What My Big Kids Did This Summer

They each got their own library card and became responsible for their own accounts. Such excellent training in due dates, fines, and talking to adults to get information about their accounts and check out books.  When you forget your library card, you can't check out the movie!  When you return an empty movie case to the library, you have to remember to get the movie out of the player at home and bring it back!  

I looked for these kinds of learning opportunities with money, too.  Both Genevieve and Ben looked after pets and plants for various neighbors on vacation for some cash.  I could see them deciding to commit to something and learning to stick with it after the charm of someone else's house wore off. 

 

Every day except Sunday, Genevieve and Ben have chores.  In the morning, I write up a chore list and it lays around until every item is crossed off.  I want them to do their chores in the morning and definitely before any fun activities (this is a great motivator if something fun is scheduled for the day!).  On Fridays, they dust and vacuum the downstairs and steps.  On Saturdays, they clean the bathroom.  Every day they need to practice piano and when there is a basket of clean laundry in their room, they need to fold and put away their laundry.  Monday through Thursday, I assign chores based on what work needs to be done around the house.  This could be various cleaning jobs not covered by Friday and Saturday's house cleaning, or outside jobs such as sweeping sidewalks and mowing grass.  Phoebe's care is not part of the chore list, by the way.

 New this summer, they also take turns washing the supper dishes.  Now they understand firsthand why I always made them clean their plates - the food scraps must go in their mouths or the compost buckets because they are not welcome in the dishwashing sink!  My husband and I have been training them to see the smears and bits of food on poorly washed dishes.  I had to work with Ben to hold his hands and the dishes down in the basin - he tended to hold the dishes in front of his chest with rivers of dishwater on his arms and the cabinets.  They had to learn how to stack the dishdrainer so the dishes could drain.

They also went to camps this summer.  Ben loves overnight camp at a Church of the Brethren camp with family history.  Genevieve tried overnight camp last summer and prefers day camps.  She did a survival camp in our local park, as well as a book-making camp at a local museum.  They loved these opportunities for meeting new people, learning new skills and jokes, and getting out of chores for a week!

This post has been invaluable reflection for me as a parent, to realize how Genevieve and Ben have matured and how much I have enjoyed watching them develop.  I'm so proud of them!