Repatriation Anniversary

YES!  This week marks the year anniversary of our repatriation to the USA!

What a year it has been!  I have not been on a plane in one full year!!!!!  No jet lag to deal with.  I am sooooo thankful for that!

I may or may not have unpacked the last of the boxes.  The year anniversary of being in our house isn't until October so I have time yet.  Even so, I think you have 2 years to settle into your new place!!!!  Right??? RIGHT!!!!

This week is also the first official week of Summer for our family.  WittyGirl & TechSavvySon finished school last Thursday.  They both did well and we are pleased with how they made the adjustment from an International school to American public school.

We shall see how they make the adjustment to regular American summer life ( If there is such a thing)

Anyway, I laid out some Summer Expectations for my kids.

Here is my thinking on the matter:

I want my kids to learn a certain amount of responsibility.  As expats, one's ability to have teachable moments through common household activities is severely limited.  Most expats employ a maid, most expats live in rental property, drive rented cars, don't have yards.  As a result, you don't ask your kids to do things like cook a meal for the family, do laundry, help plant and weed the garden, paint a room, help dig trenches for a sprinkler system, change oil in the car and other odd jobs that come about!

So this is the first summer that we are in our OWN home where OUR rules apply and our house is at risk.  We aren't in a resort, or hopping from a friend's home to a relative's home.  I'm NOT being a mean mama!  I'm just asking them to learn a few skills needed for life.  So I shared these expectations with the kids and they both fairly melted to the floor with dread.  

I'm not fooled.

They even tried to say, "No one asks their kids to do this!"  My reply was that maybe no one in Singapore did, but in America that's how we do this!  I may or may not have thrown in - "It builds character" and "When I was your age …"

So WittyGirl cooked supper this week for the family and TechSavvySon learned to do laundry.  TSS also helped fix the sprinkler system and install a ceiling fan (under supervision from the Engineer Extraordinaire).  

I think by the end of Summer the kids might be begging for another expat assignment.

I'll update you on their progress.

For those of you flying around the world … prayers for your safe travel and hope for speedy recovery from jet lag.