The First Job Win

My first job was a paper route when I was 12 and it was only for one summer. Folding the papers and delivering them wasn't too bad, but having to collect the payments from the people I delivered to was horrible. Excruciating at times. Most people on my route were nice about it, whether they had the money to pay me then or not. But there were those who were just downright mean at times. Ridiculing me because they said I threw their paper in the bushes or barely on their driveway. 

A few years later when I hit 15 and a half, my true first job enfolded. I applied for and was hired to work in the produce department of a local grocery store. While my boss was a jerk most of the time, one of my co-workers warmed up to me and became a good work friend. It didn't start that way, but thankfully it ended that way throughout the three years I worked there. I had no idea what I was doing at first, but over that first summer between training and just doing the job, I learned fast. I worked a split shift -- from 6 am in the morning to 10 am, and then I'd come back at 3 pm and close the produce department at 7 pm. It was tough to get up that early, but I did it, and by the end of the second summer working there, I had enough for a down payment on my first car.

And now it's time to live that all over again with our own kids. Our oldest, Beatrice, had volunteered the past two years as a junior leader at a summer day camp for Parks and Recreation. This year was her opportunity to apply to be a paid camp counselor -- and she got the job! She was one of the best junior leaders they had the past two years, so her experience definitely paid off for her. 

She's completed her week of paid training and next is the actual camp. She'll be working about 30+ hours per week, which is a lot when you haven't worked before. Both her and her sister Bryce earn their allowance each week for the chores they do, but that's maybe a couple of hours per week, if that. 

This is different than doing weekly chores for an allowance. Real paying jobs always are. Beatrice is going to be one tired teen by the end of the summer wrangling all those campers every day, but she loves the work, and she also knows that she'll be saving some "bank". She's already making a list of what she may want to buy at the end of the summer. Not a car like I bought when I was 16 (with a co-signed loan from my mom and dad), because she's not ready to drive yet anyway. It'll be fun for her to decide either way. 

And she'll be saving money, too. We want her to contribute to her mutual funds account we set up for her and contribute to -- get her in the habit of saving (something that my wife Amy and I didn't do enough of when we were their age!). The same with Bryce (both have their own account), although Bryce doesn't have a real job yet. Bryce is picking up extra chores for more money, though, which helps for spending and saving. 

It's the first job win for Bea and we couldn't be prouder. I keep telling her she's going to have to buy us all dinner at the end of the summer, but all I get is a big "no". That's all right. At least she'll be saving, too. 

Our Best Future Prevention Offensive

When I dropped her off at leadership camp, and she gave me a thumbs up at the building door before she went in, I was so proud. She'd been nervous for days and my wife Amy helped prep her of what to expect by having her read through the provided camp materials ahead of time. We both gave her advice on how to be herself around others, the possible icebreakers they may do on day one. No matter how much she knows, the new unknown is stressful for her (just like it was for me at her age).  

Day one came and went and Beatrice our oldest at 13 did just fine, getting to know the other students and her teachers throughout the rest of the week. This leadership camp was to prep her to become junior leader for a summer day camp where she'll be working with kids 7 and 8 years old. Part of her prep training was mandated reporter training, to be able to recognize and report child abuse. There were specific examples and statistics she'd never seen before.

This was eye-opening for her, to learn what happens to some kids growing up. Of course, she's grown up practicing Kidpower as a family and all the emotional, psychological, and physical safety skills it teaches. But that was more hypothetical situations, what happens if. Because both our children are only now becoming more aware of the world around them, they have more specific questions for us as to why people do horrific things to others. 

Beatrice and the other leadership students also had active shooter training. This year alone there have been over 250 mass shootings, and we're not quite halfway through the year. When I wrote about Bryce's 5th grade graduation just a few weeks earlier, there were just over 210. This is a devastating reality for Americans today and our children specifically. 

Of course we don't want our kids (or us) to live in fear everyday in this country, but it is important now more than ever to keep them (and us) educated about personal safety skills. In a polarized world of divisive social and political issues, of ongoing misogyny and patriarchy inciting mostly young boys and men to violence, we are a tinderbox full of deadly fireworks always aflame. 

Which is one reason why I wanted to watch the January 6 committee primetime hearing at dinner with my family. I watched it happened live in 2021 and am still haunted by all the hate and the ultimate coordinated goal of a fascist overthrow. When the committee hearing showed how the day played out on video, how it escalated when the mob attacked the U.S. Capitol police and then the Capitol itself, our children were mortified and wanted to know how this could happen in America. 

That was a tough one for me. The good news is that we've helped our children understand that in America people have the 1st amendment right to speak their minds. We've helped them to understand the differences between the peaceful protests that we've been a part of as a family, and those that spiral into chaos and violence. We've also helped them to understand the differences between truth and lies, inclusion and oppression, empowerment and control. 

