The Grass Will Grow Again!

You see that lawn? No, I don't pay a professional lawn mower service. I would have fired them by now! But I do pay my sons to do it. And I don't really mind jagged edges, or a missed strip of grass, or a razed corner where the mower got too close. The grass will always grow again!

But it's a great opportunity to teach kids work and excellence. My boys have been mowing since they were 11 (and Camille will get her chance too, why not?). Too late some might say...too young might say others. Either way, that's when they started and I must confess the first few times, it was nowhere close to being up to par.  With time, some coaching, and practice, the boys have gotten very good! Except, today I asked one of them to use the edger for the first time. It's not a big machine but its a real gas edger that requires some practice. Well, practice was today...and it shows too! Those edges look like the edges of a can opened with a swiss army knife. And I'll have to sharpen my edger blades! But it's all good. It's all part of an investment in young men learning how to do real work, hard work, work they can be proud of.

I know full well that when they are going through the experience, like today, they can't see the end. Some times they can't even see the point. I remember my own youth. We worked hard, real hard (that might be another post). That's one of the blessings my father gave me (though some times I didn't fully appreciate it). That's one of the blessings I'm trying to leave for my children. I'll even invent work if I have to (my mother did!). I'll even let my boys do funny things to my lawn, because the grass will always grow again. But my children, my children will only grow once.