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Boom,
crackle, hiss, it’s the sound of Independence Day in the United States. Time to
enjoy the July 4th celebration with family and friends. There will
be plenty of parades, picnics and people that weave together lasting memories.
As I prepare
to attend our local Independence Day Parade, a thought occurred to me about how
we prepare our children to become independent. Perhaps an Independence Day
celebration would be appropriate as a child transitions into adulthood. This is
still a work in progress with my teens.
I told my teen
son more than once to get his chores done. After much prodding, my son dragged
himself from the bedroom to the kitchen, where his task awaited. He stood
motionless for a moment then talked into his phone. I heard him say, “Siri, how
can I get out of doing chores?”
I shook my
head as my son chuckled at Siri’s answers. When he showed me some of the
responses, I said, “You know that’s going to be a blog post, right?”
As a result
of this episode with my son, I did a Google search of my own about excuses kids
give for not doing their chores. Below are a few things from a list I discovered
from the online list as well as a few of my own.
1. I need to eat first.
2. I didn’t know you wanted me to do
that right away.
3. I just remembered a homework
assignment that I have to finish.
4. I had a long day at school.
5. You don’t understand how tired I am
from football practice.
6. I need to relax for a while first.
All of these
ideas stimulated a discussion about the significance of doing chores and how
this can help later in life. It wasn’t easy for my son to see the big picture,
but I think he understood a few points
When things
finally click and my teens mature into adult hood, rockets will blast,
fireworks will pop and bursts of color will explode…if only in my mind.
What have
been your Independence Day experiences related to your children?
Happy
Independence Day!
