It's all good.

I guess I should update this more often, since it took a couple of tries just for me to log in to my account :)

For the past several years, I have wondered if the sacrifices that our family has made have been an issue with our kids. Mostly, whether my husband's years as a truck driver, that made sure we had a paycheck for four years, and the crazy hours that I work, had given the kids a sense that we chose work over them. Every choice we've made job wise has been so that the kids had what they needed, on occasion what they wanted, and provided a home, food, and always love, but I was not sure how much of that got through.

Right now, I'm not wondering.

Last week, my son began quizzing me on the job requirements for North Carolina for underage workers. It's not the first time he's wondered about earning his own money so when it first came up, I didn't think too much about it, I figured he'd forget by the next XBOX tournament. But he didn't. He remembers that his sister babysat last year to earn her laptop, and there are things he wants that he is willing to get a job and work for. He already has certain companies in mind, and he knows he's looking at minimum wage and what that offers. And he still wants a job. Even after the "grades and work" conversation, he didn't back down. (Grades are not his favorite subject.)

He knows we will always make sure he is taken care of, but he also knows that the things he's interested in now don't always fit into the budget, and he is serious about earning them for himself. It's not a rebellion attitude (I'll just do it on my own!) or anything like that. More and more, I'm realizing that the sacrifices that we have made over the years did make a difference. They did understand that life takes work. I have two teenagers who know that the value of working for what you want, even though it make include some sacrifice, can't be bought by someone else. They take pride in what they earn and what they do. And they are sincere about it. That part is hard to explain, but you can tell it's there.

I listen to other people talk about their teens and just count my blessings. I don't have to install cameras, hire babysitters and the biggest problem I've had with them lately is calling me at work for an XBOX password. I'm pretty damn lucky.

Wish us luck with his job hunt.