Fun and responsibility

After a good swim on Sunday and a few laps on the bouncing castle, I asked Kendi to carry for me a small bag on our way back to the car.

She was quick to say-Mum I am tired and the whining began, coupled with tears and sudden moods.

What? After all the fun-this is what Mum and Dad get?

So, I told her that she needs to learn both fun and responsibility and she carried that bag to the car-in the midst of her tears?

I am so saddened at what our community has become, children on cell phones all day in the estates, watching movies on laptops and all sorts of things- I guess they have to keep themselves busy, after all, the house helps are doing everything.

Recently, my hubby asked me if I ever got bored when I was growing up.

BORED YOU SAY? WHAT? My life was so full of chores- the word bored never appeared in my vocabulary. The what to do list in my Mums world was always on the overload!

I cooked chapatts, Ugali, Mashed Mukimo – before I hit 8 years. Literally, i could have been married off and taken care of  a family. 

Fun, was catching up on a wheelbarrow with two 20 litres of containers and rushing to look for water with my brother seated on the same, hoping to fill a whole drum of water and sometimes two, need i say that we had to cook dinner after that. 

Fun-was washing my uniform after school, polishing my shoes and ironing my clothes.

Fun – was inculcated in the normal daily chores and no matter how much I wanted to watch He-Man on the black and white  TV, it was impossible.

Fun was going to look for clay and bamboo sticks kilometers away from home, because the art & claft teacher needed us to make pots and flutes the next day in school.

If my mother came into contact with a spider web in the house or some weeds on the compound – she only had one questions for my brother and I. “Do I feed you with carrots?-Then use your eyes wisely!!!!!!!”. Meaning, walk around looking for dirt in the house and pass each other NOT!

I want to be intentional in teaching my kids to be responsible. So when my house help leaves on Saturday, we do the dishes with the girls, we clear up, we clean the car and the like, soon we are starting to clean up the shoes, wash the socks that they run around without caring where they step on and the chores goes on and on.

I only intend to have helps to a certain age. It is going to come at a cost-Mum may not rest as much over the weekends and evenings, but I am willing to sacrifice because my kids must learn to be responsible!