She came into the room saying, “I’m packed and ready to go to boat!”
Jayme and Daniel went on a cruise to celebrate their anniversary and asked me to babysit Gracie (13) and Addie (3) at their home in New Orleans.
I thought I could do it. I hoped I could do it. I’d never kept them by myself, driven in New Orleans, and taken them to their activities before. I did it!!
We had a wonderful time! Even though I did take the wrong exit and wound up going over the wrong bridge once.
After Jayme and Daniel returned home, everyone greeted them, and things were getting settled; I was sitting in the living room relaxing for a minute with a cup of tea.
Here comes Addie. She is dragging a shiny metallic and purple backpack. “I got all my stuff packed, Nonnie!”
“Where are you going, Addie,” I asked,”to Nonnie and Poppy’s house?”
“No,” she said looking up at me while trying to figure out how to get the back pack straps on her shoulders. “I’m going to the boat! To Mexico!”
We got her back pack adjusted, on her back and she disappeared into the back of the house.
Here she comes again, This time she has another bag; stuffed to the gills. “I need help, Nonnie, to zip. It’s my work.”
I helped her get her back (full of toys, books, crayons, and legos) zipped up. She went over to her little white table and chair set up in the living room and began to unload.
She put her backpack on the floor. She arranged her “work bag” on her table and began to unpack different things. Suddenly she was very busy doing her work.
When Jayme and Daniel go on trips with the children, they take their computers and their work with them. They can do work at home or on the road because their jobs are online and can be done most anywhere. Addie knew that Mama and Daddy took “work” with them, and she was imitating them. On her own imaginary trip on a cruise boat to Mexico (where Mama and Daddy went) she was being sure she brought her work and did it!
I was very impressed.
We teach our children, and others, so much as we instruct and tell them things; but we also teach in a profound way through our actions and habits.
Our society is in a fix right now, in one way, because the labor pool has shrunken due to people not wanting to work. Restaurants and stores are having to close, or take days of closure, due to not having staff to keep things running and open. Businesses where people are working are often frustrated, overworked, and apologize, “We are short handed, but we will get to you as soon as we can.”
Did you ever think you would see people choosing not to work and take care of their families in America?
Titus 2:7 instructs us: “In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness.” We need to set good spiritual examples, but also good examples as citizens and members of our society and community.
We may need to “work” at it!
