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My eighteen year old son is less than pleased with me right now. He is in quarantine today, because he announced this morning that he thought he had swine flu. More than likely the kind that young people get from partying with friends. But to make matters worse…he is having to sew his own button on his shirt.

Why you make ask is he sewing it on? Because to me…sew a button on and he’ll have a shirt for a while, but teach him to sew it on and he’ll have shirts for a life time.

But ingenious youth of today, guess where he learned to sew it? The Internet. Mind you, he did consult with me about proper technique and when I watched him prick his finger I was a tad tempted to sew it on…just this once. But at eighteen there is a lifetime of buttons awaiting him, so I resisted the temptation.

I am not sure that he appreciates the Frugal Fam core values of this lesson though:

Family first. Like so many things about parenting, it is about tough lessons.

Saving money. It is cheaper than buying a new shirt or even taking it to the cleaners to have it sewn on.

Environmentally friendly. That is one less shirt in the dump…for now anyway.

Healthier. Well, that’s a stretch. Unless your child grows up to be a surgeon then sewing is a good skill to have.

Of course, I hope he has a sense of pride in his accomplishment, even if it is only a button. It is still an important life lesson.