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One of the downsides of being a senior is that although we have more experience than the younger generation, no one cares to listen. Never has any other generation known so much, yet so little about the technology of our time.
Our children and grandchildren have to program our VCR, DVD, cable box, computers and even our cell phones. So why should they listen to our voice of experience when it comes to learning something as mundane as mowing the lawn?
Well, take heart, my friends. The rocket science involved in mowing a lawn is beyond the younger generation. The young boy, age 15, who mows my lawn will mow around anything in his path, rather than pick it up. I move lawn furniture, hoses and toys before he comes or my lawn will look more like a bad hair day than a pristine baseball field.
Weeding is an extreme sport where they lack athletic ability. I asked this same young boy to weed a flowerbed. He pulled out everything that bloomed. When I asked him about his weed vs flower choices, he explained he figured if it bloomed it was a weed. After attending the Wildflower exhibition in Glide recently, I must admit there is a thin line.
Perhaps if mowing the lawn could be done with a video game hand control their skill would be well honed by age twelve. And yet, in this day of working parents and seniors staying in their homes longer, it seems that yard work would be a profitable business for some enterprising young person. Gone are the days of the backyard carnivals and lemonade stands that I remember. Babysitters are charging $5 an hour. That is a far cry from the going rate of 50 cents an hour 40 years ago.
Helping our grandchildren understand the value of a dollar may be a more daunting task than helping them find a job. Tom Sawyer tricked his friend into painting a fence by making it sound more like fun than work. Go into business with your grandchild. They can be the bookkeeper and you will be the front man. Invest in a summer business that will not only help them earn money, but teach them a little business savvy along the way.
Be imaginative with the name of the business, like Yard Hogs or Green Giants. Teach them how to mow, edge, trim and weed. Call your family, neighbors and friends and ask them to recommend this lawn and yard service.
Help your grandchild set up a schedule and provide transportation to the jobs for them. Once the business is going, you can suggest the need for more employees, creating jobs for their friends. And what is your return on the initial investment? Your lawn will be mowed once a week and you’ll watch your grandchild taking steps toward independence.
If you are not into capital investments, check the web site http://www.teachingkidsbusiness.com. It is an excellent resource for young people ages 8 to 18 years old to dip their fingers into the entrepreneurial pool. The free site is easy to navigate and encourages parents to be involved. TeachingKidsBusiness.com home page links kids to games, programs, a variety of resources and products to get kids doing business related activities — a very innovative and educational website for parents, grandparents and especially kids.
There are many books and web sites on kids in business you can share with your grandchildren. Remember — give a child a video game and you entertain him for a few hours, teach him the value of work and he can buy his own video games and not spend as many hours playing them. That’s what a wise grandma would do.
<i>Eularee Smith is the executive director of Upstart Crow theater in Eugene, Ore., a therapy theater for at risk and handicapped children. She is also a grandmother and a free-lance writer.</i>
Our children and grandchildren have to program our VCR, DVD, cable box, computers and even our cell phones. So why should they listen to our voice of experience when it comes to learning something as mundane as mowing the lawn?
Well, take heart, my friends. The rocket science involved in mowing a lawn is beyond the younger generation. The young boy, age 15, who mows my lawn will mow around anything in his path, rather than pick it up. I move lawn furniture, hoses and toys before he comes or my lawn will look more like a bad hair day than a pristine baseball field.
Weeding is an extreme sport where they lack athletic ability. I asked this same young boy to weed a flowerbed. He pulled out everything that bloomed. When I asked him about his weed vs flower choices, he explained he figured if it bloomed it was a weed. After attending the Wildflower exhibition in Glide recently, I must admit there is a thin line.
Perhaps if mowing the lawn could be done with a video game hand control their skill would be well honed by age twelve. And yet, in this day of working parents and seniors staying in their homes longer, it seems that yard work would be a profitable business for some enterprising young person. Gone are the days of the backyard carnivals and lemonade stands that I remember. Babysitters are charging $5 an hour. That is a far cry from the going rate of 50 cents an hour 40 years ago.
Helping our grandchildren understand the value of a dollar may be a more daunting task than helping them find a job. Tom Sawyer tricked his friend into painting a fence by making it sound more like fun than work. Go into business with your grandchild. They can be the bookkeeper and you will be the front man. Invest in a summer business that will not only help them earn money, but teach them a little business savvy along the way.
Be imaginative with the name of the business, like Yard Hogs or Green Giants. Teach them how to mow, edge, trim and weed. Call your family, neighbors and friends and ask them to recommend this lawn and yard service.
Help your grandchild set up a schedule and provide transportation to the jobs for them. Once the business is going, you can suggest the need for more employees, creating jobs for their friends. And what is your return on the initial investment? Your lawn will be mowed once a week and you’ll watch your grandchild taking steps toward independence.
If you are not into capital investments, check the web site http://www.teachingkidsbusiness.com. It is an excellent resource for young people ages 8 to 18 years old to dip their fingers into the entrepreneurial pool. The free site is easy to navigate and encourages parents to be involved. TeachingKidsBusiness.com home page links kids to games, programs, a variety of resources and products to get kids doing business related activities — a very innovative and educational website for parents, grandparents and especially kids.
There are many books and web sites on kids in business you can share with your grandchildren. Remember — give a child a video game and you entertain him for a few hours, teach him the value of work and he can buy his own video games and not spend as many hours playing them. That’s what a wise grandma would do.
<i>Eularee Smith is the executive director of Upstart Crow theater in Eugene, Ore., a therapy theater for at risk and handicapped children. She is also a grandmother and a free-lance writer.</i>
