Work develops children’s skills
Every parent would like to have a happy child. It’s that strong wish for success and fulfillment that often causes parents to give too much and protect too much.
It may be surprising that a study begun in 1940 indicates that adults who are happiest in their life work were once working children. Having been exposed to different kinds of jobs, they learned to set goals, pace themselves at work and leisure, save money and be thriftier.
Also, having shared responsibilities at various ages, they had happier marriages and families. The give and take of shouldered responsibilities fostered a feeling of cooperation and mutual respect.
Because they were exposed to many kinds of work, they had better decision-making skills in choosing their life work. They gained competence and experienced small successes and failures along the way. Accepting that their abilities gave them things they could and could not do, they felt good about themselves.
How can parents prepare their children for the working world?
• Start at an early age. Even a 3-year-old can pick up toys and take dirty clothes to the laundry bag. A 6-year-old can set the table or take out the trash. Degrees of difficulty in the task to be performed can be increased as the child matures.
• Be sure children understand their duties. Confidence follows when understanding is firm. A parent needs to spend time with a child to demonstrate. Cooking, ironing, mending, gardening, repairing, building, etc. can be quality time if the parent and child work together. By sharing, a feeling of interdependence develops.
• The best pay is a hug or a smile. Children need to understand the family requires each person to pull his or her own load. Appreciation must be shown on the completion of any task, no matter how small.
• Pay for extra work. If an unexpected job arises, family members may discuss the cost of hiring someone to do it or pitching in and doing it themselves. The savings can be shared by performing members with an equitable amount given each person.
Encourage them to seek some type of employment outside the home as age permits. Here they will learn to please their employer, conform to another person’s standards and increase their knowledge and skills in a variety of ways.
• At each stage of development the dignity of work, as well as its rewards, should be discussed. Vocational co-op programs in high school, as well as work-study programs in college, reiterate these goals.
• Don’t overdo it. High school students, in particular, tend to be overly enthusiastic about earning money to pay for an automobile, to buy new faddish clothes outside the family budget and to spend more than a reasonable amount on entertainment. Consequently, too many working hours can lower grades at school and cause unnecessary fatigue. Over commitment to work also causes a feeling of too much responsibility too soon.
Work should be a part of every child’s day, but work doesn’t mean supporting one’s self or the family. It means completion of an assigned task. Continuing research strongly indicates that children who earn their way all along become better achievers in life. And that means happiness.
Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright 1986
