Lollygag

lollygag
verb, intransitive. To spend time aimlessly. To idle. To dawdle.

It wasn't long after Independence Day when Mother announced her decision.

"You girls have lollygagged around this house enough for now. It's time you learned how to sew."

Thus began a few weeks of focused work, an hour every day after lunch. She joined her three daughters in the family room, on the lowest floor of the split-level house, after putting their little brother down for his nap. In that large, cool space, she instructed them in the intricacies of hand-sewing, knowing she was imparting knowledge of a skill they would use for the rest of their lives.

Hemming, running-stitch, backstitch, blanket stitch, basting, sewing on buttons and snaps.... She demonstrated each one and supervised their practice. The oldest picked up the knack quickly, and Mother was a little dismayed when her competitive nature emerged. She was having a little too much fun showing off to her younger sisters.

"You have several years on them, Ruth," she remonstrated with the girl. "You also need to learn to be kind and generous."

The slow-moving summer days passed, and when the girls returned to school the day after Labor Day, Mother felt as if the holiday had not been a complete waste. All knew more than they had known on Memorial Day--all, including herself.

Definition adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008).