Becoming Useful

I'm trying to entrust Sam and Caroline with more responsibility this summer.

Wait, here's another way to word this: I'm trying to make them work more this summer.

Hmmm. Wouldn't it be nice, too, if I could get them so proficient at a few jobs that I could monetize them in future summers? You know, hire them out. Wait, strike that. Let's get them to be so proficient they can earn money in future summers. There we go.

Sam recently expressed an interest in someday working for Chick-Fil-A. I actually think that could work well for him. He's got the polite and friendly thing under control.

Caroline, meanwhile, has said that she aims to be a lifeguard someday. She's observant enough. Probably needs to do more swimming now, though, to have the stamina and skills for that training. It would be nice to have her work at Whites Road Pool given the short commute.

So, maybe Google isn't omniscient. I can't imagine a more difficult way to walk to that park than to do what they're suggesting.

But, while we wait for them to age into those lines of work, let's get them gardening.

Caroline weeded this garden. The leaves from the tomatoes are so thick one could think she's hiding in there.

Caroline actually volunteered to weed the garden, which surprised me. She picked it clean, leaving only one impossible to reach cluster for me to get to.

Sam, meanwhile, is part of the Chris Johnson apprenticeship program for lawn care. Each time I mow, he comes out with me and gets trusted to do a little bit more. First week, safety orientation. Second week, one row. And so on. Yesterday, he mowed our neighbor's back lawn (with my supervision) as well as the patch of our patch called "Sam's strip."

One important task, though, I'm putting them to involves dishwasher emptying. I decided that I'm not doing that this summer. The two of them are good at it, though sometimes they return items to illogical spots.

Next week I begin a new painting project and they'll end up getting dragged into that. It's time to re-do the upstairs hallway and steps, and we must do so before the arrival of the new carpet.

Speaking of which, there's carpet in the basement now. Readers of this blog haven't had a chance to see that finished project yet. Next post.