It was refreshing to arrive at school the next morning and be greeted by so many smiling faces. The chatter among them reflected that they had indeed spent time last night thinking about what we had discussed.

With the normal routine completed, I opened the class for general discussion. I wanted to hear their thoughts. I did remind them that only one person spoke at a time. It was rather ironic to note that none of the girls jumped in, the boys jumped in with concerns and ideas.

Stan volunteered that after thinking about what was said in class yesterday, he had helped his mother and sister get supper ready and did the dishes by himself.

"Do you guys realize that when you do the dishes, you have the whole kitchen to yourself. It is so quiet. It gives you that peace and quiet that we all wish for in the bathroom. I even propped my book up behind the taps and read chapter 7 again. And I remember most of it. I plan on doing the dishes every night, so I can either read or study."

There were a lot of 'wow' and 'good idea' comments.

Bill, not to be confused with William, shared his story, "Well, I offered to do the dishes after we ate, but my mom had to feel my head in case I had a fever. Then she looked at me as if I was on drugs or something. I just left the kitchen but headed to the hall closet where the washer and dryer are. Our washer has died, so the laundry goes to the building's laundry room in the basement and then back upstairs for the dryer. There were two baskets, so I took them downstairs and washed them. Like Stan I found that it was quiet, well other than the machine noise. There were other machines going but no one was there. I found some magazines with some good stories. They were all what I call women magazines, nothing for guys. Oh, never wash anything red with light colors, they come out pink." He blushed.

The whole class broke into laughter, myself included.

Several ideas were bounced around with promised to continue helping with the daily chores. Every one of the guys thought that it was great that Andrew was learning to do chores that would teach him to be on his own.

Some suggested doing things like changing light bulbs or doing small time maintenance on appliances. Bill planned to check the washer on the weekend to see if he could fix it and if he couldn't he was going to check with Stan about maybe getting a machine on payment.
Stan offered to come over and help him out on the weekend and then he would talk to his boss. The team or group support was about to begin.

After their lunch break I would offer some suggestions, so off they went.

"As you can see, some of you have come up with some great or rather fantastic ideas and plans. But ask yourself this; for how long? Will you do these things for a few days, maybe a month or two, only to revert back to where you were at yesterday? I think that you are all smart enough to know that saying and doing are two different things. The only way to make permanent changes is to say and do, both are important. Take the time to sit down with your parents first and explain that you want to do more, and you have ideas. Then talk to your brothers and sisters. It will be not only you but your whole family that will make changes and perhaps become an influence on other families. I have some ideas for you to consider. Do you want to hear them?"

I reviewed with them, some of the things we as nurses had had to do for the community. Suggesting that they each do a meal log for at least a couple of weeks but probably for a month. This meant writing down everything that was eaten in the home and unfortunately for lunches, so trips to the burger joint were off limits for that time. I promised that in a month we would review them. I also addressed financial concerns, which did seem to embarrass some of them, but I reassured them that we would not talk about the budgets of individual families but, more so, I would offer constructive suggestions to help it out. Using the example of what Bill and Stan had planned to do about the washer as an example.

The girls appeared more eager with this part of the discussion. One offered that she babysat two evenings a week for about three hours each without pay. Instead she was given a couple of pies each time. The other times she was paid.

I explained that this was what was called the barter system, performing a job or service in exchange for an item or even a service and praised her doing so.

Another commented that once a week, when she was babysitting she would shampoo all the kids hair and she got a bag of oranges and a bag of apples as well as her babysitting charge. A great example. The parents did not have to deal with the shampooing and she got fruit to take home for her family.

"One other way you can help your family is by creating and taking the responsibility for maintaining window box gardens. This is a great job for the younger ones, have them water the boxes every other day. They love to have jobs as long as they are not overloaded. The boxes will fit inside during the cold months and go outside during the warm ones. You can even put several on your patios. If you have room for bigger pots outside you can even do potatoes, turnips and carrots. What food you grow that you know your family can not use can be bartered for something that you need. Now the guys are creative and handy with tools, so you can even find wood or get cheap wood and make them. If a bunch of you get together you can share the cost of the wood and paint. And when you have produce, you can barter among yourselves."

I stopped to give them all time to write their notes. Girls were talking among themselves and the guys were grouping together based on their apartment or house location. I watched as pages were being filled, and suggestions were exchanged.

When sufficient time had passed I continued.

"Make up a chore list, to ease the burden on your parents. Remember, not to overload the younger ones but do give them something to do. If nothing else, have one of the slightly older ones read to the little ones. An hour away from a TV is more productive with a book. Little ones can also dust, fold clothes etc. Be creative."

Many suggestions were offered and written.

"How many of you have extended family living with you? Are they underfoot all day? Give them a simple task to do. In fact, some nursing homes provide constructive activity to occupy the patients. I remember one Alzheimer patient who folded napkins all day. Staff would just, walk by and ruffle a few up so she thought she had lots to do. And she was praised for her contribution. It was nine years before she peacefully passed, nine years of napkin folding, but she was happy. Anything you can do to give especially your mothers a break is great. They are the twenty-four hour care givers of everyone."

More notes and more mumbling.

"Before I forget, the nice thing about those window box gardens, is that your family can redirect the money normally spent on the basic veggies to different meats and fruits. You also get a bigger variety of vegetables. And it is better for your health, especial those who have medical problems like diabetes. It's time to go home. Back to the digestive system tomorrow. Have a good night. Tom, are you ready for your hour?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Last night we had reviewed what he had missed last week, tonight he would practice vital signs.

I locked up, when he was gone. I hoped that the suggestions of today would be helpful.