still trying to get him to clean up after himself! At least now, he is forced to confine the mess to his office and it IS marginally improved from his teenage room.
LMAO! My dear son was going back to NIU after summer break and I sent him some food in a plastic storage container. I said I wanted the container back the next time he came home. Oh, he brought it back alright. Never cleaned it out, just kept it under his bed til he came home. When he did come home I had him put out in the trash. It was awful. Good thing he's married now and has a wife with a stronger stomach. LOL!