Leaving The Pond

I recently read in, Reader's Digest, a startling fact.  I have 940 Saturdays from birth to college with my child.  9-4-0 THAT IS ALL!!??!!   I'm considering capitalizing on that information, but for now I am thinking about how I might spend those 940 Saturdays.  If Brett has his choice it will be 940 trips fishing, while Chloe prefers 940 picnics.  I guess there will be many fishing picnics in my future.

Due to the crazy economy the Huffington Post reports that "39% of 18-34 year olds have or are moving back in with their parents."  Yes, Parents, that means you might be able to gain a couple of those Saturdays you lost in the office or doing something selfish like a manicure/pedicure!!  Ok, so you are allowed some SS(Selfish Saturdays).  I'm not sure I'm geared up for a revisit once I've cried the tears of sending my child away and turned their room into a "naked room"(if you've seen Failure To Launch this is funny, otherwise you're thinking I'm a total lunatic).

Yesterday I was dragged in to Brett's room to see what the supposed frog poop became.  Baby frogs.  He has this tank(1 of 3) that he places wayward creatures as he examines them and touches them.  He likes to become familiar with all of the animals parts before he returns it to the wild.  The creature always survives, but this time the frog left us babies.  A whole tank full of babies.  She laid her eggs and was relocated to the outdoor pond.  No Saturdays elapsed for her to spend time with her baby frogs.  They swim alone and then they grow appendages and then they become frogs.  Some get eaten, others do not even survive the egg stage, some are handled by little boys who love them to death.

As a momma frog you might have your child living in your habitat again, but you will never know it is your baby frog.  You won't have 940 Saturdays of quality time.  I'm not going to urge you to use your Saturdays wisely, I'm going to urge you to use those Saturdays to teach your child some skills.  Teach them how to save money, how to be frugal, how to do manual labor, how to change a tire, how to do laundry, how to balance a checkbook, how to cook, how to serve other people, how to clean, how to...

Don't be like the momma frog swimming in the same water and not offering any help or advice...teach those children to grow up and be useful and in case they ever move back in they know how to cook, clean, and manage their finances.