I was raised with very good and wholesome values. My parents were always careful to make sure we were around people who influenced us well and who took the time to encourage us rather than discourage us. Their love for us was evident in their careful monitoring of our childhood and experiences that we enjoyed while children. I remember one summer, we were all practically melting because of the heat. We had begged my father for a swimming pool (that was a bit larger than a take-down model) and we felt that he was getting closer to saying yes. Sooo, after much deliberation, we found out that someone we knew was getting rid of their large swimming pool and they wanted to GIVE it to us. The only thing was that we had to go take it down ourselves. My siblings and I were SO excited!! :)

Dad told us that if we wanted this pool that we would have to put in a bit of elbow grease in order for it to be set up properly. (He and mom were also very firm about my siblings and I wearing modest swimsuits and taking care of the pool once it was assembled.) He hired a backhoe to come in and dig the initial hole for the pool, but we needed to grade the soil and get the rocks out so the surface for the pool floor would be smooth. So, every morning before it got really hot out, we would head out with our shovels and get to work. It was alot of hard work, but again, my parents were adamant about us learning how to work and were good at encouraging a positive work ethic in us .

Oh, how well I remember when that pool was finally set up! My sisters and I put on our bathing suits and waited and waited for the hose to fill the pool...WOW...was it ever cold!! Ha ha! Somehow, swimming in that pool seemed so much sweeter because we knew that we had all pitched in and worked hard in order to have the enjoyment of a refreshing pool for those hot and muggy summer days.

So, making your children WORK for things is not a bad idea at all. You would be amazed at how much better they take care of things if it was their money they spent and their hard work that earned it!