He Will Thank Me Later

He really will.

My son, Will, cut our front yard yesterday for the first time. It’s a big deal. I’m very particular about the front yard. The 3/4 acre in back, not so much.

So when he came inside after he finished, or thought he was finished, I wasn’t being hard on him when I made him put his shoes back on and redo some spots he missed. And after he finished for the second time, I still wasn’t nitpicking and being a jerk when I made him come back outside again to get it right.

I was teaching him lessons that one day he’ll thank me for.

When he’s promoted faster than his coworkers because he takes pride in his work product and doesn’t need a lot of supervision to be great. Or even better, when his own business is wildly successful because he learned to enjoy the fruits of his labor by doing and delivering an outstanding product or service.

These are the things I explained to him as we sat on the front porch yesterday evening taking pleasure in the work he did. I explained that as he begins to take pride in his work instead of just thinking of it as a chore, he’ll develop a discerning eye and I won’t need to point out the spots he missed. Like the two tall sprigs by the driveway.

But one day he will thank me.