When I was growing up in a small town in Kansas, I hired out as an errand girl for those who were more or less homebound...mostly elderly women. I was doing this at the young age of ten or eleven. I was paid about a dime, but in the 1940s it was okay. There may have been one or two other kids that did this, too. Now that I am one of those "elderly", I could use a bit of help with simple errands exactly like those I did as a kid. I am not so naive as to not know we live in a whole different world then it was then. But, still, we have churches and schools who could implement programs to provide this service and what kid wouldn't love to get involved if it meant a little money in their piggy bank. As I remember, the errands were not big, just a run to the post office for a stamp or to the store for a loaf of bread. I would hope that little things still mean a lot, even in todays world. Kids are kids...nothing really changes there. Thanks for listening, anyway...……...I was just thinking of simpler times...…………….Marie
Some people have been a bit negative about kids being willing to help out so I'd like to put in my two cents. I'm looking at it as a mom of two teenage boys - one is driving but the other is too young.
Because my older son is mobile, he helps his grandmother when he can. On top of his school classes, he is in the gym 12 hours a week and has a part time job. Most of his friends are the same hard-working people that he is.
My younger son doesn't help Nana with her yardwork as much and that's partly a transportation issue. He can only help his grandmother when his brother or I go over. As a klutzy thirteen year old, I am just beginning to trust him around power equipment or to be cleaning the 2nd story gutters. I won't leave him there without me in case he gets hurt. That means that when he's helping like that, then that's where my day goes also. That being said, I do drop him off to do the less dangerous chores.
I will also say that, if you are paying the kids to help you, please be fair to them. They should be paid for their time and gas if they are driving for you. Nana pays my boys and usually has pizza delivered also.
One woman from church offered my son $5 to cut her yard (about an hour long job). He had to tell her no - it would cost him more in gas to drive over there than he would get paid. She was offended..."Children these days..." when the reality is that she wanted free labor.
And, if you want them to come back, please don't add to their chores with "while you're here" or talk so long that you make them run late.
Definitely, there are kids who are given everything and are lazy as a result. Those parents will regret their actions when the kids are thirty years old and living in their basements!!
Good luck! I hope you can find some kids who are reliable and capable. If you do, ask if their friends can help also...kids who are responsible usually hang out with other kids who are the same.
When I hired kids for babysitting. I paid very well, always had their favorite snacks that they could munch on too. I always had the best sitters when cheap friends were complaining they couldn’t find someone to sit.
Same with kids who mowed my lawn or weeded my garden. I paid them a great price, plus made a large pitcher of iced water, lemonade or iced tea for them. They worked hard.
Occasionally, a slacker would show up. Simple! I didn’t hire them again and was loyal to kids who earned their pay. I always worked hard. My dad taught me strong work ethics and I never expected anyone to do what I didn’t do myself.
Does a neighbor have a young un that would want to help. What about phoning the counseling office at local schools.
Todays children do not work, most don't even do chores around the house, they are not required to, so they just sit around and play video games.
I agree tho, it would help our children of today to develop some type of a work habit.
Yeah, no guarantees about help these days, no matter if they come from church or anywhere else.
I used to manage a craft craft shop years ago. I hired a guy from a nearby church that I regretted doing. A couple of women that I hired from the same church were wonderful. They were very self motivated and I didn’t even have to tell them what to do. If they saw that it needed to be done, they did it. Guess who got raises?
I walked in on this man that I hired that was reading the Bible on the job when he was supposed to be stocking the shelves. I had no problem with them reading if there were no customers and all of the work was done. That was rare. We stayed busy most of the time.
When I asked him why he was reading he said, “I am reading the word of God.” I asked him if he got to the scripture about hard work yet! Proverbs 14:23 says, All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
He closed his Bible and started stocking the shelves.
I do also get allowing them to do this when all work is done and no customers are around, but I had it out with some like that who were laughing, joking, gabbing WHILE doing data entry and as a result were not careful and were making mistakes, many mistakes. My philosophy was get it done and then if there is nothing left, then you can chat or whatever. I had to comment on the loudness of this as well - we were tucked away behind a brick wall and a partition, but everyone could hear them halfway down the hall! The responses I got made up my mind - I need to move on to another position here. THEY didn't make mistakes (HAH!) and THEY came to work to have fun! SHEEET, you want fun, join a sewing circle.
The neighbors were much more responsive, didn't meddle, and had more real life experience.
I totally agree. Some church kids are not the best behaved. Hahaha, especially pastor’s kids! Or deacon’s kids! They have a lot of pressure to be ‘perfect kids.’ They are kids and just like any other kid, trying to see where they fit in this world. Sometimes it takes a kid awhile to find their place in life. Everyone deserves a chance.
But if they don’t show up or even call, without a good excuse then I say move on too.
I have hired kids that were great and some that weren’t reliable at all. I had a babysitter that was so goofy. She would have her keys in the ignition and start panicking saying, “Where are my keys?” LOL. I would calmly tell her, “Honey, they are in the ignition.” She would start giggling. The girl was a straight A student! Just scatterbrained! She was great with my kids! My kids absolutely loved her.
Like you say, not all at risk kids are bad. They made mistakes but many when reached early enough and shown that others care can turn their lives around. It’s when people look down their nose at them and make them feel worthless that they have no incentive to improve their behavior.
Speaking of pregnancy, I once knew a woman in my circle of friends that kept trashing our friend’s daughter for becoming pregnant and getting married in a wedding gown. She wasn’t even ‘showing’ yet.
The young woman was deeply in love, her college sweetheart and he was a wonderful man. They were happy about the upcoming baby. The family accepted the fact that a baby was on the way and were happy as well.
During the reception the mother of the bride’s ‘so called’ friend kept talking about the bride saying the daughter had no business wearing a wedding gown, other ugly comments about this or that and kept saying how embarrassed she would be if it were her daughter.
A few of of us called her aside and told her to please let the family enjoy their day and if she did not approve she should not have come and insulted her to everyone.
Well karma is a b****! A few months later her daughter became pregnant too! She wore a wedding gown too! All of a sudden her she changed her tune and apologized. She adores her grandchild.