Chores

I have a lot of chores that need to be done. Thankfully, my kids are old enough to have a chore list and to independently take care of things. Sometimes its like a competition to get them done, sometimes I hear "oh, man, I have to wash the dishes?!"
There are some things I don't trust them to do though, like the laundry. We have to lug the laundry up to the front office of the R.V. park and use the coin machines. I just don't trust them to do something like that alone, I'm always afraid they'll cram too many clothes in the machine or use too much detergent or something and I'll have to do the laundry all over again. Bah!
My twelve and ten year olds like to cook (with my supervision of course). Always easy stuff for now, though I plan to teach them to make meatloaf and such. Right now it's just open a can or package of something and heat it up. This helps me a lot when I have a down day and I don't have to think too hard. I know that makes me sound lazy, and it may seem as if my kids are at a disadvantage, but I think it's necessary to teach them life skills. If you've never had to deal with depression then you have no idea how hard it is some days just to get out of bed. At least I've taught them what they need to know, all the safety rules and everything, so when things get bad they know what to do. They can always call dad for support if they need it. Luckily things haven't been that bad in quite a while. I'm a fighter, a survivor. I'm determined to beat this thing.
For those of us who have had to be on welfare or can't afford insurance, you know what it's like trying to get help. If you say anything to a doctor they want to put you on medication or have you see a psychiatrist or something that you can't afford. If your on welfare they start giving you those "suspicious" looks and you get paranoid. I've seen what happens to kids whose parents got that look. The state automatically assumes that you can't take care of your kids and butts into your life and makes things horrible for you. The kids are the ones who end up suffering for it.
I refuse to go that route. My kids have a good life, better than most. They have two parents that love them unconditionally, a good home, food, clothes and health care. They have a better life than a lot of kids out there whose parents are addicted to something or are divorced and fighting all the time or etc., etc., etc.
My kids haven't learned how to fend for themselves on their own, they've learned from me. I taught them how to take care of themselves to prepare them for any emergency. They know how to get help when they need it, how to cook and clean up after themselves, how to call dad or ask for help from a neighbor in an emergency and how to call 911. These are things all kids should know. They know that somedays I have a down day, but they also know that if we work together everything will be o.k.
They know that I'm fighting, that I'm not letting depression take over our lives. That gives me hope and makes it easier to swim up from the depths. It makes the days easier to get through and helps me to smile more.
When we're all smiling the chores are easier and the day is beautiful.