Ironing & Sewing, Oh Yes

As a parent, I frequently fight the urge to rescue my children. It is like a first response that must be squelched. In particular, we are working to have the boys fix their own predicaments.

Like what you ask?

Youngest Son - Ironing
Youngest Son chose to stuff his good slacks on the back of his closet shelf (after he had been shown how to hang them up.) Thus, after 30 minutes of frantic searching, his wrinkled (very wrinkled ) pants were found and it was two hours before a wedding. The only solution was to iron the pants - not me but him - so Youngest Son got his first lesson in ironing. He ironed both his pants and his long-sleeve dress shirt. Youngest Son accepted his "consequence" with good humor and was actually curious as to how it all worked. And he did an excellent job.

The iron I have had for over 20 years.

Oldest Son - Sewing
We have a blow-up scarecrow that has been in our front yard every October for many years. Oldest Son was in charge of setting up Mr. Scarecrow last night. Oldest Son chose to stuff the blower device into a zippered hole that was clearly too small thus the zipper busted (instead of asking for help or slowing down to think about the best approach.) Mr. Scarecrow cannot hold air with his zipper broken. One solution is to sew the up the hole so air does not escape - not me but him. It took me a few minutes to show Oldest Son where the sewing kit was located, how to thread a needle and how to make stitches. His first few stitches resulted in a jumbled nest of thread so he started again. Oldest Son worked diligently through the entire Presidential Debate. And WOW! His stitches are beautiful. We may have found a hidden talent!

Those white stitches are truly impressive!

Life Lessons?

• We ALL make mistakes. Be solution focused and execute your own fix.
• In our throw away culture, there is value to repairing items.

Life Skills?

• Due to time or lack of funds, you may need to iron your own clothes. Be prepared.
• The need to sew on a button or mend a tear will occur many, many times. Be prepared.
• No your wife or girlfriend or housekeeper or whoever should not have to do this for you ...