Tuesday Ten: Ten before 10

Ten things to do with my gents before they're ten

1. Read to them. The lovely ladies enjoy a good read-aloud, but it's not quite the same now that they're older. I love snuggling on the couch with the kids and a book, and listening to my mom read is one of my favorite childhood memories. Watching my kids fall in love with the books I loved...priceless.

2. Teach them good habits. Manners, picking up after themselves, self-respect, care for others. It's just the way we do things. I can't imagine having to learn those things after a decade of being allowed to be self-indulgent.

3. Listen.

4. Teach them to respect me. You know, before they're bigger than I am.

5. Play together.

6. Let them see me reading and learning. Modeling good habits is as important as teaching them.

7. Teach them to....
What do we love? Golf. Hiking. Reading. The garden. Music. It may be that ultimately they don't pursue our interests, but if they do we've got a shared passion that will give us common ground as adults.

8. Explore their interests. Find out what they love. Encourage them. Get involved. Who knows, maybe we'll find something new to enjoy together.

9. Go on vacation. I want to take them somewhere fabulous. I don't know where, but somewhere that they'll say to each other later "Remember when?"

10. Love them. I know, that goes without saying. But it's the best way to make all the other stuff on your own "Ten before 10" list happen.

Ten Things Laura would like to do before Kaylee turns 10.
Dawn actually does fun stuff with her kids, like fishing and camping. She's trying to make the rest of us look bad, sheesh. Read her list here.
Cristy feels like a zombie.
Irie didn't play this week, but you can read all about knitting and look at her lovely pictures.