A young family

It was a chore day at Chez McD, so I found myself sweeping and dusting and vacuuming whilst Mary did the grocery shopping, etc. Working in the family and dining room, I found my gaze frequently drawn to the neighbors’ backyard. The whole family was out taking advantage of the first non-rain weekend day in some time.

The Dad raked leaves and cleaned up the detritus from a series of storms that have blown through of late. Meanwhile, the Mom played catch with the son and older daughter while the younger daughter alternated between running around aimlessly and scolding our dogs whose barking and tail wagging announced their eagerness to join in the play.

One of the things I really like about this family is that they act like a family. The kids are the focal point of their lives. There are things I don’t understand about them; for example, they are devout Mormons and we are not devout anything. So their whole view of life on earth might be quite different from ours.

That’s okay because we agree on the single basic premise of life in a family – that children should be made to feel they are the whole reason for their parent’s lives. The raising of children is a big deal, which is not to say everyone needs to have children. But if you choose to have children, you have to be all in.

These folks are. And it shows.

Their kids are polite and respectful to adults and each other. And trust me when I say they know how to have fun. They’ll be fine.

Just felt like sharing that.