It's the middle of summer. The excitement of being home with nothing to do is starting to wear off. One particular day recently, my son (and his neighborhood friends) were lounging, long arms and legs draped over the chair, exuding that "I'm bored" look. All I wanted to do was lay in the hammock and read, and I knew I had to get him and his little friends busy or they would be pestering me like mosquitoes every other page. 
I know there are a couple of you who may point out that my son's exposed toes are in grave danger, but actually, the boys were surprisingly careful. (And I was hovering, offering safety tips and taking pictures...so much for relaxing in the hammock.)
They chipped away at that stump for at least an hour. My ever-entreprenuial son said, "Do you think we could get $2 for this?" I said the salary would be commensurate with their performance. An hour later, wiping sweat, he said, "I think we should get at LEAST $20!" 
This is not a project that will be finished in a day....or a week...or maybe not even this summer. But I really don't care about getting rid of the stump. The boys have eagerly taken this challenge on. They swing their ax and proudly show their strength. They are careful and considerate to be safe with each other and show their capacity to work together and protect others. Plus...they're just having so DARN MUCH FUN! Over the past few days they have randomly chipped, pounded, and poked at it. They have discovered bugs and bug eggs. They have embedded firecrackers and blown little bits off at a time. They have talked about setting it on fire. (OK, I do have my limits)
But if an old stump can give my boy a chance to hone his man skills AND have fun at the same time...who am I to cut him off at the knees (oh yeah...pun definitely intended!)
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