The Future

[George Grand]

Two young boys, maybe 10 years old, just knocked on the door and told my charming wife, the former Theresa Talamonti, that they would pull all the weeds out of her garden if she gave each one a dollar. Those boys are out there in the hottest part of the yard right now. No way they're walking out of here with less than a five spot each.

[Pycroft]

Send them over here next George :)

I remember when I used to do that for my grandparents! Good for those kids - earning what they get!

[ESavinon]

Are you sure it's not $1.00 for each weed pulled? :D

[jimmydep]

Some kids don't know what it feels like to really "earn" a buck.......sounds like these two have potential...I hope they do a good job.

[bobman1235]

You should find their parents and shake their hands.

[AudioGenics]

that is so cool....

hard work and then get a reward + bonus

kudos George & the boys !

[steveinaz]

Hiring kids is great, they've got strong backs, and no money! I hired a couple teens to re-rock my yard a few years ago, after the pool was finished. I gave them double what they asked for.

[Lasareath]

I have four over here right now cleaning my basement, washing dishes, doing laundry, taking in my clothes, Child labor rocks!

[snow]

I have four over here right now cleaning my basement, washing dishes, doing laundry, taking in my clothes, Child labor rocks!

Your a trip Sal :D Good on you George for showing the boys that hard work and taking the initative pays off.

REGARDS SNOW

[BlueMDPicker]

You should find their parents and shake their hands.

I'll second that!

Thanks for the smile of the day, George. A future filled with young people like that sounds wonderful.

[I-SIG]

Are you sure it's not $1.00 for each weed pulled? :D

HA!

Wes

[Jetmaker737]

They're probably casing your place for a future break in.

j/k! :p

[madmax]

Its a scam, all the 10 yr olds are doing it. :)
madmax

[Hillbilly61]

Shiiiiit we do not know what the future may hold.

Many years ago, I watched an interview of Arnold before he became governor of California. He was a contractor in California and described how they fouled up a wall installation.

As put by Arnold, B.S. was put to the homeowner that the "wavy looking wall" was a euro design concept. This was when he was a movie star alone. Now he is a politician.

No one knows what the future holds, provided that some ambition, however modest, is shown from one's self.

Hillbilly

[hearingimpared]

Great stuff George. My 13 year old has been doing odd jobs around the neighborhood to save up for an Xbox. I'm really proud of him.

Heck just the other day, he took it upon himself to get the lawnmower out and cut the front and back yards. My old joints were thanking him out loud!

It really is great to see kids taking the initiative instead of drooling in front of video games.

[Tony M]

When stuff isn't given to people, they HAVE to find a way to get it themselves.

I loved reading your post and that you actually said yes to help them out.

When we were young, we found all kinds of ways to make a buck. Of coarse, rich kids were never a part of those ventures. Pop bottles were GOLD back then. LOL

[shack]

Well....did they do a good job?

[Sherardp]

I have four over here right now cleaning my basement, washing dishes, doing laundry, taking in my clothes, Child labor rocks!

AHAHAHA, Had to laugh at this one Sal. Good on those kids working for you George, not all of them are lazy thank God.

[cnh]

Sounds great, the only thing that's surprising is that this is happening in Jersey! But I guess if it can happen there it can occur 'anywhere'--kinda like the song about making it in NYC.

The only thing I can't figure out is where Sal found four of them!

cnh

[Keiko]

Sounds like a couple of good kids there. Most around here take no initiative and have zero discipline.

When I was a young lad, Grandma would spot me a quarter for pulling weeds out of her yard when I visited. Big bucks, back then. :D

[george daniel]

,,I'm waiting for the "rest" of the story form Double G,, you think they bought vinyl with their wages.;)

[wingnut4772]

I remember doing that as a kid. There were some cheap neighbors but I learned a lot about responsibility and self reliance.

[fatchowmein]

He probably has them scrubbing vinyl and quizzing them on the different artists. :D

[George Grand]

One of the boys older brother came by about 2PM yesterday and asked if I wanted the lawn mowed for $25. I had just put my mower away.

[Serendipity]

Two young boys, maybe 10 years old, just knocked on the door and told my charming wife, the former Theresa Talamonti, that they would pull all the weeds out of her garden if she gave each one a dollar. Those boys are out there in the hottest part of the yard right now. No way they're walking out of here with less than a five spot each.

Great!

One thing I never understood is why kids complain about doing things like vacuuming, mowing the lawn, pulling weeds, etc. Gives you a sense of accomplishment and discipline (although my neighbors used to give me $20 to do their lawn). I never like looking at an overgrown garden and enjoy mowing lawns.

[TNRabbit]

When I was about 12, our next door neighbor (a disabled vet) asked me to repair his yard where a septic line has been dug up. He asked me to decide if I wanted to work for an hourly wage or bid a specific amount for the complete job. It was first real exposure to free enterprise & I opted to work for the hourly wage (my mistake--he said he'd pay me a flat $250 & I got $3.50 an hour). I spent a week busting my @$$ & clay/rocks in the hot sun with rake, shovel, and my dad's tiller to initially bust it all up. I learned a lot that week.

[steveinaz]

I never paid my own kids an allowance, it's my belief that chores are part of a family coming together as a whole, to get things done. I would reward them with some cash when they took on a project by their own initiative, of if I had a special project that I needed them for, that was especially difficult. I would never tell them ahead of time that I had planned on paying them, I wanted them helping me for the right reasons. They took a lot of pride in being able to do something to contribute.

My father required all of us to pay "room & board" (20% of our take home pay) from the time we started working. What he didn't tell us, was that he was secretly banking the money for us, to be presented when we flew the nest. He wanted us to think it was gone. His belief was that a kid living at home doesn't understand yet that you don't get to keep your entire paycheck, basically preparing us for "real life" when you have other financial responsibilities. I consider myself extremely lucky for having parents with a vision, and not bothered with winning a popularity contest with their kids. Pretty smart guy for quitting school in the 6th grade. He later got his GED while serving in the Marine Corps, and later became a sheet metal worker (part-timed as a Real Estate agent).

[Zitro]

]I never paid my own kids an allowance, it's my belief that chores are part of a family coming together as a whole, to get things done.[/B] I would reward them with some cash when they took on a project by their own initiative, of if I had a special project that I needed them for, that was especially difficult. I would never tell them ahead of time that I had planned on paying them, I wanted them helping me for the right reasons. They took a lot of pride in being able to do something to contribute.

Same thing my parents did, I'm glad they did so. I bought my own first car when I was 16. My dad told me if I wanted a car, I had to work for it. So I found a job close to home (Burger King, ugh) and rode my bicycle there every work day. Saved up some money, and bought a 1995 Ford Taurus for $500. Ugly car in that old champagne color, and it needed some fixing up, but I did that, also. Made me very proud driving it, because even though it wasn't the nicest car it was a car that I worked for 100%, and it taught me a lot too, not only about personal responsibility but about cars too. I felt like I spent every other weekend fixing something on that stupid car lol.

[steveinaz]

That's a funny parallel, my first car was a 1971 $500 Ford LTD, very close to champagne color. Of course I paid for it myself, though Dad did find it for me.

You ask me, kids today are CHEATED, due to the self-centered motives of their parents. What I mean to say is, doing things that make them feel better, rather than being the bad-guy once in awhile so their kids can take a lesson they'll keep their whole life.

[bobman1235]

My father required all of us to pay "room & board" (20% of our take home pay) from the time we started working. What he didn't tell us, was that he was secretly banking the money for us, to be presented when we flew the nest. He wanted us to think it was gone.

I LOVE this. Noted for if/when I have kids (God help us all if that happens).