With a little (lotta) help from my son

Did you know that for two days after using underused muscles they feel sore?

It's true!

I carried out my own experiment this past weekend. Besides the usual lawn mowing and edging, it was time to clear the fence line in the back yard. Doing this prevents young saplings from growing into trees and knocking over the fence. We also prune branches overhanging the yard. When we finish, we have a clear path from four to six feet wide around the fence line.

The photo shows us a brush hog. If I had a brush hog, I wouldn't be sore right now. And I would've had about four to six extra hours for the weekend.

But I also wouldn't have had some quality working time with Gabe. He joined me and did quite a bit of the work. He used the pruning shears to remove small trees, and the hedge trimmers to take out vines and weeds. I worked the rakes, the shovel, and moved a pile of bricks that I casually tossed over the fence about two years ago. Now they're stacked behind the shed. When Gabe needed help with the loppers (pruning shears) I stepped in.

This was the first time that he stuck it out with me. In years past, he would hang out for 15 minutes, do a few things (some I had to redo,) and then head inside never to be seen again. I was skeptical about this weekend, but I kept that to myself. He worked as hard as I did.

When we were done--and he was willing to keep going--he helped me clean up the tools and put them back in the shed. He even said midway through the effort, "The job's not done until the tools are put away."

The kids are growing up. I'm definitely feeling older (at least this morning.) But I'm smiling.

Tell us about a time when you're kids magically showed their budding maturity in the comments or by email.

Happy Birthday, Lacie.