Posted: 3/29/2013 8:15:15 PM EDT
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You finally understood the concept of "If you ain't got time to do it right, you sure ain't got time to do it over"?
You may have heard it by different terms, but it's always the same concept. Now, many of us here I would imagine understood early that Mom and/or Dad would not be happy with a shitshow when our chores were "done". If you were anything like me, you probably "saved time" for years before the concept really took though. Me personally, I think I understood the concept finally (instead of simply understanding that an un-fucking-sat job would mean trouble for me) beginning in my mid/late teens. It really hit home in my early twneties with a wife and kid a mortgage and car payments and all that shit to worry about. That's when I finally got the whole concept. No, I am still not perfect by a damn site, but at least now when I fuck it up, I know why. What about you? (Typos and spelling/grammar don't fucking count  )
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I try so hard to instill the idea to my kids, but they are like MRSA to my teachings pencillin it seems. The eldest is happy, married and living what appears to be a good young life. I musta ninja attacked her with the lesson finally. I'm pretty sure we will have to buy a house with a basement for our youngest because we just had the "WTF shitshow job on chores" talk and revamp...again.
She's too old to sell to the gypsies now, but not old enough to send to the Marine Corps yet. I have resigned myself now to the long slow slog of direct supervision through 100% of the job at hand iunstead of descriptions and a listing of end goals for the next however long. Again. On the upside though, I think I may have finally gotten through to her the root cause of my displeasure. Me: "Yes, I am annoyed that you didn't wash *those* dishes and I had to haul you in here to do it. Again. But I'm angry because you still won't check your work to ensure a completed job"
Daughter: "But I didn't see those plates!" 
Me: "I know...but that;s just an annoyance. A symptom. The *result* of why I'm mad. Whay do you think I'm mad? Daughter: "I didn't do the dishes" Me: That's the result, why am I mad? Daughter " I didn't notice them! (many sobs and much wringing of hands" Me (angry but trying to keep my temper in check): "I know that...but you didn't check your work. That's why I'm mad!" Now repeat this for....oh I don't know....she started having regular chores about when she was 6 or 7 (obviously things she should be able tohandle) about 8 years now. I lover her to pieces but sometimes....well, gypsies. |
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When I was about 7 or 8, I was "too busy" (left with my BB gun to roam around) to remember to fill the water tank in our corral full of colts by the house on quite warm summer day.
While none of them were hurt by my half assed (or none-assed) attempt at making sure their water drum was filled with the hose from the well, since my dad caught my mistake by noon or so, my parents made sure that it wasn't something I would forget. I wasn't allowed any water myself untill that night at dinner. I was a very, very parched boy after evening feeding/ chores. I can't say I have ever half assed much in my life after that lesson. |
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Quoted:
When I was about 7 or 8, I was "too busy" (left with my BB to roam around) to remember to fill the water tank in our corral full of colts by the house on quite warm summer day. While none of them were hurt by my half assed (or none-assed) attempt at making sure their water drum was filled with the hose from the well since my dad caught my mistake by noon or so, my parents made sure that it wasn't something I would forget. I wasn't allowed any water myself untill that night at dinner. I was a very, very parched boy after evening feeding/ chores. I can't say I have ever half assed much in my life after that lesson. It's funny you mention farm chores. I grew up on a berry farm so we had certain things that had to be done a particular way. That almost always seemd to be the hard way, of course. Now, I couldn't afford a farm or even a farmlike plot of land for my family so we live in a small town. My kids have simple suburban type chores and I am almost convinced that this is one reason they seem to be resistant to learning this particular lesson. Less inventive ways to teach a lesson like your thisty horses. |
| There was a brief interval around 50 when I was happily in that niche. Now, I cant do it so when I do do it, it often aint right. Not that I dont know better, but because its physically and mentally impossible. In that order. So I am going to go happily away half assed, if you please. |
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My FIL has been drilling his own version into my head and those of his hundreds of employees over the past 30 years. Posted on a big banner at the plant and in every "corrective" conversation he ever gave us, and we gave others.
Plan it first Do it now Do it right Check your work |
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I started thinking about it when my gypsy step parents would always half ass fix the wheel on the wagon when it broke. Papa Stefan would only fix it until it was good enough to roll again. Then we would have to stop again to fix it. The caravan would always get held up like this. I never forgot it when I was old enough to run away to join the Marine Corps.
True story. See tank. |
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My parents taught me that rule when I was a wee lad .....it wasnt until the old guys I apprenticed under as an engine machinist told me to learn to do it right before you try to cut corners , and then only if you can be assured that the quality will remain where it's supposed to be . Rest in peace Don Baker and Bud Swazey , I miss working under your watchful eyes  Quoted: I owned a Dodge car since I was 16. I still have that car. So the answer would be 16.   I was about 19 when I got my first Mopar ....I'm 46 now and that Road Runner is long gone , but I've been a Mopar lover ever since  |
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A corollary to this is that you should buy quality to do the job right. None of this buying shit tools, cars, furniture, homes, guns, lawn equipment, etc.
Buy once, cry once. LC ETA: My dad could have saved himself a lot of grief by living by this rule. Sure, you can't always buy the best there is, but you should avoid the shitty stuff. |
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Quoted:
I started thinking about it when my gypsy step parents would always half ass fix the wheel on the wagon when it broke. Papa Stefan would only fix it until it was good enough to roll again. Then we would have to stop again to fix it. The caravan would always get held up like this. I never forgot it when I was old enough to run away to join the Marine Corps. True story. See tank. Hell, I think that's the best answer I've seen on here in months. 
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| I think I fully learned it when I went to work after college. Fresh out of school, I was the (only) mechanical engineer on a multimillion dollar project (long story). My boss was a very impatient type and was very insistent on having things done his way, whether it was really a good idea or not. After about the second or third time of him telling us to basically slap something together half-assed so he could show "visual progress", and having my objections to that overruled, I got it. |
