Work ethic is very important to The Man and I. The Youngun has a chore sheet listing her daily chores and she checks them off each day as she gets them done. She then picks herself out a pretty sticker and sticks it on the bottom of each day once all the chores are checked off. Some of the things on her chore list are; make bed, feed dogs (2x), feed rabbits (2x), feed fish, wash face, brush hair, brush teeth, and set the supper table. She also knows to help me in any task that I ask. We do not give her an allowance for doing her chores and here is why....
The Man and I believe that work ethic is seriously lacking in people today. Not just young people, pretty much anybody under 35 (and possibly even older than that!). I've thought about this at great length and this is what my little pea-brain has managed to come up with. My little disclaimer is that these are my thoughts and opinions and that's that. If you disagree, I respect that and would love to hear your views!
First and foremost, parents don't allow their children to be responsible. It's quicker and easier to just "do it themselves" so rather than teaching children to help out and help themselves, they tell them to get out of the way and let me do it. Or perhaps the kid doesn't do it "right" so the parent would rather just do it themself. When my daughter first started making her bed, let me tell you it was very loosely made. However she was 4 or 5 years old at the time and all I cared was that she was making the effort, we can work on the finished product as time goes on! Another problem I see is that parents don't train their children when they are very young. You can't let little Johnny run wild until he's 6 and then start laying the law down! It just don't work thataway! I'll never forget when The Youngun was a toddler. She didn't start walking until she was 15 months old. As soon as she started walking, I felt she was big enough to pick up her own toys (cuz as we all know a toddler's most favorite game in the WORLD is let's empty the toy box!). She had done her usual, removing everything from the toybox and getting inside it to play. When it was nap time, I said.....
Youngun let's pick up your toys. No Mama! Yup, come in it's time to pick up. No! I walked over to her, to take her by the hand and pick up toys and she started screaming
NO! I very calmly stood behind her, took a tiny little wrist in each hand, walked her over to a toy, used my body to bend her body over (because she was screaming and stiff as a board) and picked up the toy. Then we proceeded over to the toy box in that fashion, dropped the toy in, and picked up all the toys in that way. Mind you, it wasn't a fun time, but it had to be done. I didn't spank her, yell at her, or punish her, I simply showed her that when Mama said pick up the toys, the toys were gonna get picked up! The next time I told her to pick up the toys she picked them right up and
she was as proud as can be that she was a big girl and picked up her own toys!
Anyway, I'm starting to ramble here and you'll have to excuse me. Back to the topic of work ethic and allowances. The Man and I belive that if you take a job, you should do the job to the best of your ability. If you are the head french fry salter at McBurger World, making 6 bucks an hour, you'd better salt those fries the very best way you know how, with the intention of being voted best fry salter in the nation. The amount of your paycheck should
not determine your quality of work. We both believe that paying kids an allowance to do their chores is in effect teaching them to expect payment for work. If you don't get paid, you don't work. Help the old neighbor lady in with her groceries?
Not unless I'm getting paid for it! Work hard and do your best at your minimum wage paying job?
No way......not enough in it for me! Work hard on your lessons?
Not without getting paid a dollar per A! To me, you are in essence training kids to feel entitled! It just seems to me that you are teaching them to expect a return, instead of just doing it because it's right. In my opinion all you are doing is teaching them terrible work ethic.
It scares me that the kids being raised today are going to be the folks in charge of things in a few years! Kids who feel like the world owes them a living, owes them a paycheck (without an honest days work). Our country was built on hard work, ingenuity, responsibility, honesty, integrity and work ethic. As a parent I feel the best thing I can do is raise The Youngun to be an honest, hard working, productive member of society. I want her to be independent and capable of taking care of herself. Whether she lives across town, or across the world, I want to know that she is walking with God every day, and always doing the right thing!
Till next time..............GOD BLESS!
