Talking on kids.

When my kids were about five years old I stopped buying them toys. They had plenty and I just didn’t see the point of buying they something every time we went to the store because it was shiny and new. One should learn to appreciate what they have. Accept that desire, and wants should have limits. This doesn’t mean my kids have gone with out. They haven’t. They just had to work for it. At five there were simple things like helping pick up, or doing an educational lesson to earn a toy.

Now my kids are ten and eleven. I want them to grow up with a work ethic. Life isn’t free to me so I don’t think it should be free to them. My son rides motocross. There is the fuel for the bike and truck. The maintenance on the bike. The cost of the gear. The price to get into the motocross park. My daughter has a social life, dance and she is into electronics. Every thing costs money. Needless to say it isn’t cheep, and I have to work to pay for it. I think they should to.

I decided the other day that I shouldn’t have to clean house anymore, or at the very least not have to do all of it. Now I’m not a super clean freak so their best effort will be enough. Their chores include sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, cleaning the bathrooms, picking up their stuff in the living room, and putting away their laundry. These chores earn them the right to play on the weekend. I don’t often harass them about their rooms, but ask that they take dirty dishes down stairs and clean it on occasion. Any other chores they do can earn the money to spend and I’m pretty generous if they have done their best.

Summer is upon us and lists have been made both for chores and homeschool. Yes, they get home schooled in the summer. A teacher told me once that kids fall back three months over summer break. I would like to deter that and maybe advance them a bit, so getting school work done is mandatory above all else.

It is just my belief that since I brought these children into the world I should make every attempt to teach them morals, ethic and values. I should make sure that they are educated, so they can function at a higher level. They should know how to cook, clean and be able to sustain their life. They should have a sense of duty and responsibility. They should be mentally, and emotionally stable. Very important, they should be able to handle and communicate in any given situation.

My kids play on an average of two to three hours a day after school. They go to bed by eight because studies show that a well rested kid makes better grades, reasons and rationalizes situations better, has a better attitude, and is more likely to be well adjusted to society. I believe this. There are no alarm clocks in my house. Once or twice a year they oversleep. We are late for school, but they have had their rest and that’s important. Waking up naturally means the brain and body have finished all functions and the body is ready to take on the tasks for the day.

As a parent I have chance to make an impression everyday. Time is fleeting.