No matter our own biases that may get in the way of helping our children understand the world, the burden is still on us to keep our children educated and safe, to support their individuality and continuous growth, and to encourage them to be fair and compassionate people. Beatrice going to leadership camp to work with younger children is definitely a plus. From child abuse, to intimate partner violence, to gun violence, to hate-filled insurrections, our children are our best future prevention offensive. 

The Morning Work

She howled and cried. All because of a little math. To be fair, she was in the middle of playing one of her favorite online games on Roblox. And to be fair to us, we were only asking for 20 minutes of math. And 20 minutes of reading. And 20 minutes of writing. With a dash of science and art here and there, all for what we call the morning work. 

This kind of visceral response doesn't happen every day thankfully. Sometimes it's Bryce our youngest who reacts this way. Sometimes it's our oldest Beatrice. School has been out now for a few weeks, but the summer schoolwork continues. And for the most part, they dive in and do it and have a little fun along the way.

I can't say I don't blame them. At least, sometimes. I mean, they still have plenty of free time to play every day, however restricted due to safety concerns and coronavirus. When my wife Amy and I grew up, there seemed to be a lot more summertime freedom for us. No electronics or video games, just hot summer days and nights, maybe swimming in a pool, lake or ocean if we were lucky, maybe a snow cone or an ice cream along the way. Running around or riding our bikes with our friends from dawn to dusk. 

I remember going to summer school, at least until Proposition 13 was passed in 1978, and that ended the fun funded summer learning way back when. I also remember going to bible summer day camp way back then, but that went south the day I was scared to death to ask to go to the bathroom and ended up peeing my pants while attempting to glue together an Adam and Eve felt project.

So many mixed summer memories from my childhood. Not all bad, but still, compared to some of what we experienced, this pandemic summer life for our girls is pretty safe and boring. Amen to that. 

Even though our summer vacation plans went awry the middle of March when the lockdowns started, we're still fortunate to have employment, food on the table and a roof over our heads; we're doing okay. Either way, the summer schoolwork we continue for our girls isn't anything new. We've been doing that the past few years, at home and on any vacation we take. We just want the girls to keep up on some basics, especially Bea, who needs and has benefited from more one-on-one time with us. 

Plus, there's our P.E. (physical education) time outside at least once day, going to a park, riding our bikes, going for walks, adopting tadpoles and releasing frogs, going to the beach to boogie board, and other fun physical activities. And now this includes social distancing playdates with some of their friends, or as much distance as kids understand, which isn't much. Wash your hands!

That's been emotionally and psychologically important, seeing and playing with their friends when they can. Both girls play Minecraft as well with some mutual friends, and as far as I'm concerned, that's their D&D of my youth, building realms and adventuring across them. Super duper cool. 

Because America gets such a poor grade overall in mitigating the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), and too many people won't wear their masks in public and social distance, and because I have a somewhat compromised respiratory system, the kinds of travel we're willing to do is limited right now. We're so grateful of the past travel we've been able to do with the girls, and there will be future travel, but it still sucks where the world is at today. We've also thought about in-person summer day camps for the girls, some that have actually opened up, but the risks are just too high with the recent spikes in coronavirus cases. 

The summer agreement we have with our children then, which we negotiated with them in order to make them a part of this ongoing homeschool mandate, to have them take ownership of their "fun" learning, is that they have to do at least one hour of work each day during the week. Twenty minutes each (give or take) of reading, writing and math. This also includes science and art and other fun learning projects like math puzzles, making slime, gardening, painting, construction and more. It also includes putting together projects that have been sitting in our closet for years like a fun planetarium that maps the stars in a dark room, or playing cool logic games like Labyrinth, which Amy actually found in someone's free yard giveaway. Plus, there are tons of online learning activities we'll continue to explore.

Once the summer is over, Amy and I and millions of other parents will most likely need to continue homeschooling our kids through distance learning, balancing our lives and livelihoods. Whatever does happen next, the morning work sets up the day for play, and we wouldn't want it any other way. 

Other "Days of Coronavirus" posts:

We Shared Blue Genes

Agree to Disintegration

The Teacher Parade

All These Things Can Lead To Grace

Our Freedom Is Always Welcome

A Well of Strength

This Bad History

No Shirts, No Shoes, No Problem

The Iceberg Underneath

The Healing Hope We Can Give

Donate Your Date Nights and Help Feed Families

About All The Things

Dad, Our Family's Computer Guy

The Newest Normal

Where Our Troubles Are All The Same

This Is The Life

When There's Nowhere to Go

Jenny, Jenny, Who Can I Turn To

He Said Cornhole

I never said it wasn't fun. I just asked why it was such a competitive sport. Especially after a recent work trip where, while sitting at the bar eating after a long flight, I witnessed a bean bag toss tournament being broadcast on ESPN, a major cable sports channel.

And had no idea it was called cornhole [snort and laughter] -- complete with the American Cornhole Association and the American Cornhole Organization and the American Cornhole League.

