wdchuck
Addicted to ArboristSite
Building character, muscles, teamwork, and instilling the value of earning in offspring....
The kids did pretty well, for an afterschool 1/2hr, I asked them what the best way to move the wood was, they said;
" trailer and tractor "
"no"
"daddys truck"
"no"
"mommys truck"
"no, mommy is at work, with her 30mpg truck"
"the dumptruck"
"no"
"the orange sled"
"not enough snow"
"the wheelbarrow"
"they are full"....(each child has their own wheelbarrow, rarely used for work)
"the wagon on the backporch"
"oh, so that's where it is, perfect, go get it"
Well, I fetched the wagon, good thing too, it was full of wood from their last haul. Those two kids(g-5.66,b-4.5), working together, loaded, one pulled/one pushed, three loads to the back back porch, unloaded, stacked, and tossed another four loads of oak through the basement window, and took one last full load onto the back porch. Once they warmed their extremities up, it was time to put their summer work gloves on, and they brought in the whole nights worth of wood(cottonwood/poplar) for the fireplace, stacked neatly on the hearth.
Well, I had to award all that hard work with a warm winter dinner, beef roast with sliced potatoes baked crispy on the edge dripping with butter, fresh tomatoes, and a tall glass of water. With the advent of popcorn/movie as the usual treat for a thursday night(moms bible study night), they cleaned their plates, washed faces, bussed the table, belched, and pulled up a chair to the fire like a couple of seasoned hands at the end of the day, my daughter even asked for a toothpick to pry out some stuck roast. Two hours of playing with lincoln logs, not too near the fire, some schoolwork, and storytime, it's been a good, quiet, winter night at the homestead tonight.
Overworked children? doubt it.
Abused children? hardly.
Neglected and unloved? I don't think so.
Appreciation of hard work, and rewards following? eventually, probably not until they are parents themselves though.
How will my grandchildren be raised? by good, loving, respectful parents.....I hope.
Blessings? hard to count that high somedays.
The kids did pretty well, for an afterschool 1/2hr, I asked them what the best way to move the wood was, they said;
" trailer and tractor "
"no"
"daddys truck"
"no"
"mommys truck"
"no, mommy is at work, with her 30mpg truck"
"the dumptruck"
"no"
"the orange sled"
"not enough snow"
"the wheelbarrow"
"they are full"....(each child has their own wheelbarrow, rarely used for work)
"the wagon on the backporch"
"oh, so that's where it is, perfect, go get it"
Well, I fetched the wagon, good thing too, it was full of wood from their last haul. Those two kids(g-5.66,b-4.5), working together, loaded, one pulled/one pushed, three loads to the back back porch, unloaded, stacked, and tossed another four loads of oak through the basement window, and took one last full load onto the back porch. Once they warmed their extremities up, it was time to put their summer work gloves on, and they brought in the whole nights worth of wood(cottonwood/poplar) for the fireplace, stacked neatly on the hearth.
Well, I had to award all that hard work with a warm winter dinner, beef roast with sliced potatoes baked crispy on the edge dripping with butter, fresh tomatoes, and a tall glass of water. With the advent of popcorn/movie as the usual treat for a thursday night(moms bible study night), they cleaned their plates, washed faces, bussed the table, belched, and pulled up a chair to the fire like a couple of seasoned hands at the end of the day, my daughter even asked for a toothpick to pry out some stuck roast. Two hours of playing with lincoln logs, not too near the fire, some schoolwork, and storytime, it's been a good, quiet, winter night at the homestead tonight.
Overworked children? doubt it.
Abused children? hardly.
Neglected and unloved? I don't think so.
Appreciation of hard work, and rewards following? eventually, probably not until they are parents themselves though.
How will my grandchildren be raised? by good, loving, respectful parents.....I hope.
Blessings? hard to count that high somedays.
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