A Household Word
Reinventing Labor Day

My  kids hate Labor Day. For them, the long weekend means the end of carefree, summer days spent hanging around the house and the beginning of days spent at school. I guess that’s why it has become one of my favorite holidays.

Yesterday, I flipped the pages of the kitchen calendar from August to September. I was giddy with excitement. “Look,” I said trying to mask the glee in my voice. “You kids go back to school right after Labor Day.”


“What is Labor Day, anyway?” my 9-year-old, Lewis, asked.I wanted to lie and say that it’s a day of mandatory and complete silence to honor mothers who have endured childbirth. But instead, I seized another opportunity:


“It’s a day when parents get to rest and kids do all the work,” I lied.“Really?” he wondered.


“Yes, and I have lots of fun chores planned for you and your brother and sister.”


Best-Laid Plans


Chores. I just love that word. It conjures up images of freckle-faced kids cheerfully gathering eggs and mowing lawns. It’s a word I associate with Opie, Wally and the Beaver – not with my kids. Frankly, my kids’ idea of hard work is buttering their own toast.


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