As published in Macon Community News.
Since the first Labor Day in the 1880s, times have changed. Manual labor is not as much a part of our culture anymore. Even the word labor is not looked at the same as it used to be. I mean, when was the last time you heard someone use the word labor in a sentence when referring to any work other than childbirth?
With the word ‘labor’ being so far removed from our everyday common vocabulary, I often wonder if there is a correlation to the decline of our nation’s pride in what good labor is. Throughout history and literature, there are numerous quotes about the labor or your hands, the fruits of hard labor, etc. For me, they conjure up a feeling of pride and confidence in a job well done. It is possible that many of these quotes are no longer relevant or meaningful to families today who do not have a frame of reference for the use of the word labor. This seems like a great loss to me, in a time when a home life at warp speed. It makes it almost impossible to instill the joy of a job well done and pride in a completed chore in the days of our families.
We are a family of six and no one, not even the youngest at 4, is exempt from participating in how our home runs. In fact, Little Bit started helping out with her own responsibilities a long time ago, just as her three older siblings did. I am not talking about the typical “make them take care of their own things” that I believe most parents do. I tend to be a little more into their work than that. I believe that our children are capable of much more, and can learn to be proud of their labor if given the chance… much younger than we expect!
In our home the word “chores” does not really come up often. I have nothing against it, we just do not tend to use it. To me it does not convey the ownership that I want my children to feel for their part in keeping our home running. We are a team. Together. Instead we use the word “responsibilities”, because that is what they are and I am trusting my children to see them as that. Their responsibilities are important to all of us. Little Bit feeds the dog. She brings laundry down from her room to the laundry room. She loads and unloads the dryer. She has been doing this for a year since her big brother, Ruckus, graduated from the job and moved on to helping with other things.
Work is an important part of our day as adults and a job well done feels amazing, doesn’t it? Also, knowing that others are depending on us in a train of tasks that may span across several people helps us be aware that we are contributing to something bigger than ourselves in the workplace. Our children can learn this, too.
For example, dishes are an all hands on deck job for us. We make it very clear that there is a progression that needs to happen for things in the kitchen to keep rolling and if someone is not on top of their step, things come to a halt. Yep, that means Mama can’t cook if there aren’t any dishes for me to cook with. So I don’t. Little Bit unloads silverware, Ruckus and The Brainiac unload the other dishes, Big Sister loads, Papi does the hand-washing and Mama does the cooking. Sometimes the kids see my husband and I switching our jobs, because it may fit our day better. So, they will come together and talk about switching things up amongst them. We let them be responsible for that and make it clear that they have to get the work done, because if one step stops everything up that last step cannot happen properly. And that step of Mama cooking? They like the results of that one. They prefer that I keep cooking deliciousness.
As parents, each of us has daily opportunities to teach our children. We don’t have to make them happen. We can work them into life together. Laboring together. It does not always require hours of time on Pinterest or walking the aisles of a craft store. Make it simple! Give them the gift of work, and active participation in living out your days together in a job well done!
