Today the kids wanted to play with some neighborhood kids after dinner.  I told them that would be fine, if they finished their chores before dinner.  So much to my surprise, in the few minutes before dinner, I found them watching tv and with their chores incomplete.

TB lamented that he wanted to finish watching his show.  I told him he could, in fact, finish watching his show, but if he chose to do so, he was also choosing not to play with the neighborhood kids.  I attempted to show me the flaws in my logic, but I persisted and detailed to him the consequences of his choice.  Both children decided to start their chores, but I didn’t think they’d be able to finish them before dinner.

And let’s be honest; I secretly didn’t want them to finish their chores before dinner.  I wanted them to face the consequences of their actions.  But alas, my onions and mushrooms took forever to saute, enabling the children to complete their chores before dinnertime.

They ended up having a great time with their companions, and I am glad they had an opportunity to enjoy one of the fleeting days of summer with ice cream sundaes and experiments (thank you, Tinker Crate!).