While still piggybacking on Nancy’s post, I have more to say on the subject. I wrote the first one, went outside to weed the raspberries and to think while moderating activities for two dozen children who each give me about four minutes of help in the garden per week.

Sabrina boiled two tea kettles of hot water to pour on the fire ant hills, organic and cheap. I hope PETA isn’t outraged over our cruelty to these ants that leave pus-filled blisters when they aggressively bite my toes. I could wear shoes but real women garden bare feet. I have a couple of other such beliefs, real women drive stick shift trucks and real women don’t wear garden gloves. As a result I have elderly looking hands, dirty feet but a great truck.

Thinking about the purpose of parenting such tough children, I also came up with the thought that at least the kids who end up in trouble with the law, in an institution or some other program, still they know that they have a family and people who love them. My daughter in the psychiatric hospital, who is doing her best to reject us all, is still glad that she is not a foster kid like so many others who reside there with her. At least I can give her that.

Also we know that we’ve taught our children so many values and lessons, we’ve given them stability that they often turn their backs on, but we did what we should do as parents. Sometimes it seems to take them a very long time to accept or acknowledge our efforts, but so far I’ve found that they eventually do so. I keep repeating that thought aloud in order to encourage those of you who are wondering if you will ever see any fruits of their labors.

I’ve been emphasizing money management here lately. I was reading this article aloud to older kids with paychecks, adding my own two cents about real women and money. My grown kids often can’t get my annoying opinions out of their heads yet I find that to be tangible evidence of my few successes with them.