Wow. It's bean bag toss. A game you play at family parties, children's carnivals or to keep your kids busy at breweries while you're tasting beer. I had no idea that the modern game of cornhole, known more commonly as bean bags or just bags in the Chicago area, was likely spread after an article on how to make the boards was published in Popular Mechanics magazine in September 1974. The game spread in Chicago, Illinois, and the Northwest region of Indiana in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Again, I never said it wasn't fun. It is. And it's competitive as well, like many fun family games can be. It reminds me of growing up playing horseshoes with my grandfather and how much I got into the game. He taught me how to toss in a way that ensured the closest landing to the post. And then of course there's the sweet ringing sound of the ringer. It's the same metaphorical sound with bean bag toss when you hit one of the open holds. 

Right on.

But I have to fast forward, because the game of bean bag toss (i.e., cornhole) wasn't the point of why it even came up in conversation in the first place between me and my wife, Amy. She was researching possible day and weekly camps for both our girls for the summer and reading off options to our youngest, Bryce. Our oldest, Beatrice, was at a friend's house for a sleepover. 

Every camp offering Amy read out loud to Bryce she said no to, except for the theater camp. The girls have been in multiple after-school theater productions and have had a lot of fun doing them. In their latest production, Charlotte's Web, Beatrice played the role of Charlotte and Bryce played multiple roles including the sheep and a baby spider. 

Camps ain't cheap, though, especially when looking at weekly rates. Figuring out the most best bang for our buck, and for the children's time and infotainment, isn't easy. We're balancing our work schedules and budget with the kids' summer vacation and all that time off when they're home. Many parents struggle with this every summer, and yet not all parents have the means to send their kids to even a day camp. We do, but again picking these most cost-effective, learning-effective, engaging and fun camps for our kids is overwhelming to say the least. 

And then we were back to reading the local summer camp catalogue, when Amy came across pickleball (which is also apparently quite big as a competitive sport): 

"What is pickleball? Nobody plays pickleball," said Amy.

"I have no idea. Did you know that bean bag toss is a competitive sport?" I said.

She didn't respond.

"No, really. It's actually called cornhole, or cornholing," I said.

[laughter then a snort]

"That's what it's called."

[more laughter and a snort]

"What is this, Beavis and Butt-Head?"

[snort and laughter]

For those who've never watched the old MTV Beavis and Butt-Head, a highly inappropriate cartoon for kids featuring two teenage boys who like to rock out and who laugh at anything that sounds sexual. Anything and everything. Kind of like my teenage years. Or, wait, that was my friends' teenage years, not mine. 

Right? Right.

Which is why it was so funny to me when we were talking the endless summer camp iterations and costs and I said cornhole and Amy burst into tittered snorting laughter. 

He said cornhole. [snort and laughter]

Cornhole camp it is then!

Where did your kids go to camp this summer?

It's a pleasure working for someone with such business acumen and insight. My boss's last three posts alone on our HRmarketer Blog attest to that, along with building a successful marketing and PR software and services firm at Fisher Vista, LLC.

I was a psych major in college; everything I learned about business I learned the hard way – on the job making mistakes and somehow persevering with minimal crying (sounds like a cheesy business book out there somewhere).

Years ago helping to run a business was as foreign to me as having children – just not part of the plan. When I was a child, maximizing the summers with fun was the way to go. I never even went to camp (we were po' folk). When I was a teenager it was still all about fun, but the work ethic started because the end game then was my first (muscle) car – '72 El Camino. Miss that car.

For many of you with children, the school year has most likely started by now. Did your kids go to any camps this year? Did your teenagers have a job, even in this messy economy, saving money for their first car, computer, iPhone and/or other gadget? Did they do any community volunteer work?

A few weeks ago I read an article in the San Jose Mercury News (the Silicon Valley newspaper, you know) about business summer camp. Yes, business summer camp. Maybe not a surprise to some of you, but I had no idea. I'm stuck in the world of Meatballs.

The business camp I read about is called Camp BizSmart (I'm sure there are many of these across the U.S.). On their home page they write:

Ever wondered how Apple created the iPod or YouTube started an online video revolution? Do you have ideas that could one day become the next Netflix or Wii?

Heck yeah.

For two weeks, students will:

1. Work on real inventions with Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and CEOs

2. Present a business plan to investors onsite at Microsoft

3. Make a 30-second video pitch at Cisco's TV studio

4. Talk to customers around the world using state-of-the-art, virtual meeting technology

5. Win prizes for inventions and innovativeness

Very cool. There was also a local UCSC camp for developing role-playing games. I never would've even imagined going to these types of camps. I mean, I remember hanging out, sitting on my butt, watching MTV play the same 10 videos over and over again back in the day, in between my summer job and football practice. (And MTV has grown up and grown into quite a lucrative business.)

So on the eve of Mama A and I having our first child, I'm happy to hear there are "fun" business, leadership and technical skill development options out there for kids. We do need to be making these types of educational investments in our children – America's bright future in a glowing global economy.

Oh, and they can still play, too. Playing is good.