Taking Time to Teach

At two years old Nikolas wants to do everything Daddy does.
Today, Tone' started building me raised beds for my very first garden. I am quite excited and so thankful that I have a husband who knows how to build things. Even more exciting for me is watching my husband take the time to teach his young son how to build things also. Tone' commented to me later that he would have been done MUCH earlier, but everytime he drilled a hole and went to put a screw in to drill it in, Nik would say, "I do dat!" and would have to hold the drill himself and try to pull the trigger. Nik had so much fun, though, "helping" daddy and Tone' enjoyed watching his little boy trying to be a man. Often as parents it is SO much easier to just do it ourselves and BY ourselves, but the relationships built during teaching times are so important for our future relationships with them as teenagers and young adults. Also, what Tone' is teaching him will be so important for him as a husband and father and to benefit others with his skills.


I could totally be making this up, but it seems like as each generation has children, they require less and less of them, giving them more and more "free time". While i think free time is great for things like making forts, riding a bicycle or some form of exercising or using their imagination, I don't think it is good for things like watching TV(maybe a little:)) , playing video games or surfing the web. (Again, all things in moderation, as I have enjoyed each of those). As I look back on my own childhood the fondest memories are ones in which my parents were teaching me something or including me in the daily work that went on at the farm.
From as young as I can remember my chores on the farm included gathering the eggs, feeding and watering the chickens, ducks and geese,dusting, helping in the kitchen and mowing the lawn. Those were my everyday or once a week chores. Then there were the seasonal chores such as picking fruits and berries from the orchard, mowing the hay, helping with the garden, plucking chicken feathers, pruning trees and numerous other jobs. Not only did they provide me a hard work ethic, but I have such fond memories of working alongside one of my parents or syblings. Except for the time when John, Kellie and I were picking apples and I stepped on a yellow jacket nest and they started swarming out at us and we all took off down the hill. John, being the oldest, was down in no time without a sting. Kellie, who was around 8, was not too far behind and had one sting, if I remember correctly. Then there was me, the baby at 5, still only halfway down the hill with the bees swarming around me. Enter the hero! Big Brother John came back up the hill into enemy territory to save his little sister and getting stung in the process. He picked me up and carried me into the safety of our home where we stripped our shirts off and yellow jackets flew out. I think i received one sting, but my rescuer received a few more:( Okay, so it is kindof a fun memory now that it is past, not sure if my brother would say so though.
Anyway, that was kindof a rabbit trail.

All this to say: My hope with my children is to instill in them not only a strong work ethic, but some life skills and a strong relationship with us along their way to adulthood.