One summer, when I was a young boy, my friend and I decided to build a treehouse. I remember how excited we were to secure boards and nails and whatever else we would need and get started on the project. Day after day, we could hardly wait to spend more time on the project — all the while envisioning how much fun we would have playing in the treehouse the rest of the summer once it was finished. Finally, the day came when we were finished and a strange thing happened. We played for an hour or so and then got bored and hardly spent any time in the treehouse the rest of the summer. I learned a great lesson that summer — the joy and excitement is in the “building”, not in the “playing”. When I see the endless government programs that give handouts without requiring much if any effort, it seems to encourage “playing” rather than “building”. “Building” teaches self-reliance and individual responsibility — two virtues that our society desperately need. Also as parents in today’s world, are we teaching our children to “build” or to just “play”.

David Hart

Layton

Newsletter