Life's Funny That Way

May 26: Cildren are...

amazingly moldable human beings.  We are all a product of our past experiences and our environment.  I think this is magnified where children are concerned.  As adults we already have an established systems of beliefs and things that have and have not worked for us in the past.  This is less and less true as for children at younger and younger ages.  That being said, I have to relay a story that I experienced the other day at my local Wal-Mart.

I don't think many people would deny that it's easier, sometimes as a parent, to just give in to a child's wishes.  We've got enough on our plates as it is.  But, oftentimes, we all see children that have more than they would ever appreciate and are still asking for more.  In this instance, I had to say something to this father and child in the store - because I have not really seen this in a while.  The father was truly instilling the value of the dollar on the child, and the child was taking it very well.  I know this happens, and I don't write this to offend anyone who does this with their kids.  I just want you to know - if you are one of those parents that still makes your kids work for everything they get - the general public will notice and will acknowledge your efforts!

I was looking at Nintendo DS games.  This father and son came up behind me.

"This is the one you wanted, isn't it?"  He said, pointing at a PSP.

"Yes" was the boy's simple reply.

"Well you know, you do have your birthday money, but you're going to need more than that to buy this."

"I know, Dad."

"You'll have to do a lot of yard work this summer to pay for it."

At this point I believe, in my head, that the father is about to purchase this item for his son and then hope the work will get done over the course of the summer.

"Dad," the young boy asks, "Do you think you have enough work for me to do that I could afford it by the end of summer?"

"I'm sure we can find enough," was the Dad's reply.

It warmed my hear to see this interaction.  I engaged the boy, for a very short time, in what games he would play on his new PSP. He told me, then, that summer was no time for a PSP anyway because there was too much to do outside.  He just really wanted to have one by winter so he had something to do when it was too cold to be outside.  I told his father what an incredible young man he had on his hands.  I almost wanted to give the kid 10 bucks and tell him to put that towards his PSP.. but I knew that wouldn't be acceptable.

It reminded my of my youth.  Yes, my parents paid me too well when I was working toward something I really wanted that and they had the means to simply buy me, but I knew I had to work for it.  Looking back on it, I had to do dishes and fold laundry and rake the yard and haul fire wood for two months in order to "buy" my Dad a hunting dog for Father's Day when I was six (I don't think that really covered the $350 price tag, but that's really what I wanted to get for him, so my Mom made it happen).  When I wanted the biggest, baddest boom box money could buy (I may be dating myself here, but it was super-sweet at the time!), I babysat for my neice for the whole summer before I could afford it... and I still had more money than most kids I knew.  I think it's that kind of thing that builds a stronger kid, and a stronger person.  My older sister babysat me for two entire summers before she could afford the 12-speed bike she wanted.. and, believe me, babysitting me was no easy task!

Children area amazing little people that always have something to teach.  They will teach you to laugh at yourself.  They will teach you to cry at things to which you've become jaded.  More important, they will teach you the value of spending some time teaching, and that dreams are never out of reach.