I admit that I wasn't thinking of the benefits of gardening when my daughters started to "help" in the garden. The fact was, they stopped taking naps. Though I could write about the benefits they received; teamwork, responsibility, exercise and fresh air, the real lessons were what I learned about parenting.

Start small and lower your expectations. Though I had already prepared the garden for planting, each daughter had her own garden trowel and dug in the space directly in front of her. Soil is full of stones, large and small, and bugs, large and small. Remember to check pockets!

Let them make their own choices. The pictures on seed packets are how they made the selection of vegetables. They chose pole beans, sunflowers and tiny lettuce seeds on tape. After making a small furrow in the soil, one daughter stood on each end of the seed tape to keep it from blowing away. After I covered some of the tape to keep it in place, they were able to jump off and finish the planting.

Know when to stand back and let them go. Watering was a VERY important task. Separate cans were needed and they each had their own technique. Puddles were made, shoes got wet and hands got muddy. The family tradition of separate cans continues with my niece and nephew below!

watering the garden
Debbie Graham/Results Radio
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Be grateful for the wonder of childhood. When they saw that the seeds they had planted were growing into plants they were delighted. The height of the sunflowers really amazed them! When the vegetables were ready to pick, the pride they had in helping it all to grow was evident. And, today, my eldest daughter still enjoys raw green beans.

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