Teach Them to Build

I love that quote by Ann Landers.  What a poignant thought and what an incredibly valuable idea.  Teaching our children how to live in a world without us is one of the most important things we can do by far.  Equipping our children to think freely and problem solve on their own is such a gift, and it starts so early.  

I will admit, Bob is far better at this idea than I am.  Yes, I encourage independence, but I don't like mess and experimentation, HE LOVES IT.  Last week I lost 2 wine glasses and a personalized water bottle to a freezing experiment they all did.  I sometimes get caught in the loss.....while he sees the gain.

Amidst a bathroom remodel and leak repair, training for marathons, school, homework, business travel and all that is our life, the other day Lily asked Bob if she could build a small dog house/playhouse (yes a dog is in our future).

While everything in me screamed, "AHHHHH, we cannot add one more thing to the project list right now!"  Bob took Miss Lily to Home Depot, outfitted her with her own tools and a bright orange bucket, purchased as much 2x4s as our Prius would allow and made the time to teach her to build.

And boy.......she LOVES it.  She has a saw and a tape measure and a hammer and a special ruler just for her.  She thinks and problem solves and by golly....she is building her house!

Lily is learning all about labor and how important it is to be thoughtful and smart about how you work.  She is learning that big things take big effort and that Rome wasn't built in a day.  She is learning about process and journey.  She is also learning about tools and safety and understanding purpose.  So much life skill here.

Thank God we have Bob.

As Lily grows up we are seeing more and more likenesses to her Daddy in her.  She has much of my anxiety, perfectionism and drive, but she has her Daddy's thirst for challenge and discovery.  It excites her. 

Lily loves this kind of stuff.  She loves building and finding ways to make her visions possible.  Her passions are really big and while they overwhelm me many days, they excite her Dad.  

Evie is of course project manager and official pencil holder and distributor.  She is not quite big enough to handle the big equipment, but loves to be in the middle of everything asking questions and sharing opinions.  She is learning too and it won't be long before they are creating something together.  

My girls are learning to build.  And with that knowledge they will conquer the world.