Working together as a family

When I was a kid, my brother and I got hired to mow Dave and Donna Smith's lawn.  They provided the lawn mower and gas and, most times, Dave helped us pull the cord to start the mower because we were so little (and weak).  My dad also helped out on occasion because we needed a ride to their house.  One fall season, we were asked to rake the fallen leaves. So, we rallied our parents and sisters and raked a billion leaves.

We got our payment in an envelope accompanied by a refrigerator magnet that said, "the family that rakes together, aches together."  We had it on our fridge for many years.  It was actually pretty reflective of our family overall.  We did a lot of work together.  

Starting things out on a dairy farm, everyone had something to do.  Then it became sports with parents on youth boards - soccer, baseball, wrestling, etc.  We striped fields, mowed lines, set-up mats, hauled mats, and we did most of it together as a family.

Now, with kids of my own, I try to replicate some of those formative times that I had.  Times that I believe forged a strong work ethic.  Kind of like developing a grinder mentality.  So we do as much work together as we can.  We mow lawns, clean up around Victory, build things and tear them down, etc.  

Today, we went to our rental property and cleaned, mowed and painted.  All together.  And it was pretty dang fun.  We talked about life, learned basic life skills, cleaned up messes, fixed things, and just hung out together.  I actually felt like a pretty decent parent today.