Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys

Our family is at a crossroads.  We're trying to decide where to live.  We can get more house for our money the further out of DC we travel.  But then the commute to work would suck ass.  Or stay close and overpay for a townhouse that we'll most likely grow out of in the near future.  One part of me relishes the thought of never having to mow a lawn.  But the dad part of me worries that James will grow up not learning the basic skill of trying to start an old, gasoline powered push mower in 95 degree heat.  (Learning how to stay calm is the lesson - I know that now.)  And it's very important to me that James learns how to wash a car by hand and change a tire.  These are difficult things to do in an urban setting.

On the subject of James' life, it's important that he gets a job early in his life.  I started working when I was 15 years old and saved up $500 to buy my first car, the 1979 Buick LeSabre.  Then I had to maintain a job to pay for the car insurance and gas.  On top of learning how to be self-sufficient and responsible, the job itself taught me a lot.  I was short order cook in a small-town drive in. Every skill a person needs to succeed in life can be learned in the trenches of a busy restaurant:  Time management, organization, cleanliness, efficiency, and customer service.  When James is ready I will push him toward the food service industry.  Unless he becomes a classical violinist or Olympic bound athlete.

Heck, if we move far enough out of the city maybe we can get a horse!

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