Did a 6-hour marathon clean of my son’s room.

I’m a big believer in learning by doing. So, for the past several years we’ve insisted our kids clean their own rooms. The results have been less than spectacular.

Today, I could have told my son to clean his room once again, but repeating the same action and expecting different results is a sure sign of insanity.

Instead, I helped my son clean his room. But instead of the usual clean and complain, I employed Steven Covey’s The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective Teens as my assistant. During the breaks I had my son read some of the short chapters including “defective teens” and “organization.” We took some time to talk about what it means to be successful.

Whether the lesson sticks, or stinks like my son’s socks, I don’t know. But trying to incorporate a larger life lesson into a routine chore isn’t a bad way to give at all.