Homework
I was in middle school—probably 12 or 13, since we'd already moved to the country. I had met a young lady at school who was clearly upper class—you could just tell by her clothing. She was nice, and I was very attracted to her.
One day, while we were talking, she said, “Why don’t you come over to my house tonight? We can sit out on the front porch and talk.” I thought that sounded like an excellent plan.
I finished my chores early—about 8:30—and went over to her house. I knocked on the door, and her father answered. He stood in the middle of the doorway. I could see around him that she was sitting at a desk down the hallway, diligently working on something. She would glance up every now and then, looking at me.
Her father said, “She can’t come out right now. She’s doing her homework.” And then he just stared at me. If looks could have killed, I would have melted right there on the porch.
He continued, “By the way, how come you’re not doing your homework?” I shrugged, blank expression, and said, “I don’t have homework.”
He asked again, “Why don’t you have homework?”
I explained, “Because I do work. I have chores. I don’t have homework.”
He said, “I don’t think you should come back here anymore.” And slammed the door.
I walked home, trying to understand what he was trying to say. At that age in life, I couldn’t even comprehend it. All I knew was that I worked, and I had to make a living and help my family survive. There was no time for homework. My teacher sort of understood that. They didn’t expect it from me. They knew the environment I was in and what I had to cope with.
But as I got older, I thought about it a couple of times and realized the value of homework—the diligence of studying, parents who invest in their children and make certain they learn how to study. Even now, I have a difficult time going deeper into something that requires effectively sitting down and studying. I pay attention around me all the time. I’ve learned to improvise, adapt, and overcome. I pick up data and information by watching people, by studying what they do, what the job requires. Like most guys, you’ll never find me reading a set of instructions. That requires studying. I have common sense, and I’ve learned how to manipulate and work around it. Occasionally, I’ll get a couple steps backwards, but nothing taking apart and putting back together can’t fix.
The wisdom of this story is simple: I would recommend that all parents truly, diligently teach their children to do homework, to invest in them.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- Life teaches lessons in many forms, but disciplined study and parental investment give a child tools no amount of work alone can replace.
- Observing and improvising can take you far, but nothing replaces the habit of sitting down and learning diligently.
Proverbs
- “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” — Proverbs 22:6
- “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” — Proverbs 21:5
Nuggets of Wisdom
- Life teaches lessons in many forms, but disciplined study and parental investment give a child tools no amount of work alone can replace.
- Observing and improvising can take you far, but nothing replaces the habit of sitting down and learning diligently.
Proverbs
- <em>“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”</em> — Proverbs 22:6
- <em>“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.”</em> — Proverbs 21:5
There is a companion workbook for this story. Open the workbook (PDF).