We sure are enjoying having the kids home from school for the summer. We’re one month into summer break and the kids have adjusted to staying up later at night, enjoying the nice weather in the evenings, and sleeping in most days. Anna, our early riser, has hit a growth spurt and often sleeps in later too.
Every summer I think through some life skills the kids need to learn and then focus on a few over break. When I asked the kids what they wanted to learn this summer, James replied “Nothing” and Anna said she’d like to learn to cook and bake more.
So, I promptly picked something for James – learning to do his own laundry – and informed him of this fun new skill he was going to learn. Even though he wasn’t thrilled about it, he hasn’t complained and has successfully learned to handle his own laundry. And, the amount of clothes I’m washing every week has dramatically decreased. A win all around!
About a week after showing James the details in the laundry room I noticed one day he was wearing sweat pants. James NEVER wears pants. It was kind of a cool day so I asked him if he was cold. He replied, “No, I’m out of shorts. Have to do some laundry today.” Perfect. That’s the best way to learn – to run out of clothes. Showing your kids how to do their own laundry felt like a bit of a milestone and I stored the memory away.
I’m proud of James and the amazing young man he is. Lately, he’s been playing drums quite a bit and is taking drum lessons again for the summer. He has recently researched new drum heads, sticks, and cymbals for his set. He created a spreadsheet of everything he wants and needs and several prices for each from various vendors. One of his favorite things to do is to play along to songs. In the following video he is playing along to a Skillet song, and the second is just a cool drum beat.
Anna jumped right in with learning more in the kitchen. So far she’s made chocolate chip cookies and banana bread (with chocolate chips) all on her own. I was standing next to her, answering questions but she did everything herself. She’s also mostly made spaghetti, but we decided she needs a little more height and strength to deal with a boiling pot of pasta water.
After Anna made cookies on her own I asked her a few questions about her new skill.
