The List

My father left a legacy, a legacy of working hard and being proud of it. Every summer we could expect a list of jobs or chores awaiting us at the breakfast table. He would use scrap papers and would scribble out jobs that were suitable for our age but also jobs that would actually help around the home. He would also throw in some "funny" jobs, like "play with your sibling for 15 minutes" or "work on YW projects for 15 minutes." They were not "real" jobs in my mind, but they did help us reach goals and build a stronger family. These summer lists also made me feel as if I was a real contributor to the family, and that we were in it together.

Over the very few short year's of Jacob's life, I have told him about this legacy many times and how cool it was to get the list every morning. As he has gotten older, he has started to ask for his own list. I finally obliged him a few days ago. As tradition, I used scrap paper, the back of a receipt, and put it on the kitchen table for Jacob to find in the morning. Some jobs were real easy, other's a bit more difficult, and other's were those "fun" type, but most importantly, I wanted Jacob to feel as if he was a contributor and could be successful.

Here was his list:

• Get dressed by yourself
• Brush teeth
• Pick up your dinosaurs
• Pick up all the sandbox toys
• Eat an apple
• Go swimming
• Eat a Popsicle

Like I said, some of the jobs are a bit funny, but you feel success when being able to mark anything off, and in turn, I am hoping (like it was for me) that he will feel success when being able to mark off the harder items too.

BTW - he finished the entire list, success!