Families Building...Building Families

[jwv]

In a time when "We're building a house" most often means we're picking out carpet and tile and agonizing over what the mortgage payment will be, it's great to see the number of building projects going on in which the whole family is involved. I just looked at the pics from Chateau Prideaux and Mclausen and we've seen many others here who have shared pics of the whole family being involved in the building process.  What a gift we are giving our kids!  To see that they can be responsible for providing their shelter and that houses don't just spring up fully formed from the ground. Even when they aren't exactly thrilled by getting up at 0600 and heading to the job site-there's a lesson in that-if you don't do the job, the job doesn't get done. They may never become "builders" in the strictest sense of the word but they will understand the process.  I could go on but I won't.

My glass  [smiley=beer.gif] is raised to all the families building!

Judy

[Amanda_931]

You're right.

[Miedrn]

Nice observation Creative1. I can only sigh. I hadn't thought of that aspect but how true.

[Chateau Prideaux]

Thanks!  

The long term plan is to live out at the props, build a vineyard, make wine and become an urban refuge/gentleman farmer. I have dreams of my kids helping in the vineyard and learning to care for the fruits of labor.

The first building project we had out there was a workshop/storage shed that my dad and I built while my son was in-utero. He might not have been able to help much then, but he'll catch up in time. I'll post pics and add them to the other post!

I have fond memories of my dad and I fixing up the family farmhouse out in East Texas during summer vacations. I joke that I'm getting my revenge for all the years of 'hard' labor.  

[desdawg]

The members of our younger generation can certainly use to have some work ethic instilled in them. As an employer I see lots of youngsters who really don't want to work very hard but they sure would like a paycheck.  :-/ Teach them well.

[Amanda_931]

Community and neighbors count too.  And people who aren't family.

Just people around.  Friends are good, but....

Gurdjieff was supposed to have kept someone on the payroll in his center in France that everyone who came absolutely loathed--a gardner who didn't think that Gurdjieff was right up there next to God.  When asked why he kept the guy on, Gurdjieff is supposed to have said something about how hard it would be to replace someone to fill all of that guy's niche if he did.

(When I lived in Honolulu, people who did think that Gurdjieff was right up there next to God were some of the people who played the gardner's role in our lives--kept us honest, thinking about ideas separate from the people doing the talking about them)

[jwv]

Yes, Amanda, we have been blessed in all our projects by friends who have been very forthcoming with help and we have helped them in turn.

But I think it's so important for kids to have a meaningful place in the family and to do work that's important.  When you look back at past generations adolescent children of both sexes knew they were important to the success of the family.  I'm not advocating we go back to forced child labor or 6 yr olds sitting at sewing machines for 12 hours a day, but kids need be able to do meaningful, productive work.  

Here's some pics of the "Tall Boy" at work in >100 degree heat.  The other guy (13) is not into the whole building thing but helps when needed and has other important household duties.


Hmmm, I'm not sure why his head is partially cutoff.

Judy

[Amanda_931]

Getting ready to plaster!  How nice!  

I've had lime soaking for a year or even two in some of the barrels.  I'm ready to use it!

[glenn kangiser]

I think not having the kids help is doing them a dis-service.

I worked -sometimes for my uncle for food - later after school for pay and also cutting wood in the woods with a chainsaw - 36" bar after I was 16 -- had my drivers license and sold it for $20 per cord delivered.  I didn't die.

[Sassy]

I agree with having the kids help.  My sons helped with yard work, cleaning the house, cooking etc.  My oldest son was always thinking of some angle to earn money - from the time he was around 9 he collected cans, would got around the neighborhood offering to wash cars, when he got around 12 I let him take the lawn mower & do people's yards.  

Another thing - I always bought everything on sale, food, clothes, etc or went to thrift store - my sons would moan & groan about it & couldn't understand why I wouldn't ever pay full price.  I told them why should I pay someone twice as much for something when I could pay half & then have the other half to spend on stuff.  Now they are always on the lookout for sales  

When I lived in Washington state I had a friend who was a school bus driver, so in the summer she drove the berry buses to take the kids out to the strawberries & raspberry fields.  The kids had a great time, made money for their school clothes & extras.  Then the law was passed that you had to be 12 y/o - the kids were totally up in arms as well as the parents & then the kids didn't have much to do during the summer.  There was really an uproar about it but the law passed.  I didn't think that was abusing kids, it was teaching them a good work ethic & helping them get the things they may not have otherwise been able to afford.

[melwynnd]

I'm afraid we're raising a generation of kids who have no idea how to work.  But as a parent of a 13 year old girl, I also know it's usually easier to do it yourself than to make them.  A lot of people just don't bother.  Then there's the whole being your kid's friend culture.  My daughter has lots of friends but only two parents.

Rachel has worked a lot on our house.  I think it's given her a feeling of accomplishment and will help in ways she can't even imagine later in life.

Sherry