Should children be put to work earlier to learn valuable life skills?

[wolfcat87]

It used to be the norm around the world to have children work jobs even at 5 years old.

Now, some societies seem to want to keep children away from work until they are well into adulthood at 25-30!

My mother took me to work instead of daycare before kindergarten, so I learned contracting work and fixing up houses by watching and helping her before I was even in school. Farmers, other contractors, and mechanics often do similar things with their children to teach them.

Do you feel children should be working earlier instead of later so they can learn skills and get ahead?

Yes

No

Unsure

[NathanDavis]

We've been teaching my niece about business and the cost, as well as the value of money since she was around 10 or 11

So yes, she is very aware of the work and the effort that it takes us all to provide for her and others, the way we do

and she has gotten a few things for herself that she wants and also covers most of the costs to take care of her doggo

She is a teen now so, she is also responsible and helpful with all of the chores around the house, including doing her cooking and her laundry and more... as soon as she turns 16 or so, it will be time for her to learn about banks, saving accounts, driving AND car payments, all that stuff... so yeah, when the time comes, she will be way more ready for adulting responsibly, way more ready than I was at her age lmao, that for sure

[Massageman]

My 11 year-old, homeschooled grandson has his own business making custom-made, hand-crocheted toys and decorations. In the summer, he and his two siblings had a lemonade stand in the front yard and brought in $180 in one afternoon. They are already well on their way to learning basic life skills. They all can cook something, from pancakes to more complex dishes, and I was teaching the grandson how to machine see as well as crochet, which he already does. They're all at the age when their brains sop up this stuff SOOOOOO quickly!

[Massageman]

oops - that's machine SEW, of course.

[theothersider]

You don't need to make kids work to teach them skills. You teach them responsibility and the value of thier time by giving them things to challenge them to grow and understand the world around them. If you are so inclined you can been reward them for that. The examples of past children in the work place. Almost always devolved into exploitation. Chimney sweeps for example, where usually young boys who were adopted by an older man. They would then starve them down to stunt thier growth or keep them skiny enough to fit into chimneys. Many would get stuck and be left to die because the price of tearing down chimneys was more than the cost of those boys lives. Women who worked in cotton mills. They would usually keep younger girls to crawl under cotton threshers and milling equipment. To collect the excess cotton. It wasn't uncommon for the machines to snatch these girls by the hair and crush them head first into machinery... in the late 1800s early 1900s people under the age of adult. Made up the vast majority of work place deaths and accidents. It's the reason we have hyper restrictive child labour laws today... because kids historically do not make good safe employees. I could go on and on why we don't send children that young into the work force. But just suffice it to say it was not productive.

[handsomelad70]

Not to mention slave children were sent to the fields about seven, I believe.(My great-grandparents were slaves.) Only in America, which has declared was on its future (children) would this question be seriuosly entertained.

[MrOracle]

Kids don't necessarily need to have a "formal" job - we don't need kids working in factories - but they should absolutely have tasks/chores that increase in complexity as they age. Everyone should learn how to do physical work and to do basic tasks that we all need done in life. Everyone should be able to cook a meal, clean and put away the dishes, mow a lawn, wash a car, rake and bag leaves, properly plant a tree or shrub, vacuum, mop, sweep, clean a bathroom, etc. These are all BASIC tasks that only require a small amount of learned skills to do, and most average 10-year-olds could do them.

Parents who spoil their kids and shelter them from doing work are NOT doing their children a favor - nor the rest of society.

[Phoenix98]

Your right it used to be common to have children working full time jobs at 5 years old but then you also have to remember a lot of those kids died in various ways to from workplace accidents to cancer or got crippled or died of sickness.

I'm not against teaching kids these things at a young age however I don't think we need to be putting kids back into factories or having them have formal 9-5 jobs.

But having them do chores around the house like weed eating, chopping wood, mowing the lawn, doing the dishes for a price every week absolutely that'll teach them the value of hard work and the reward of an income that comes with it.

As well as having them "help" you with things while you show and teach them how to fix something or do something.

[RingOfFire]

Absolutely!

Kids should start working the second they pop out of the womb. I mean I wouldn't hand them a scissors to let them cut the cord or anything, but there must be SOMETHING they can do there in that room while everyone else is so busy. 🤔

The sooner you teach them the work ethic the better.

One of the objections to kids working you hear is about ABUSING them with child slave labor. That of course is an entirely different thing not to be confused with teaching them the work ethic from an early age.

A lot of kids in the younger generations clearly did NOT get that lesson and the country is worse off for it today. They think the "government" (which really means other people) owes them a living and complain that they have to work to pay their own way.

[IslaTheWitch]

I wouldn't say to work as such. But to chores at home, to help in the community, to help their neighbours or relatives...

