TIME FOR FAMILY - Spring Cleaning

It’s a rewarding experience for parents to see their children learn the value of work. When our girls were little we found it was possible to teach them how to sort and fold their own laundry. Bundling their socks together was a challenge for their little hands but they came up with some unique ways to get them to stay together.

I remember the year my family moved to Quebec. I was starting Grade 7 and our mother began working full time as a waitress at CFB Valcartier. My sister and I were given most of the responsibility for helping keep our home tidy and organized.

Diane and I would make most of the meals, wash and dry all of the dishes, and on Saturday we had the laundry and vacuuming to do. We weren’t allowed to play outside until all the work was done. At least, that’s how I remember it.

I used to resent the fact that my brothers got off pretty much Scot free. All they had to do was help put the garbage out to the curb once a week and there were three of them to do it! So I had to chuckle when each of them joined the military. All of a sudden they had to learn how to iron their uniforms, polish their boots and keep their rooms clean.

When we asked our parents to buy us a large tent for camping they suggested we raise the money ourselves. Behind our home was a large field that served as the parking lot for the local racetrack. After the weekend races we would bring along some old potato sacks to fill with all the empty beer and pop bottles. The bleachers were littered with them. It didn’t take long to have enough money to buy a new tent.

Over the years we have encouraged our children to help pick up some of the litter around town. And every year we have lots of winter litter that blows into our yard. For years I have been concerned about construction litter and now it looks like the town is putting some real teeth into their tidiness bylaw. I look forward to cleaner fields in town.

Jami was helping with her schoolyard clean-up just recently and even though she was wearing gloves she still got a small cut from a piece of broken brown glass. Unfortunately school grounds and playing areas are a constant dumping ground for litter.

It’s only natural to hear little children ask their parents “Why do people drop their garbage like this?” And “Who will clean up the mess if we don’t?” We have used moments like these to encourage our girls to never be a litterbug themselves.

We should teach our children that every family and business in town has a responsibility to help make Beaumont become a more beautiful place to live, work and play.