When The Hubs and I first started talking about having children, we had all these ideals about what we thought parenting would be like. Some were fantastical, some completely unrealistic (which we didn't realize until AFTER The Monk), and some we have actually seen come to fruition. One of the ideas that have kept a hold of is the type of person we wanted our son to become. That has been one of the biggest drives in our parenting - we always think about what sort of man we want our son to be. Now, not all of this is us - that I will admit. The Monk seems to have been gifted with a heart of gold upon his birth. He is kind, generous, and thinks of others. Ok, maybe some of that is us. Maybe some of it is how we've been raising him as a Buddhist. But I can't help but think that a good portion of it is his natural good humor. Even as a baby, he hardly cried and seemed to laugh and smile often. He rarely is in a bad mood, and even pouting fits and temper tantrums are short lived. Anyway, I digress.
Like I was saying, The Hubs and I have strived to make sure that The Monk grows up to be able to take care of himself, eventually (I'm not pushing him to grow up anytime soon and I could slow time down a bit, I totally would). We want him to have the sense that hard work pays off and that, as part of family, he is also part of a team where we all work together to keep our home neat and tidy. So, (and I totally know that this is going to sound like bragging), our 7 year old knows how to vacuum the floor. He knows how to fold and put away his own laundry. He can chop veggies, make a cake, shovel the sidewalk, rake the leaves, clean a chicken coop, put away dishes, and load a washing machine.
Now, I'm not claiming to be mother of the year and 9 times out of 10 there is a lot of grumbling and complaining while said chores are getting done (minus the raking and the shoveling. He seems to like doing those things all on his own). But, those chores DO get done. And in the long run, I know that he'll be a better man one day because of it. And I'd like to think that it is all because The Hubs and I parent with the end in mind.
Like I was saying, The Hubs and I have strived to make sure that The Monk grows up to be able to take care of himself, eventually (I'm not pushing him to grow up anytime soon and I could slow time down a bit, I totally would). We want him to have the sense that hard work pays off and that, as part of family, he is also part of a team where we all work together to keep our home neat and tidy. So, (and I totally know that this is going to sound like bragging), our 7 year old knows how to vacuum the floor. He knows how to fold and put away his own laundry. He can chop veggies, make a cake, shovel the sidewalk, rake the leaves, clean a chicken coop, put away dishes, and load a washing machine.
Now, I'm not claiming to be mother of the year and 9 times out of 10 there is a lot of grumbling and complaining while said chores are getting done (minus the raking and the shoveling. He seems to like doing those things all on his own). But, those chores DO get done. And in the long run, I know that he'll be a better man one day because of it. And I'd like to think that it is all because The Hubs and I parent with the end in mind.