Volunteer Fun.

A couple of months ago, Kyler and Mae returned home from school.  Each of them held out a half-slip of paper and said, "Fill it out!"  These papers were requests for summer volunteers at the retirement home.  I asked them if this was really something they would enjoy doing and without giving it much thought, they beamed, "YES!!" 

I volunteered one single day of my youth at a retirement home and I will be honest with you: I did NOT enjoy it.  And this may sound brutal, but I directly associate retirement homes with boredom.  Though, I didn't tell the kids this.  I simply signed them up and told them that there is no option to quit; they must endure one day each week of the entire summer at the retirement home.  I assumed much whining and complaining would ensue over the subject in the upcoming weeks.

Week 1:  I dropped the kids off.  Kyler knew exactly where to go since he is an 'old kid' and they got to make monthly visits during school.  I left.  When I picked them up later that afternoon, they told me they weren't ready to leave.  I practically had to drag them out of there.  On the drive home, I asked if they wanted to go swimming (which just so happens to be their most favorite thing to do in the whole entire world) and Kyler said, "Sure, but can we go back to the retirement home after we're done?"

Week 2:  Both kids insisted on going early.  They were the first ones there on Week 1, where they learned that the early birds get put on wake-up duty.  This did not sound like something that I'd ever, ever, ever want to do, so I had to inquire.  They both told me that it's funny to wake old people up and then they get to push them to the bingo hall in their wheelchairs.  I simply cannot believe that my children are trusted enough to push anybody in a wheelchair, but I suppose there were no reports of drag races or slamming anyone into a wall (yet) so...okay.  When I picked them up, they ignored me for as long as possible, savoring each additional moment they got to stay.  On the ride home, Mae told me that she just loves it there and then shared her plans to move directly into the retirement home upon receiving her high school diploma.

Today will be Week 3 and I am quite interested to see what they have to say.  Either retirment homes have changed since I was a kid, or my children are just very much unlike me.  Both kids have birthdays coming up.  Kyler wants only money.  I asked Mae what she would like and she told me she had been thinking about it for a while.  "I want either an ipad or a wheelchair."  She was serious.