Back when I was a kid...

Scene:

Our house.

Last night.

One frustrated momma, one tired eight-year-old.

~~~

Momma (M): pleasant voice "Ryan, please take your backpack in the house and do your homework."

Ryan (R): (slamming sliding door on van...takes quite a bit of force) tired, whiny, loud voice "Why do I have to do that?!"

M: "Ryan, go into the house and sit on the couch. I need to talk with you."

~~Enter house (place of peace and contentment)~~

M: still calm "Ryan, why did you react that way when I asked you do to your homework?

You know that it's due tomorrow and that it has to be done."

R: calmer "You're always asking me to do stuff. I have so much work to do!"

M: maybe a tad bit sarcastic "Oh? And what all do you have to do?"

R: "You make me bring my dirty clothes down everyday and strip my bed when

the sheets need to be washed."

M: silence...is there more?...can that be all? "What else do I make you do?"

R: "That's a lot!"

M: anger starting to perculate...nope...it's boiling

"Ryan, do you realize how much work me and your uncles had to do when we were kids?

eye roll from eight-year-old...yep...it's boiling

"When we were kids, we had to get up in the morning, go outside and chase down

four stinky contankerouse goats. Then, we had to milk them. Then, if there were baby calves, we had to feed them. We had to make sure all of the animals were fed and watered. This was all before school! After school, in the winters, we'd come home to a freezing cold house. Do you know why? Because we only had wood heat. We had to push the wheelbarrow...remember the one that you could barely push last week?...to the woodshed, fill it up, push it back to the house, carry in the wood and light the fire. Then, we had to do all of the outside chores like take care of the animals. Then, we had homework. We also all helped in the house with the household chores. Weekends were spent working in the fields and in the yard. We mowed the lawns, weeded the fields and the garden, worked in the orchards and in the apple cellar, picked up whole fields of potatoes by hand!!! Can you imagine doing that? You have nothing to complain about! Your chore list just grew, buddy!"

R: "Yeah, but I'd have to have a bigger allowance."

M: so close to his face that he could probably see each individual skin cell

"WE NEVER GOT AN ALLOWANCE!!!"

R: "Mom, you just don't know what it's like being a kid."

M: what?!?! "I used to be a kid!"

R: "But you don't know what it's like being a boy! It's harder!"

exit Mom stage left...deep breaths...think calming thoughts

we'll discuss this more later

~~~

~~~

So, I finally did it.

I think that it's a rule you have to be at least 70 before you can use it, but I used the phrase "Back when I was a kid..."

Never thought I would.

I've always had this issue with raising the kids in town. There's almost no work for them to do. We all worked hard when we were kids and thoroughly detested it then. (Jon and Matt much more than Max and I since they were older). However, I'm sure that all of us agree that we are much better adults for it. Ryan does quite a bit of things in the house...taking the garbage out, helping to clear the table, unload the dishwasher, put away laundry, pick up after himself, help in the yard, etc. But, there's not many jobs around the house that take more than a few minutes. It's not that I necessarity want him out picking up potatoes, but a little sweating never hurt anyone! I'm so glad that we live near enough to the farm to spend quite a bit of time there this summer working. Hope that's o.k., Mom and Dad!

And thanks, Mom and Dad, for teaching us how to work.

~~~

Disclaimer: Mom just called and asked that I add a disclaimer on this post.

Yes, Mom, we did have fun when we were kids and we didn't work all of the time.

Speaking for myself, I enjoyed my childhood.

You and Dad did a wonderful job.

I honestly thank you for teaching us how to work.

Is that better, Mom?