Get off of the couch!

I remember the first time I had a paying job where I was not working for my parents or next-door neighbor. A friend from church had a small farm and needed some help with chores. I would go over on Saturday morning and do all kinds of jobs that I had never done before. It was a valuable experience for me, although I quickly discovered a few tasks that I did not want as part of my career. In a similar way, this is a good time for your kids to start those kinds of jobs. Those work opportunities provide your kids with some extra cash, which they want, and they provide lessons about responsibility. Also, it’s amazing how teens are usually more responsible with and take better care of things they have bought with their own money.

I remember the first time I had a paying job where I was not working for my parents or next-door neighbor. A friend from church had a small farm and needed some help with chores. I would go over on Saturday morning and do all kinds of jobs that I had never done before. It was a valuable experience for me, although I quickly discovered a few tasks that I did not want as part of my career. In a similar way, this is a good time for your kids to start those kinds of jobs. Those work opportunities provide your kids with some extra cash, which they want, and they provide lessons about responsibility. Also, it’s amazing how teens are usually more responsible with and take better care of things they have bought with their own money.

At a certain point, your kids will run out of ways to make extra money at home—or you’ll run out of jobs and money to pay them. Maybe they want different jobs or greater earning opportunities, so they will start looking outside your home. My first business venture was mowing yards. I started with people in our neighborhood, and once I had a car, the sky was the limit.
More potential jobs:

– Window washing
– Mowing
– Baby-sitting
– Painting
– House cleaning
– Caring for pets / walking dogs
– Helping people move
– Tutoring
– Running errands
– Washing or detailing cars
– Selling items on eBay
– Setting up and maintaining an Internet store
– Shoveling snow
– Delivering papers
– Teaching computer skills
– Creating websites

This list is a small portion of the possibilities, but it should help get your kids’ minds working on ways to make extra money.

As they begin work for people outside of your family, one of your roles is to help coach them. What does it mean to do their best? What makes for a job well done? Why is it important to show up on time? They need to learn about concepts like expectations, excellence, and what it means to work at something “with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not for people, because you know that you will receive your inheritance from the Lord as the reward” (Colossians 3:23-24).

Our work ethic is important to our employer and as an example to our children. How are you helping your kids learn to work?