Kids would rather play Xbox than make money shoveling. It’s pitiful.
Snowzilla has gone, leaving behind confused snowfall estimates, regrettable junk food decisions, an incubating October baby boom and a lingering sense of dread for many parents.
The work ethic of our kids: Where is it? Where are the entrepreneurial snow shovelers?
For generations of enterprising children, snowflakes might as well have been dollar bills, y’all, falling from the sky.
Ding-dong, scoop, shovel, scrape, ka-ching!
Kids jostled to be the first to ring the doorbells of the snowed-in, the $5 driveways added up and that new Atari Defender game cartridge, those rainbow Vans — yours and yours.
We as parents have allowed this dough boy generation to sit on their rear ends and do nothing. The first generation in history to have a predicted life span less than their parents.
May be the confusion is backwards. May be playing xbox is more fun, you do it with friends, it improves decision making, strategic thinking, planning, hand eye co-ordination. Snow shoveling all day to end up cold and wet and tired to have some old person try to pay you two shinie nickels cause "that would have been a windfall back in my day" and listen to their lame stories.
Oh yea. The market for shoveling just isn't as profitable. With more people with snow blowers and their own local plow service (they didn't have bak in the day) a simple cost benefit analysis shows staying warm playing xbox wins, every time.
Go grumble about the world changing and leaving you behind somewhere else, or catch up and keep living in the now. Yesterday's gone.
The generation that I shoveled for when I was a kid was grateful and they understood kids are the future. The generation my kid would shovel for are selfish, law suit happy complainers who ruined America. I don't blame him for not wanting to shovel. He's going to be shoveling for them the rest of his life.
Maybe the xbox is one of the many entertainment devices that kids should earn/save-for/buy for themselves.
The biggest then/now difference is that the parents today provide the direct cash or gift unlike the parents of the past (like mine) who said: "If you want it, buy it yourself. Don't have the money? Earn it." What they did do is help find the opportunities: Neighbors who need help with shoveling, grass cutting, leaf raking, etc; extra household chores that earned a nominal amount.
If parents want their kids to learn a good work ethic, it's up to them to teach it. If you want to mollify you kids with video games, you'll see direct results.
We as parents have allowed this dough boy generation to sit on their rear ends and do nothing. The first generation in history to have a predicted life span less than their parents.
ReplyDeleteMay be the confusion is backwards. May be playing xbox is more fun, you do it with friends, it improves decision making, strategic thinking, planning, hand eye co-ordination. Snow shoveling all day to end up cold and wet and tired to have some old person try to pay you two shinie nickels cause "that would have been a windfall back in my day" and listen to their lame stories.
ReplyDeleteOh yea. The market for shoveling just isn't as profitable. With more people with snow blowers and their own local plow service (they didn't have bak in the day) a simple cost benefit analysis shows staying warm playing xbox wins, every time.
Go grumble about the world changing and leaving you behind somewhere else, or catch up and keep living in the now. Yesterday's gone.
The generation that I shoveled for when I was a kid was grateful and they understood kids are the future. The generation my kid would shovel for are selfish, law suit happy complainers who ruined America. I don't blame him for not wanting to shovel. He's going to be shoveling for them the rest of his life.
ReplyDeleteyeah 4:40 why work when we have ebt cards and Obama phones. you are exactly right yesterday is gone. so is america
ReplyDeleteMaybe the xbox is one of the many entertainment devices that kids should earn/save-for/buy for themselves.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest then/now difference is that the parents today provide the direct cash or gift unlike the parents of the past (like mine) who said: "If you want it, buy it yourself. Don't have the money? Earn it." What they did do is help find the opportunities: Neighbors who need help with shoveling, grass cutting, leaf raking, etc; extra household chores that earned a nominal amount.
If parents want their kids to learn a good work ethic, it's up to them to teach it. If you want to mollify you kids with video games, you'll see direct results.
Sooooooooo, are we going to stop blaming Mexicans for taking American jobs that Americans won't do?
ReplyDeleteMost STDs present no signs at all.
ReplyDelete