As I look back on some of the memorable activities of my childhood, in many ways it’s amazing that I didn’t end up being a salesman. At various times during my elementary school years, I provisioned my red wagon and headed out around our neighborhood selling one thing or another that I thought my neighbors either could use or would be willing to buy. Of course there was the requisite lemonade, but beyond that I tried selling water (an idea ahead of its time) and something called “Wizz Fizz Soda,” an effervescent, cloyingly sweet drink made from a powder that was dispensed on demand from a fake soda fountain. To diversify, I also tried selling worms door to door, until my mother discovered that I was finding them by dislodging the bricks that bordered some of her gardens. I also offered a door to door repair service, tried selling some of my old toys, and, with my best friend Robby, launched a homegrown newspaper we called The Big Times.
Virtually all these ventures failed to provide much money for the telescope I was saving up for, but they all taught me something about responsibility, our Country School value for November. My parents provided only a bit of support with each of these undertakings, and safety wasn’t an issue in those days. Mostly they let me figure out what it took to launch and carry out each venture. I remember some occasions, though, when my father guided me in ensuring that I kept my part of the varied bargains I struck with our neighbors. I also recall there being big but natural consequences for the destruction my worm hunting caused to my mother’s carefully planned gardens. And Robby and I found that meeting the obligation to the subscriptions we had sold was far more involved than we imagined.
While times are now more complex, I sometimes fear we as parents don’t do enough to instill responsibility within our children. It’s important that we provide the basic structure and expectation that our children do something meaningful to help around the home or for others, even though it’s often easier to do things for them. Watching my four year-old reminds me of the pride that little ones take in doing simple jobs independently and well. Kids like to help, and structuring consistent responsibilities that grow as they do allows them to learn how to meet expectations, function independently, plan, make decisions, and practice being conscientious. Meeting responsibilities also fosters self-respect and helps develop respect for others, another Country School value.
Eventually, I did save enough for that telescope. It was the first item I bought for myself after having saved for months, if not years. The feeling of satisfaction that flowed from developing the responsibility to make the purchase possible is at least as memorable for me as the telescope itself.