Enjoying His Childhood

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Our boy Matt is 14 and recently I broached him about the subject of working somewhere during the summer. "I ain't working," he responded.

Of course I hit him with the old, "When I was your age, I did hard labor on a farm."

"I don't drive," he said. "How am I supposed to get to a farm?"

"I road my bike," I said. "I'd get up at the crack of dawn and ride my bike, and then work 10 hours before pedaling home."

"Up a hill through driving snow," my wife added.

"There aren't any farms around here," Matt said. "Besides, why don't you want me to enjoy my childhood?"

And so, we have the quote of the year. My new favorite phrase is, "Hey, Matt, I know you're enjoying your childhood, but the dogs water dishes are empty."

He'll groan, set the video controller down, and run to the dish, fill it, and get back to the game.

Now, I don't have any complaints. His grades are great, and he plays every sport known to man. He's respectful to others, and helps around the house if I beg him, but what happened to the good old-fashioned work ethic?

"Don't you want a few coins in your pocket?" I asked.

"Why?" He asked. "You guys get me what I need."

So, there you have it. I tried. Besides, my main goal for my children is that they walk out of here knowing that they don't have anything left over from their childhood to blame any mental problems on, and you know what I'm talking about here. There are psychiatrists offices full of people across the land who lie on the couch and say, "My father did this, or my mother did that."

In this instance, Matt might be right. He should enjoy his childhood. Besides, it's still real dark out, and I'm writing this blog prior to heading out for a long day of work. I can't say I'm looking forward to busting my ass again for the 30,000th consecutive day, but hey, at least I'm not riding my bike through a snowstorm.

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