Spring Thing

I was talking to someone the other day and he asked me "what you had been up to"?  I replied "we  have been doing our Spring Thing".  Cleaning up all the fall and winter debris. I went on to explain that  our corner property has a lengthy grass section that butts up to the streets, which requires a lot of raking.  He says, "I see your son out there raking the other day,  "I didn't think kids did that anymore".

When I was a kid, I don't recall ever enjoying all that yard work.  I had that teen mentality, always dragging my feet, shoulders slumped, head down, mumbling.  It was if I was on my way to the electric chair.  Today, the role is reversed, now I am the dad that drags his reluctant son outside to do some yard work.  My approach is different than my father's.  I gather a couple of bow rakes, leaf rakes, shovel, broom and the wheelbarrow.  I explain to my son the difference between the bow and the leaf rakes followed by a demonstration.  Next, I show him how to rake as a team, then how to do rake by himself.  I could see that he suddenly realized what was coming.  My son was going to have to take ownership of this chore and it was  to be his spring break project.

I came home from work the other day and glanced at the lawn as I pulled into the driveway.  Not bad, I thought.  My son seemed eager for me to critique his work.  I told him "job well done", you get an A+.  Maybe part of his success is that I am a teacher, the other part is that he is a good kid as most are.  All  kids need today is a little guidance and some praise.  Kids will work, if you show them how.

Bloggers Note:  Nothing new regarding local politics or events.  I am preparing a post about the Riverwalk project, which may raise some eyebrows.  Other than that, just plugging along doing our Spring Thing.  For my video fans, I am working on a project for a couple of musicians.  Here is a sneak peek: