We've Got News ... Lots and LOTS of News

A couple of months ago, we got a flier in our mailbox advertising a paper route in our neighborhood.  I looked at it twice--thinking about Ben and his unending quest to acquire Lego--then thought about trying to deliver newspapers with three little children and quickly put the notice into the recycling bin.

It seemed almost like fate when we visited my mom and dad a few days later and saw they had put the very same flier aside--thinking of Ben and his quest for Lego, too, if I remember correctly.

We took the paper home, called the number, and were hired soon afterwards to deliver the news to all of our neighbors . . . and I do mean ALL.

Ben was SO EXCITED.  He would be earning 7 cents per paper--which doesn't sound like much--but considering that we'd be distributing about 100 newspapers twice a week, this would add up to over $50 a month.  Big money for an 8-year-old!

The excitement quickly died out early on the first day of the actual job.  It was Janae's birthday, it was raining, and we had very little time to figure out what we were doing, deliver the papers, and make it back to meet our family for cake.

I had no idea what I was getting into.  I tore up all of my fingernails trying to open the cords binding the papers, I got chilled from being out in the rain, my hands were black with newsprint, and I had three children complaining the entire time we were out.  Luckily Jason was home and helped by bringing some of the papers behind us in the van (the big tub we'd planned to put the papers in was too wide for our wagon!), and to offer encouraging words like, "I'll do the other two cul de sacs." 

Fortunately, we have come a long way since that first day.  I learned to bring along a pair of scissors, and we know which houses have that beloved little "No Newspapers!" sign--which means we get to SKIP THEM!!!

I've also figured out which doorways terrify my kids (we have one spooky house nearby with Halloween decorations up all year around--and it is creepy!) and which ones have dogs.  I also know where each house's mailbox is (front door or carport) and which have separate hooks or boxes for newspapers (as opposed to actual mail).

You might have noticed that I am using the word "I" a lot, as opposed to "Ben." I should point out that Ben is actually there, too--at least physically--most of the time.  You can see in the pictures how happy he is :)

At first I thought I would "help" Ben by delivering some of the papers for him while he is at school, since Alaina finds more joy in the paper route than our other two children--especially when it's raining.

But after having a few conversations with others about the value of overcoming challenges--and learning that some of the best older boys we know also had paper routes when they were young (and now they're doing things like getting into medical school), I thought I'd better just give Ben the support he needs to perservere.

This isn't always easy.  Ben is . . . shall we say . . . a little distractable from the task at hand.  For example, we might see a cobblestone driveway, and he starts examining each stone.  Or a person might have some plastic flowers sticking out of a garden near their front door, and Ben will stop to "smell" each one.  Occasionally Ben will see a small cat or dog and try to make a new friend.  And you can imagine how long we took to deliver a paper at this place:

  
 Still, we carry on.  The girls sometimes help when the mailboxes are low enough to reach.

But we are lucky that Alaina still fits in the wagon . . . and that Grandma and Grandpa's house is on our route in case anyone needs a rest.

I'd been hoping that getting his first paycheque would help Ben see that all this walking and newsprint was not in vain--and when it arrived yesterday, we saw our first hint of an employment-related smile since the day we began.

When I asked Ben what he thought about the paper route now, he said, "I feel like it is worth it."

I guess that's the power of Lego :)