#mitchell matthews

"Mason Matthews! What have you done?"

"What...?"

"We got a letter! From a lawyer! They say you defrauded people, over the internet!"

"But I would never..."

"It says so, right here!"

"It must've been Mitchell!"

"Why would Mitchell do that? He has a steady job!"

"But he's good with computers and stuff!"

"Mason Matthews! We talked about sin issues! If you have sinned, you will admit to it, and repent, so you'll be right with the Watcher again! Have you done this?"

"No, sir."

"Then you don't have a problem with going to court over this, right? It says right here that there might be a prison term attached if you don't settle with them and pay them back what you owe them!"

"P-P-Prison?"

"Yes. So did you do it?"

"I... well, I might have sent a request or two..."

"Mason! We're a law-abiding family! We follow the Watcher! How could you!"

"What's done is done... we'll have to pay this, and you'll have to get a job so you can pay us back."

"But..."

"It'll be good for you. You can get work experience, and once this is paid off, you can put the money in savings so you'll be able to buy a house for your future family soon."

Later...

"Mitchell? From now on, we'll be taking your entire paycheck, and not just 80% of it."

"WHAT?"

"Times are tough, and with Mason's trouble..."

"Why am I paying for Mason's bad choices?"

"We're a family, Mitch. Family shows up for each other."

"As if Mason would ever show up for me."

"Dad? I wanted to talk to you about something... about something big."

"What do you want?"

"I've been... I've been thinking about college. Getting a degree would really help my employment prospects, and I could..."

"Let me stop you right there, young man. We cannot afford college, for you, or anyone. You'll be fine working the mail room and working your way up."

"But..."

"I worked in the mail room, and look at me! I'm a manager now! Are you too good for that? Are you afraid of hard work? Do you think you're better than me?"

"No, sir. Of course not."

"Mitchell is the best! I love our new clothes so much! FINALLY, no more pink! Ever! Again!"

"I love them, too, but are you sure mom won't notice?"

"Did you see her lately? She's too busy either crying or puking now that she's pregnant again. She won't notice a thing."

"But..."

"Don't worry, Melanie! We've got this!"

"You're right. We've got this. And it's not like we have much more work now that she's sick... she's been so busy trying to get trim for dad, and taking care of him when he's home, she barely did anything before."

"And Morgan and Mackenzie are so big now! They can take care of themselves, and of the little ones!"

"So you're going to apply for the job at the flower shop?"

"I... I don't know. I'm so scared! I've never worked anywhere before, and it sounds so dangerous, and women aren't supposed to... at least that's what Dad says..."

"Melissa! You love flowers! This is your dream job! And you're the best, and I believe in you, and you don't worry about a thing. I'll keep everything running at home!"

"And then we'll save up money and move out, you and me and Mitchell, when the little ones don't need us anymore?"

"Exactly."

Lanie: "Pinch me if I'm dreaming, Lissa, but I think mom's doing better right now."

Lissa: "I'm not pinching you, because if this is a dream, I don't want to wake up!"

Mitch: "She's... nicer. That doesn't mean she's nice, but she's... calmer. She doesn't yell as much."

Lissa: "Do you think that's because she hasn't had another baby in quite some time yet?"

Lanie: "Must be it. She's always so on edge when she's pregnant, and so sad afterwards, and she screams so much, over the tiniest little things... I'm so glad she's not pregnant."

Mitch: "I remember looking it up when I was younger, on the computer. It's called Post-Partum Depression, I think."

Lissa: "Makes sense..."

Lanie: "Is it a sin to pray that she won't have any more babies that we'll have to take care of?"

Lissa: "Yes. Babies are a blessing from the Watcher! You can't just pray for no more babies, that's like praying for a sin!"

Mitch: "We could pray that mom stays happy and healthy instead?"

Lanie: "That's a good idea, let's do that."

"Dad! Mitchell has a laptop!"

"What? I didn't know that, where did he get it?"

"He says he bought it from money he saved from his job."

"Good boy, then!"

"I want one, too!"

"A job? That is an excellent idea, Mason, you should start building your skills so you'll be able to provide for your future family."

"No, I want a laptop!"

"Oh... well, I'm sure we can arrange that. Would you like to go to the store with me tomorrow after I get off work?"

The next day...

"What do you say now, Mitchell? Mine cost twice as much!"

"Mitchell, we need to talk, man to man, provider to future provider."

"That sounds... serious. What's going on?"

"Our family has recently entered some trying times, financially. We're all working together as a family to resolve them, and with you having a job, I have decided that you will donate your earnings so we can make ends meet."

"Well... that sucks, but it's really bad, isn't it? I've seen mom cry a lot the last couple of weeks."

"Nothing we can't handle, but it will be hard for a while. I'm grateful that you're such a family man who'll help us out."

"If we're all working together as a family, what about Mason? All he does is hang out with Ashton and play computer games. He should get a job."

"That is... well, actually, that is not a bad idea. Mason? Hey, Mason!"

"Yeah?"

"With you approaching your majority and getting close to the time where you'll be heading and providing for a family, you should get a job to prepare yourself for that role."

"That's very funny."

"It's not a joke, Mason. You need to get a job."

"No."

"What do you mean, no?"

"I'm not getting a job and you can't force me. Work sucks."

"I am your FATHER, Mason! You MUST obey me."

"Yeah, no."

"I can't believe he would disobey me like that!"

"Really, dad? Because somehow, I have no trouble at all."

From the Matthews Family Simstagram

While everyone talks about how important it is to train up our daughters to be mothers, they sleep on an important topic: How important it is to train up our sons to be fathers! With two boys as my oldest children, this thought is foremost on my mind, and while I do most of the work around the home, with diligent help from my oldest daughters who take care of their own jurisdictions, I encourage my sons to be stewards of their own home and their family, so they'll be wise stewards when they're headships of their own.

Mitchell is a wonderful example of those teachings. He is diligently protecting his younger siblings and always ready with a kind word and help and guidance and a prayer for them. He loves spending time with his sisters Melanie and Melissa, who are next in age to him, even over his twin brother, and helps them with their chores where he can, tidying and cleaning (I put a stop to him changing diapers, that is a woman's job and wouldn't be appropriate). He loves programming and often makes little things for his siblings, like a program that assigns each of them a Book verse to memorize, or gives them a sticker when they pray for ten days in a row! We all adore Mitchell and I'm sure that he'll be a wonderful daddy to very lucky kids one day!