3-28-11 9:56 pm Child Services

A few days off work and I'm back to walking. Today we walked and walked. To the coffee shop. To the nursery. To the dry cleaners. I only did some of it. Anne went to the cleaners for me, all on her own. It's only three blocks away, and I still asked her to call me when she arrived, and again before leaving. That way I'd know if something's taking too long. She's happy to make all those calls if it means she can go by herself. Remembering to walk, in a driving world, requires forethought. And it helps if you're willing to take a few risks. In the end, I needed help. A trip to Gateway Feed & Seed was in order. We needed fence-post toppers, and landscape fabric, a wheel-barrow, and pins to hold down the fabric. Walking seemed only partly viable. How could we walk six blocks and bring home all those purchases? The wheelbarrow. So we walked. The sun shone, Anne seemed cheerful, and we soaked in the fresh air. All was well. Gateway had almost everything we needed, except the critical item: a wheelbarrow. Having walked all that way we shopped anyway. They had everything else on our list, plus a few seed packets, a new hoe and a new hand-held tiller. I wondered to myself, as I paid at the register, could we possibly get it all home? Yes, we could however the weight, the awkwardly shaped items, and the fact that I had a child in tow required a more moderate approach. We'd carry home what we could, and then come back with the car for the rest. Risk number 1: leaving the rest of our purchases at the store until we could come back and get them later. Risk 2 came later, after we got home. And so leaving home to return to the store, after just arriving, seemed anathema to me. I just couldn't make myself get in that car. Besides, Harold had arrived for lunch while we were gone, and he'd just begun to eat. It was time for family, lonely purchases waiting for me at Gateway be damned. The hour together provided plenty of time to ponder their passage to our abode. And then it came to me: the wagon! Anne could wheel her Radio Flyer wagon back to Gateway after lunch, get the rest of our items. It was big enough. Still, she'd be on her own, and this was the 2nd risk. She loved the idea! She delved into the task, made quick work of it, and was back with the rest of our things in no time. This asking for help has its rewards. Of course her assistance gave me time for other tasks, and yet there's more. Her having been able to step in, actually lend a hand all on her own, gave her a visible feeling of pride. I now wonder two things: 1 - Who out there is ready to call child services? After all, I did send my unaccompanied 11 year-old on a six-block errand with a wagon in tow. 2 - How many opportunities like this one go untapped, are left ignored, because we fail to put our kids to work? We forget to use feet. We forget to include them, with all their capabilities, in our planning. The look of pride, self-satisfaction, and joy on Anne's face when she left, and even more so when she returned, was priceless. She built character when I put her to work. In this world of convenience and instant gratification, we need more character-building experiences like that. Anne's ability to step up to the task renewed a little faith for me. Kids now-a-days can do things on their own, and they will if we give them the chance.