It’s raining today. It’s been raining a lot lately. It was raining especially hard this morning. While at my kitchen sink looking at my flower beds outside, I noticed water pouring down from the gutter water fall style, pulverizing the plants below, and digging pits into the dirt.
I called Josiah, my 13 yr old over to me. I showed him the water pouring out, and explained how that shouldn’t be happening. “Can you go figure out why that’s happening? Josiah dawned his rain gear and went outside. Lizzy, my 11 yr old wanted to go with him. Together they got out the ladder, set it up, and Josiah climbed up to investigate.
In a short while he came back in to explain while Lizzy climbed the ladder to see for herself. “The grate covering the gutter came loose and sank down in there, and there’s a big glob of algae growing on it.” I sent him back out asking him to fix it and letting him know he could wear some plastic gloves if he didn’t want to touch the goo. He assured me he would be fine to reach his hand in there and pull it out without gloves. As he went back outside I marveled at how he is maturing. He has long been one to shudder both at the thought of touching gross things and climbing on ladders. His love for me and his desire to serve has led him to repeatedly overcome these aversions as he realizes that touching gross things and climbing ladders are part of real life.
As he went out, Lizzy came in. She wanted to explain what she saw as well. Her learning process includes the ability and the need to express what she has learned even though I had already heard it from Josiah. We had a repeat conversation, and she went off to get some gloves for both of them. They worked on the gutter for a while, lifting out scum, and refitting the grate covering.
After some time they came in, both completely soaked to explain that they took out the scum and fixed the grate covering, but water was still pouring over the side of the gutter. I explained that the whole gutter should be slightly tipped so that all the water runs to the end and down the spout. Perhaps the whole gutter is coming unattached and has slipped down right there. “See if you can figure out what’s wrong.”
They went back out and worked for a while. Soon they came back in excitedly explaining what had happened. As they both talked at once, they dramatically explained how they discovered that there was a HUGE glob of algae at the end of the gutter blocking off the down spout. Josiah had reached in and pulled it out. GROSS!! It was SOOO HUGE!! They explained the SHWOOOSHSHSH!! the downspout made as all the water came rushing down, as well as the SPLAT!! sound the huge glob made when it hit the ground and how it splashed. It was so exciting they described it two or three times each reliving their success at discovering and fixing the problem. I was full of blessing for their help, including affirmation for the fact that they both governed themselves and appropriately dealt with their soaking coats and boots. When Daddy came home we heard the exciting story a few more times.
I could have told my husband about the problem and he would have fixed it. I could have sent my 18 yr old son out. He would have calmly fixed it without all the excitement and drama. I probably could have fixed it myself. Instead I allowed this circumstance in our real life to be a learning experience for Josiah and Lizzy. I don’t think either of them will ever forget what gutters are for, and how they’re supposed to work. They won’t be allowing a clogged gutter to ruin and rot out a facia board on any of their houses in the future. This one event has prepared them for this little part of real life—not just for fixing gutters—but for the investigation, problem solving and team work they engaged in to accomplish this act of service.
There’s nothing like real life to prepare our children for real life. Are you allowing your lifestyle to produce real life learning?
I love this real life example Barbie! Quite reminiscent of my own children’s real lifestyle of learning in numerous household management situations where problem-solving, trouble-shooting, fixing, and contributing to the real needs of family and household provided opportunity for their education and growth. Kids need to feel they are making a contribution and that they are truly needed. Taking the time to train their participation and team skills pays huge dividends as they become the blessings God intended all along that sons and daughters ought to be.
I loved this post, Barbie!! Thank you for sharing such a great example.
Thank you both for sharing. This is such a precious example and it causes me to examine more closely what areas this is or is not happening in our family. I loved hearing how they worked together and had such joy while learning so much! sweet loving fruit!
I’m missing allowing some of those learning moments. Thanks for your story to help remind me.
This reminds me of when Pierce was young and I would ask him to “rescue” me from spiders. That simple act and others like it served to boost his confidence so greatly and teach him to take care of others. Taking care of spiders at 4 taught him to be a young man that now at 15 takes care of so many needs in our home since my husband began to loose his eyesight. Just a few nights ago I was asleep and suddenly awakened by the sound of hooves pounding outside my bedroom window. There should not be hooves pounding outside my bedroom window! David would not be able to see at all to take care of this situation in the dark. By the time I got out of bed I met Pierce who was already in the hallway. He was out the door in an instant seeing to it that our horses were returned to their field before escaping down the driveway and onto the road. Asking him to get those spiders means that today I do not have to ask him to handle needs that arise in our day to day lives.
Thanks for sharing your story Beth! ~ Barbie