Even though Bob was willing to help Kayte on her project at any time, since he went to work each day, they decided that she needed to know how to do something which would take a lot of time and which she could do while Bob was away. So, they divided tasks into ones she would do independently and ones she would need his guidance to complete.

One particularly tedious task involved the many dents in the car’s body. Bob taught Kayte to sand the rust off and to pack the dents with filler. Then the filler had to dry completely, be sanded and often re-filled until the dent was worked out to the same level as the body of the car.

By then, summer had set in; Texas temperatures soared during the day into the 100s. Most days she had to wait for the morning sun to pass and the metal on the car to cool down so that she could touch it. Sanding dust stuck to Kayte’s sweaty body. For months she continued until they agreed the body work was complete enough for the primer gray coat of paint.

The work conditions were beyond Bob’s imagination and he was frankly surprised that Kayte persisted. Each night they went out to review her progress and she explained her trials. Bob couldn’t help letting her know how impressed he was with her tenacious efforts. She beamed.

 

          When parents and kids work together, often a kid will surprise a parent… maybe with their innovative approach, their persistence, their cheerful work attitude, their willingness to clean up. Any positive attribute can lay the foundation for genuine admiration of the parent for the child. And, of course, admiration works both directions. Most kids have no idea all the things their parent knows. Along with Bob’s coming to admire Kayte, Katye’s estimation of her dad also grew tremendously.