Independent Thinkers

Working hard!

I wanted to go to the beach today. I assumed that my children would also like to go to the beach instead of staying at home to do yard work. Their response last night was "No, Crazy Lady we'd rather do yard work and eat pizza at home!" After my intial shock of teens not wanting to go the beach, and a little bit of whining on my part, the children informed me that I should be proud that they are independent thinkers and can make decisions on their own. Really stupid desiicons on their own, but then I was told I wasn't a good judge of decision making because I was crazy.  My husband assumed when the morning came that the kids would agree to go to the beach instead of yard work. Obviously, the picture demonstrates that I'm not the only crazy person in the house because my children opted to stay home.

I woke them up at 730am on a Saturday! I was met with blank stares and then the lovely "GO AWAY CRAZY LADY!" Response that I can only assume all kids greet their mothers with when they are capable of being independent thinkers. Out of their beds, into the car, and off to Lowe's to get yard work supplies. This could of been a nice road trip to the beach, including the normal fighting over the front seat, but no, my little independent thinkers viewed completing yard work in the South Georgia heat as a less crazy decision than taking a car ride to swim in the Atlantic.

It's getting hot out there!

Josie made some more of her natural weed killer to spray around the yard, and I truly think that these independent thinkers thought they'd spray the weed killer, come back inside, and hope I forgot that they opted for yard work INSTEAD of the beach. I appreciate hard working, independent thinkers, emphasis on the hard working part! After five minutes, these little independent thinkers first tried to point out that they were being punished for being independent thinkers and not wanting to go to the beach. The crazy lady that they call Mom, pointed out that they had the freedom to be independent thinkers, when they were independent workers, who paid their own bills. I then went inside to start a load of laundry, because independent thinkers don't usually contemplate where theif clean clothes come from. They worked for about thirty minutes before the true whining, complaining and blaming started. I mentioned the they should be thankful for the breeze, access to shade and as much water as they wanted. With the looks I got, I'm sure my little independent thinkers were not thinking up nice names to call their crazy lady. I spent at least an hour kicking one of the three back outside, and reminding them that independent thinking has consequences, after all their mother wanted to take them to the beach! Elijah asked if yard work was included in child labor laws and the older two told him not to approach that line of argument  (being that the three oldest have on occasion attempted such an agreement and received a multi day history lesson on child labor).

The children have all played/cooled down with the hose (depending on whose independent thinking view point you take about spraying your children and siblings with the hose on a hot day). They have had plenty of water and Gatorade. They even had frozen pizza for lunch. The independent thinkers have completed one bed, of like ten at the house.  My husband thinks that there should be no weeds on our little acre of land when he gets home tonight. After all, he works 12 hours a day in an un-airconditioned wharehouse, and would prefer the independent thinkers not have to do what he does for a living. Of course, I have a PhD and my children think I'm crazy for working in an airconditioned high school and wanting to go to the beach. Hopefully, my little independent thinkers will see today as brilliant parenting when they have kids of their own, but for now it's time for them to go outside and think about the next time their crazy lady mom asks them if they want to go to the beach!