Slavery, Etc.

Well, miss two days and miss the end of one month and the beginning of another. And what an ending, too! Alisha’s birthday. She’s getting pretty ancient by now, something like 28 years old. Time sure does fly.

Other than that, Saturday was a day of laundry. The boys did get to fold and put away their clothes as they were getting washed and dried so all that is currently on the couch is a basket of towels. I can deal with that. I can also deal with the laundry that is left.

What I have a hard time with is Joseph telling me that the weekend is for playing and having fun and therefore they shouldn’t have to do any work. Are you kidding me? Does this mean that there are so many people out there who work all day, go home and do all of the housework after work that they don’t have to do any on the weekend and just play on Saturday and Sunday? Or, maybe they hire someone to keep their houses clean? This isn’t just a playing-on-the-weekend problem; it’s a children-don’t-have-to-do-anything—ever problem. I know this because Amena, Cedric, Seth and Joseph have all come home from school and said in some variation or another, “So-and-so doesn’t have to do any work; so-and-so just goes to school and has to do his/her homework. If they do any chores, they get paid for it.” Well, I’m not so-and-so’s mother and I happen to believe that children who are not taught to do things for themselves will be at a huge disadvantage later. I think they are in some degree even now. There is a whole lot more to learning how to live than school and sports.

What I have a hard time with is Seth saying, after I’ve told the boys they are going to fold and put away their clothes, “This is slavery!” Really? Well, according to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, we find slavery defined as follows:

slavery

1. drudgery, toil

2. submission to a dominating influence

3. a. the state of a person who is a chattel of another

    b. the practice of slaveholding

Honestly, I find this definition to be quite interesting. Why, you ask? Let me tell you. I am pretty sure that when Seth said that folding and putting away his own clothes was slavery he had the third definition in mind: “The state of a person who is chattel of another or the practice of slaveholding.” This is certainly not true. However, had he been thinking of either of the first definitions, he would have been correct. Folding and putting away clothes is drudgery but not, I think, toil (yes, I am aware that you could argue this point but generally I think of drudgery as a chore that needs to be done that is rather boring and dull and I don’t want to do but that isn’t hard work; toil I think of as something along the lines of drudgery but harder, more exacting). His folding and putting away of clothes is a form of “submission to a dominating influence”: his parents.

Also of interest is that much of what I do I would consider drudgery: cleaning house, cooking most of the time, laundry. Some things might even be classified as toil such as clearing weeds from the garden. And then there is the “submission to a dominating influence.”  I live with that every day. My children are taught at school that some things are not acceptable to society. Cedric has told me, “That’s child abuse,” and I have no doubt that if I were to beat the crap out of him for his smart mouth (which he does not exhibit at school) and he were to tell someone at school, that someone would be knocking on my door within the day. Our children are spoiled rotten and are not expected to do anything. Our society is quickly losing everything that made it great.

Do I believe in child labor? No, of course not. But I do believe that children need to be taught respect and the value of work. Unfortunately, our society has no respect and does not value work.

Other than that, Paul started building a wall for the end of the barn which is an interesting project. At the end of the day, he managed to step wrong and fell and got a pretty good owie on his right arm and his left (I think) leg. The biggest problem with his leg is that he landed right where it was broken and that hurt.

I made some rhubarb popsicles with yogurt and applesauce. Then I made some rhubarb coffee cake. I think I was going to do something else with rhubarb but didn’t get that far. I did make a couple of gallons of ice-cream base but didn’t freeze any. I need to do that today.

Yesterday was, of course, Sunday. It was the day of getting all forms for Girl’s Camp together and done. And it didn’t get done. Mostly, yes. Completely, no. The interesting thing is that during presidency meeting, we were talking about needing a Camp Director because it’s just ridiculous getting all of this stuff done and doing everything else as well. What happens during Sacrament Meeting? Kris Goguen is called as the Camp Director. I asked for her three months ago. Three months! When I mentioned this to her, she said they approached her three months ago and said they had a calling in mind for her but then she never heard anything more about it. Then recently she asked about it and then action was taken. I could have used her three months ago—it would have been heavenly! However, better late than never, right?

In other news, Jessica Adams is staying with us during June. She arrived a couple of days early but that’s okay. It’s always interesting having someone extra around.

Today we are losing two of the kittens: the boys. That is sad. I looked in the crate this morning and they were all piled up together as usual. Poor little guys! We’re going to miss them. However, I do realize that they just grow up and we cannot have five cats prowling around (although it might be nice). I am consoled by the fact that they are both going to good homes where they will be much loved and taken good care of. In spite of the fact that I know that’s the way it works, I still want to cry. How ridiculous is that? Actually, I don’t think it is ridiculous. I know that Kitty is going to miss them and I know what it is like to miss a child. Anyway, Cedric and Amena both extracted promises from me to take pictures of them with Kitty and the girls before they go. Honestly, I think it is good for children to learn the lessons that can only be by having animals.

Other than that I’m not sure what exactly is going to happen so you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to hear about it.

Have a wonderful day!