Two homeschooled teen brothers have been getting up early and making meals for their family, sparking gratitude from their parents.
Mrs. Smith (an alias) believes parents should prepare their kids for life, and she says the right time to start working on them is when they are little.
“It is important for them to develop a work ethic while they are young,” she told the newspaper. “From the time they are old enough to help with a job, we start including them. They learned from early ages that we work together as a family, then we play together as a family. ... We want them to have hearts that love to serve others, in their own families and beyond.
“These aren’t things to begin training when they turn 18 or even when they enter high school. They are best taught incrementally from an early age and added as they grow and mature.”
The Teen Chefs
The proud mom of six doesn’t recall when her sons began making breakfast. She says it might be that she asked them to do it at one point, but the boys “never stopped doing it and have never complained.”
The two brothers get up between 6:30 and 7:30 in the morning and read their Bibles. Around 8 a.m., they begin making their dad’s breakfast and lunch before preparing breakfast for the rest of the family. Occasionally, their mother will take over, but most mornings, the kitchen remains the kids’ territory.
“There have been mornings when they weren’t feeling well or something else was going on, and I took over the job,” their mom said, “but for the most part, they prefer to do it.”
Mr. Smith’s meals are always the same. His 17-year-old son creates a simple breakfast sandwich using an English muffin, an egg, and some ham.
“He has it down to a science,” Mrs. Smith said. “It takes seven minutes, 10 seconds for the English muffin to toast, and during that time, he prepares the rest.”
After the English muffin is done toasting, he adds butter, assembles the pieces, and begins making breakfast for his siblings.
“This is something he really likes to do, choosing to make his own recipes of oats most mornings,” the mom said.
Meanwhile, the 13-year-old younger brother creates a bento box lunch for Mr. Smith. The nutritious boxes are usually laden with vegetables, fruit, meat, and cheese.
“He especially enjoys doing this job because there are usually bits of cheese and meat he gets to snack on,” Mrs. Smith said.
A Blessing
The sons’ help is a great blessing to the couple; it allows them to free up extra time in their schedules. One of the ways Mrs. Smith uses this spare time is to read her Bible and pray.“Some days start before I have had this opportunity, but when I can spend some time in this way, I begin my day with a clearer focus and [I’m] more able to train and guide the children well,” she said.
Needless to say, the parents are thankful for their sons’ help, and they make sure to express their heartfelt gratitude.
“I regularly thank them for taking care of this for me, reminding them what a blessing they are to me and what a valuable part of the family they are!” Mrs. Smith said. “They are pretty low-key about it, but I think they feel a sense of accomplishment and importance, participating in something that really makes a difference in our day.”
Mrs. Smith recently shared online a video of the boys preparing meals for the family. Many netizens appreciated the teens and posted kind words about their cooking routine.
“We’ve had a lot of positive feedback from people who are training their children to help in their homes and from those who want to do the same,” the mom said.
A Work-Before-Play Mindset
Married in 2005, the couple has raised their family with a strong focus on cultivating character, having faith, and working hard. Wanting to have an influence on their children’s lives and incorporate the Bible into the children’s routines, the couple chose to homeschool.“They are each able to be individuals at home, encouraged to grow uniquely,” said their mom.
Helping one another comes like second nature to the six siblings.
“It is something that is normal around here. As a family we work together and serve each other,” Mrs. Smith said.
Indeed, the children assist with everything from dishes to yard work. By teaching the kids about work, Mrs. Smith hopes to prepare them for their future after they’ve left the nest. She noted that such discipline takes “years of consistency.”
“We began teaching our children to work at very early ages, but they learn in ways they find fun,” Mrs. Smith said.
Her toddlers, for instance, learned to wash and fold laundry as soon as they were old enough. Even if their first attempts at folding were imperfect, they eventually grew in their skills. She also let the younger children “rinse” dishes with her, which eventually led to them washing dishes by themselves.
“As soon as a child is able to do a job, we start teaching them alongside us. Before long, they are old enough to do it on their own—and they are so proud of what they can do!” she said.
Of course, their mother always makes sure that they have fun after a hard day’s work. She advocates a “work-before-play mindset,” which allows the children a healthy amount of playtime. And with an upbringing focused on hard work and good character, it’s no surprise that the couple’s children are doing what they do.
