Well, it’s the end of an era for our family.
S delivered his last newspaper last week. It’s hard to believe how many years he’s been at it. He was just turning 5 and eager to help when my oldest son (8 at the time) convinced me to “co-sign” for the first paper route – he technically needed to be 10 to have it on his own. As time went on, two more were added – the second by my oldest son and the third by my youngest a couple of years ago when it was hard to find and keep other part-time work due to Covid. Over 14 years and 3 paper routes later, the utility wagon is parked, the extra elastics are ours to keep, and I just realized that for the first time in nearly a decade and a half, we’ll need to pay for a local newspaper if we want it. We’re still deciding – I prefer digital news. I also want to support a new carrier though, so we’ll see.
Those newspaper routes have held a lot of experiences. We’ve met, gotten to know, and lost several people on the route either to death or moving. Many of the elderly customers in those first years have either needed to move out of their homes or have passed away. My kids have memories with those older customers. They saw them regularly and habit breeds an interesting kind of connection. There’s something about standing in the front room of someone’s house while you wait for their payment that helps you get to know them in a particular kind of way. The smell of their dinner cooking becomes familiar. Their cats and dogs begin to recognize you. You get to know what network of news they watch.
My guys have made change, lots of change, in receiving their payments. They’ve gained more than just arithmetic skills though. They’ve learned the art of graciously accepting both generous tips and people’s inability to pay at times. They’ve accepted both compliments and constructive feedback. They’ve learned the nuances of making small talk and customer service. They’ve also grown their own perspective on the value of money – spending saving, giving, storage systems for change, when to take to the bank, how much to hold back as their own petty cash. They’ve figured out what makes sense to them personally. They’ve “weathered the weather.” They’ve pulled and pushed heavy wagons packed with newspapers up and down snow-covered sidewalk curbs and over snowbanks where snowploughs have come by and people haven’t shovelled. They’ve secured loose bills and forms from blowing away in the wind. They’ve predicted thunderstorms, covered the papers for protection from the rain, and planned earlier day deliveries to avoid the humidity and full sun of a summer afternoon.
We’ve thought a lot about the practicalities of living from seeing so many different households. We’ve talked about such things as how late into a winter evening we’re comfortable keeping blinds open (not very) when we can see people in their homes and exactly what they’re watching on TV, how long you can avoid shovelling your snowy driveway before it ices over and becomes too hard (also not as long), whether it is polite to people on the sidewalk not to shovel the sidewalk close to your driveway even if it’s city property? (We have differing opinions in this). We’ve talked a lot about different vehicles and gardens. Walking up and down that many porches can be a feast for the eyes as far as gardens and flowers and ideas of plants “to try for next year.” We’ve talked about the pros and cons of having small businesses on your property as we pass a backyard bicycle shop and side yard antique store.
Most of all though, we’ve made memories. I haven’t been along for each delivery, especially as they’ve gotten older, but I’ve been along for lots of them. We’ve experienced many things as we’ve become familiar with front porches, lawns, families and pets of over a hundred households between the three routes. We’ve been almost eye level with robins’ nests crafted on porches, had some falls on slippery patches of sidewalk, jumped from snowbanks (for fun), come across “Free Little Libraries,” and gotten to know so many people and pets. We’ve nearly slipped in dog poo along a block that the boys nicknamed “Dog Poo Stretch.” It was an area of side street that necessitated great care when walking and pulling the wagon due to a particular house not cleaning up after their dogs. So, yes, all of the things! Most seriously and heartwarmingly, M and S came to the aid of a very dehydrated and confused elderly customer who was immobilized outside, the two of them managing to assist her inside, with one getting her a drink and staying with her, while the other called for help.
For me, these paper routes have given an opportunity to define some pieces about who I want to be as both neighbour and parent. The neighbour pieces I’ve likely mentioned enough, but as a mum, they’ve handed me situations to make decisions about. How do I support my children in making money? Mentor the management of money? Support their individual preferences for saving, spending and giving? What is my role in the actual process – ordering supplies like elastics, putting in the payment upfront for flyers, bringing in all the papers and flyers from the bottom of the driveway, assembling and loading the papers, actual delivery? Customer difficulties?
When I had kids 8 years old and under doing the first route, our role as parents was obviously huge. It lessened a bit a couple of years later as they got more comfortable with many of the aspects. It revved up again when G saw an additional route available and it got added a couple of years in. As they got older, my role with much of the preparation became less (although not obsolete), but I still came along for deliveries a lot of the time because it was a nice time for us together and it lent a hand.
So, yes, there have been tales and lessons from the newspaper routes for ALL of us and it’s definitely the bittersweet end of an era.
Yesterday a newspaper was dropped off by a new young carrier and just like that, we became just another customer on the block. We recognized the new carrier’s style of preparation that we used to use until being blasted by an annoyed customer- a full roll rather than a fold. Having had that experience, if anyone complains, it won’t be us. So we send best wishes to old customers and new paper carriers, savour fond memories and along with all of that … my son moves on.
I’m very sentimental. Does your family have traditions or activities that give you common experience and, maybe someday, will bring nostalgia?
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