Don't tell us you're BORED

My parents always amazed me at how busy they kept us when we were both children and even when we reached our teenage years. I never had many moments in which I said "I am so bored" as I always had something to do or somewhere to go. They made sure of this.

I learned how to do household chores from a very early age. Scrubbing the bathroom, vacuuming my room and the rest of the house, cooking, and general cleaning. Then when I reached the age of about 12 my dad bought horses. Now if you're not sure what all having horses involves let me tell you. They were bathed once a week, stalls cleaned twice a day, fed and watered twice a day, and we also rode them at least once a day. It also meant since we had horses and showed them on a regular basis throughout the summer months that we had saddles and bridles to clean, the silver on them to clean and keep clean, our show clothes to wash and iron, chaps to take care of and numerous other horsey associated cleaning to do. It was also my responsibility to hand wash our pick up truck and 4 horse horse trailer each week. That is if I actually wanted and had time to take the truck out on Friday nights I had to keep it clean.

I was also a cheerleader for 9 years and this alone kept me busy and hopping. What with practice, ballgames and all the activities and events from this. Gymnastics, baton twirling, and so many ways to keep busy I honestly don't' remember them all. So it was very very rare I ever said "I'm bored". I remember once and only once actually voicing this to my mother and when I did this she immediately gave me a busy hand chore. Which meant washing all the kitchen cabinets with a bucket of spic and span water and towel drying each one afterwards.

So when my own children were born this same ritual continued on. There wasn't to many times although definitely more than one that my children said they were bored. If they made this simple mistake they got the busy hand chores pawned off on them.

Trucker and I try our best to find things to keep Rug Rat 1 and Rug Rat 2 occupied and busy, so as not to develop the "I am so bored" words that do come out of their mouths on occasion. But with those two kids it is really hard to find something for them to do. Since I work in the home I keep the majority of the housework done and Princess helps as well. We also do not have horses and really wish we lived where we could have them and teach the children the meaning of "responsibility" in their care of them. I have taught both of the Rug Rats how to vacuum and some minor household things that they can do and will be doing from now on. At one time both rug rats were involved in soccer, which only happens during certain months and this leaves all the other months empty. But we are catching the hang of this "bored" notion.

On Sunday Rug Rat 2 made the mistake of telling Trucker he was bored. Not once, not twice but three times that morning we heard this. Each time we gave him something minor to do. Each time he complained that he wasn't getting paid for this. Needless to say this burned our behinds to hear this comment from a 8 year old. Upon the third time Trucker got this gleam in his eyes and said "Well boy put your tennis shoes on and your long pants and come outside with me". Rug Rat 2 got excited and started jumping up and down. He thought they were going fishing. Muhawha........................Instead Trucker took him straight out the back door and to the push mower. You should have seen the look on Rug Rat 2's face. It was priceless and it was shocking to him to think he had to do something so horrible as mow a yard, to work to not be bored. "Daddy it's to hot to do this" he said more than once.

He mastered the fine art of pushing a mower and done a very good job. One in which he now has the privilege of doing each and every weekend for the remainder of the summer months.

I don't think he will ever tell us how bored he is again.