The other day, I was talking to a good friend and the conversation really hit home. We were talking about how our kids need to understand that school is something that they should care a lot about and work at not just nonchalantly attend. My two older kids are giving me a run for my money. I only say that because they are growing up right before my eyes and I’m kinda freaking out about it. They are both amazing. But my frame of mind is definitely being forced to adapt for older kids.
On Monday, we had a Family Home Evening lesson {which is a fancy name for “family discussion or family time”} about having a JOB. I wanted my kids to understand that Mom and Dad both have JOBS, and although they have maybe never thought about it before, they have JOBS too.
A Kid’s JOB is SCHOOL. They are expected to go to their job every day just like Dad and Mom.
They are expected to wear certain clothing to their job, to obey certain rules at their job, to be respectful, to work hard, to be on time, and to have a good attitude just like Mom and Dad are expected to do these things at their jobs too.
We explained that their job is to go to school! It’s practice for a real job someday. It’s life’s way of preparing them for responsibilities in the future. It’s not just for fun. School is incredibly important.
Here are some of the questions of discussion that we chatted about:
Do you have a dress code at school? Does Dad’s boss expect him to wear something specific at work?
What are some rules you are expected to obey at school? What are some rules that Mom and Dad are expected to obey in their JOB?
Can you just sleep in and not go to work? What happens if you do that? What would happen to Mom and Dad if they did this?
What are some rewards you get from working hard while you are at school? What are some rewards Mom and Dad get from working hard at their jobs?
Do Mom and Dad have homework from their jobs?
What are some consequences you can expect if you don’t work hard at your JOB?
What do you want to be when you grow up? Do you think that will earn enough money for your family? {Then we discussed the differences in salaries between bloggers, chefs, doctors, business men, and more} Just for fun I will share what my kids said:
Oaklyn 14 years old said: Blogger
Londyn 9 years old said: Blogger
Connelly 13 years old said: {Chef}
and Creed six years old said: {I’m not sure yet}.
We talked a lot about why blogging isn’t something that is an instant success, and how they need to have a passion for something first. We wanted the kids to understand that making this decision isn’t something to be taken lightly. But, the conversation was fun and light. It wasn’t stressful or full of pressure either. Sidenote: Connelly is my child who will not eat ANYTHING so the fact that he wants to be a chef was somewhat hilarious. But I kept that to myself of course. I didn’t want to squash his dreams by my nonverbal reaction. It gave me some hope that maybe someday he will eat something that is healthy for him.
The kids seemed to enjoy talking about their futures. We discussed items that they hoped they would have someday {like a nice house for example}. We wanted our kids to dream big, but we also wanted them to realize that these types of things aren’t going to fall into their laps.
Lastly, we discussed “sick days” because similarly, if you stay home from school, you still have homework to makeup. You can’t just expect your homework to go away just because you are home that day. So, in order to not get behind, we only stay home if we are truly sick.
I think it was a successful family night. The kids had a blast chatting about things, and I’ve already noticed the older two taking extra care on assignments that they normally wouldn’t have before. I call that a parenting success!
Hope you have a great weekend!
xoxo
Brooke