Desiree
Really?
Yesterday was beautiful compared to the intense heat we've had.
It was in the upper 80's - low 90's and there was a breeze.....
practically Autumn in comparison!
It was a good day to get some of the garden beaten into submission....
speaking of beating into submission....I forced three of the children to help me.....
I know, I know
in this day and age, modern parents don't make children do manual labor
they have "people"
cut the grass
clean the house
wash the windows
wash the car
modern children are much too busy
playing a sport
or
spending "quality" time with their friends
they are busy
enriching their minds by playing challenging video games
widening their horizons on Facebook
learning new words through texting
understanding more about the opposite sex through YouTube
brace yourself....I'm not done.....
Good old-fashioned hard work is pointless.....
after all, our parents made us do it
(if they were of a certain generation)
and what did it teach us?
That our kids will have a better childhood than we did and
they will all go to college ( even multiple colleges) so they can get a nice,
high paying job in a nice environment with air conditioning
and no overtime
and two weeks vacation to start
and bonuses that enable them to dress well and have all the
important things they need plus
have enough money to honeymoon in France and then buy a
REALLY big house when they get married (decorated completely top to bottom)
and drive REALLY nice cars
and take REALLY significant vacations
(NOT camping or even in the boring USA)
to islands or Costa Rica with their toddlers so they can give their children a "worldview" of other cultures
from the safety of a 4 star hotel while wearing expensive clothing artfully designed to look like "regular" clothing (holes and all)
and all the while learning from their parents how to be a
REAL and CARING person as they observe them treating "the help" with kindness and politeness
which is MUCH more important to "people like that" than money....
and feeling REALLY good that their children can
ENJOY their lives instead of having to spend
HALF THE DAY Saturday doing manual labor like
mowing the lawn
or washing the car
or weeding flowerbeds
or vacuuming
or cleaning a toilet
which is better left to people who REALLY need a job because in the end we not only want them to REALLY enjoy their life but we also definitely want our children to know we REALLY love them and are very happy to spend a LOT of money on vacations or outings so we can spend "quality" time together... plus helping them to realize that focusing our attention on them and their desires above other commitments is REALLY the most important thing .....
we know they understand we REALLY love them because we make sure they have their own :
TV, iPhone, iPod, iPad, Nook, laptop, bicycle (just for looks mostly), swimming pools, hot tubs, boats to ski and go tubing from, skateboard(s), scooter(s), cars, trucks, 4-wheelers, collections of CD's and DVD's, manicures, pedicures, salon hairstyles, highlights, personal trainers, private (fill in the blank) lessons, cute and trendy tattoos, belly button jewelry, piercings, more name brand clothes than we can fit into drawers or closets,
thereby ensuring they will have REALLY good self-esteem....
and last
but certainly not least.....
a REALLY generous allowance
so they can feel "independent" and learn the
value of money.....
which is to give their children a better life
than you gave them.....
The economy is bad right now
Lots of people out of work.....
the hard-working and the not so hard-working alike....
I'll venture an opinion that the hard-working
have been able to make do better than the not so hard-working.....
maybe because they have more experience with:
(I'm going to use a dirty four letter word here)
.....WORK.....
........as in hot, sweaty, sore back, sore hands,
sore feet, bone tired,
fall into bed and instantly asleep kind of work
This is just my opinion but I think a good work ethic is a REALLY valuable characteristic......
The kind of characteristic we should be worrying more about instilling into our children if we want them to REALLY have good self-esteem and be truly successful and truly happy......
yesterday, flowerbeds were weeded, hydrangeas were pruned, and unhappy children were forced to do "pointless" work
such is life........
at least around here........
Pointless?
Really?