It isn't just a sink though, is it? It is something that stands out like a sore thumb if it is never cleaned, and makes the whole kitchen look better if it is. Perhaps you are the sort of person who treads mucky boots over a floor someone has just cleaned? It is, after all, ''only a floor, designed to be walked on''.
I find it hard to understand your attitude. Either you do not know stainless steel sinks, or you do and never bother to clean it until it becomes an eyesore. There is nothing compulsive about keeping an hygienic kitchen.
Weigh up the argument from both sides. I have completely lost sympathy for the OP since she posted.
There is no doubt that the OP knew her DM had cleaned the kitchen and the sink because she makes a point of telling us.
She knew also that just running the tap would undo all the work her mother had done. OP admits to doing that, so it was a deliberate act of provocation.
Why would she do that, knowing her DM would be upset - angry. How far did she push her DM before she lost her cool? Why would she want to make her mother angry?
It is like a toddler banging on a saucepan with a spoon to see how long it takes to make SM cross and take the spoon away, or emptying the bin over the clean floor.
If you know what upsets someone, why do it?
Many responses on this thread criticise the mother. It is a pity she retaliated in the end. I would have walked out and said nothing and cleaned the sink when DD had left. This DM was provoked too far, and the question we should be asking is why?
We have gone through all the symptoms of menopause and mental illness and Lord knows what else the mother is guilty of, without considering who the victim is in this situation.
I cannot conceive of a situation where I would provoke anyone like this. It is nasty and vengeful. It is hateful to know what upsets a person and doing it.
Yes, a sink is a sink and is intended to be used to wash up, but in the case of this sink, a DD is using it to hurt her DM and that cannot be right.