Career aspirations

Lucas and I spent a considerable amount of time in the backyard today since it was his day home to recuperate from the flu, before starting back at school tomorrow.

I spent most of the time weeding. Something I just started to enjoy, I guess since our yard has been redone and the amount of weeds is not so overwhelming.

Anyway, Lucas was out there helping me. First we had to hammer some of these stakes in the ground, to keep the watering hoses in the ground. Lucas insisted on hammering. He kept saying, "I'm your hammer helper. Don't worry if you have any hammer work, just ask me, I'm you're hammer helper." I couldn't help but think of Hamburger Helper, but that's besides the point.

After we completed our hammering project, he helped me with the weeding and also pruning back our prolific potato vine.

Lucas would ask me frequently to come and inspect his handiwork, to show me how much he had cut from the potato vine, or how well he swept the deck. I would nod in approval and say, "Wow, it looks so clean now!" He would say, "I'm a good cleaner." I'd tell him thanks for helping and he would say, "Yep, I'm a good helper, look at how clean everything looks."

Then Lucas said something that will make my mom's heart sink, "I don't want to be a doctor any more, I want to be a house helper."

Me: What's a house helper? You mean someone who cleans other people's houses?
Lucas: No, just your house. When I get to be a big grown up, you can call me if you need help cleaning your house, or hammering.
Me: That would be nice. But you could be a doctor too and then just help me out when you have time.
Lucas: No, I'll just be a house helper.