If you have known me, or read my blog for some time, then you are intimately familiar with the frustration I've felt in having three boys who love "being boys" but have been constantly told that their behavior is not acceptable. Unfortunately, for the past 10 years, we have lived in neighborhoods where there has always been at least one, or 10, neighbors who complained every time one of the boys did anything that they considered risky or with the potential to disturb their quiet surroundings or, even worse, the environment. This really took its toll on me and my kids. It got to the point where they never wanted to go outside for fear of a tongue lashing over something as simple as skateboarding. (I'm really not kidding.)
This past weekend, I sat with such satisfaction and watched all four of my boys embrace their love of big machines,being outdoors, working with their hands and bodies and accomplish a great task together. And no one came knocking on the door or walking down the driveway to express their concern that "he might get hurt" or "do you have a permit for that equipment?" In fact, our neighbor across the street did come over and express how much he enjoyed watching our boys enjoy the property during the last few months since we took up occupancy. This was definitely a first! Another neighbor came over and told us how professional our work looked and wondered if we had done this before. I thought to myself: now this has been a long time coming. I can't explain the pure joy on my sons' faces as they watched the dump truck spread two loads of gravel. Or when their dad said "sure you can drive the excavator." Or when they helped get an enormous boulder onto the front loader.
This morning, our driveway is smooth and beautiful. No more potholes. No mud puddles. The front yard is free of 6 big boulders and ready for Ben's team to start spring practice here. The back yard is no longer full of piles of branches, logs and rocks and will soon look like a real yard. It's been a long time coming.
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