David’s Cash for Grass Project

The kids all wanted desks to use for doing homework so they don’t have to do homework on the floor. I don’t know where this comes from because when I was their age I had a desk, but I hated strenuous activities like sitting upright and always did my homework on the floor. Also there was usually too much stuff on my desk to use it for studying.

What does this have to do with the yard, you may ask. Well, we went to IKEA and bought desks. There was some assembly required. I made a deal. I would assemble the desks today, if the kids would go out and clean up all the leaves in the yard, now that the leaves are finally done falling. With all three kids working, I figured it to be a fifteen or twenty minute job. Not a bad deal.

I turns out that kids only like doing yardwork when they don’t have to. And if they don’t like it, it takes much longer. Calvin suffered in courageous silence, and finished his section first, in about an hour. Sabrina methodically worked her section, around the edges first, then spiraling towards the middle and finishing about a half hour after Calvin. Rose came in sobbing thirty minutes after that, overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task before her. She had picked up three leaves so far.

After a brief conversation and  a snack, I sent her back out. Another hour or so later, she finished (or close enough, I judged). The yard is free of leaves and looking pretty nice for being only 3/4 complete, and the kids have desks.