Some of those things can be paid. Like, grandparents are very happy to give a few coins for cleaning windows or removing leaves from the yard... :D

[tremendousfern]

I think kids should start by learning to work with their parents when they're young. I got my first job the summer before I started high school which I feel like is a good age to start doing part time or seasonal work. Even though I feel like work is a valuable experience for kids to learn about, they should still be able to have an enjoyable childhood and not be forced into a sweatshop.

[RavVid]

I'm off a farm and of course I had tasks and responsibilities. At school what got you credit was if your father gave you a very responsible job. And as you said it was the way you were taught.

I am really quite surprised at how little youths have. My contemporaries in the city had after school jobs. You can quite reasonably describe 22 yo's as children as they have not been allowed to grow.

[DJB72]

Yes. There's nothing wrong with the system that worked for centuries where children learned how to do jobs around the home like cooking, cleaning, washing up, the basic chores.

My son (5) actually bugs me to teach him about cooking and cleaning. Makes me a proud dad.

[handsomelad70]

Wish I learned to cook at five !!!

[TenderFantasy]

No that's insane!

Kids should concentrate on being kids! They already have enough to deal with and don't have the mental brain volume to absorb all that!

I think the earliest people should start working is like 16 to 19 and up.

You can get a work permit like some people were able to get in my high school when they got a job.

Being a kid and going to school is already a full-time job, not to mention them doing chores when they got home from work! No need to add from that! They get an allowance already so that should be good enough! They are not matured enough to handle adult responsibilities like driving, having sex, etc! They should STAY CHILDREN and ENJOY THEIR YOUTH!

[Ironco]

Children should most definitely be put to work early in life. Maybe not 5 but for sure by junior high school. I'm a gen x kid, you worked or they put you to work. I believe it helped greatly in my future development into society. It's also gave me confidence, and a strong work ethic, not like a lot of the people today.

[Daniela1982]

Kids seem to grow up too soon, especially sexually, before their time. They need to be able to be kids. Some of my fondest memories are when I was a kid. I think it can actually do them harm in the long run. They don't even have the strength to do a lot of stuff anyway. "Hey Bobby, can you bring that 100 lb tool box over here and load it in the truck."

[Telekinetic-Potato]

I think the rules we have in the US are pretty good. 16 to work most jobs, 18 to do anything dangerous. Do I think it could go a little younger? For sure.

But we need to be careful about letting children work too young because there are economic factors which might not be immediately obvious. These rules were put in place for good reasons.

[its_amelia_c]

It’s not jobs, it’s chores! Yes they should! It teaches them responsibilities and respect.
And then yes as they become teenagers they should get a part time job to earn some pocket money and again learn what growing up and responsibilities are. As long as it doesn’t interfere with their school work and family time etc.

[PBandJ_Nerd]

I think doing chores and volunteering for stuff is fine. But actual work no. People always want to make kids grow up & mature faster than they can, just let kids be kids. Doesn't mean you can't teach them stuff for later on. I only started helping around the house more when I was an adult, but that's probably more fitting to my development, can't say the same for anybody else.

[handsomelad70]

RIGHT ON, PBandJ_Nerd !!!

[PBandJ_Nerd]

@handsomelad70 I remember even when I was a teen I just wanted to be a kid. Dealing with both homework and anxiety disorders was awful and exhausting.

[LaFemmeFatale_1]

I believe children should learn things early on. So, yes, I’d try to equip my children with all the necessary skills that an adult needs to have.

[Anonymous]

I learned from an early age that if you want something you have to either ask for it or work for it, and to lower yourself to begging for a thing from anyone is disgraceful upon you as well as your family and your people. I've had at least a part time job since i was 9, and I'm proud of it and of what i know

[handsomelad70]

Rich folk get stuff handed to them all the time, Anonymous (18-24). Having a part-time job from nine means you were robbed of your childhood. (I don't know about YOUR people, but MINE have been robbed for 405 years.)

[Joshydavid25]

Absolutely, teaching them not to be spoiled and have responsibility is one of the best lessons parents could teach a child.. Having them earn whatever extra they get seems to build work ethic.. I'll definitely do that with my kids..

[goaded]

Doing what your parents do and helping around the house is reasonable, I was helping on the farm from early on, but having children work to make money for employers is wrong.

Loads of US states (16?) have passed multiple laws making legalising child labour.

[exitseven]

I often made my kids help me around the house. Most of the time it would have been easier for me to just do it myself but I tried to teach then some life skills.

[worldscolide]

If 5 years old is the suggestion than no.. But I have been working since I was 14. I think 14 or 15 is a good age to have a part time job so thry can learn basic work ethic and skills. Mind you part time. As in 20 hours or less per week. School should still be a priority.