WEEDS

Did you know that we are the only family in all of Huntington Beach that makes their children weed? Shocking. We have a good reason for assigning each of our girls a flower to care for . . . responsibility training.

I lived in a small town in Maryland growing up and my dad rented a plot of land every spring and summer so that we could have fresh fruits and vegetables. We would drive out to the garden 2 or 3 times a week and get dirty. I hated it . . . seriously, I really hated it. I hated pulling weeds, I hated hoeing, I hated planting, I hated harvesting. Nothing about it was fun.

Until I discovered that I could sell the over abundance of vegetables and fruits. People love to buy fresh and know who they are buying from. We actually had several neighbors call regularly about what produce we were picking. One fall my sister and I made $80.00 selling pumpkins alone . . . a lot of money in the '60's.

I learned that hard work and doing things I don't necessarily enjoy is not all bad. It taught me how to be responsible in my every day life and in the community. I found that doing activities with your family can be rewarding.

So girls, roll up your sleeves . . . you have a flower bed to weed.