Cultivating a Work Ethic in Your Children

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Do you have a long to do list of projects that you’d like to accomplish?  I know we do!   Saturday, for us, was project day.  Our biggest goal was to mow.  We mow for my husband’s parents (who live out-of-state but still own a house here).  In addition, we have a home on almost 5 acres that starts getting way out of control in the rainy season if we’re not careful!  I have a perfectly capable husband and 14-year-old son who could have gone and mowed at my in-law’s house without us, but this time Mr. Sidetracked wanted to make it a family affair.

I know that sounds somewhat chaotic, taking a baby, toddler and elementary aged kids all out to mow, but it’s a big 1 acre yard and we were trying to cultivate a little work ethic as well as spend time together as a family.  We feel it is very important to work side by side with our children in order to train them in necessary skills (such as mowing and yard work) as well as train them in character (like diligence, perseverance, good attitude, etc.).

So how exactly did you all stay busy mowing one yard, you ask?  I mean, there ARE 8 people to keep busy.

Here’s how we did it:

Mommy (that’s me!):  I got the cushy job.  I used the riding mower.

Daddy:  He was the user of the chain saw & the weed eater.  Let me tell you there were lots of places to keep that thing busy!

DS 14:  Push mowed around the tight places & later drug trees that were too big for the girls to drag.

DD 12, DD 9:  Used pinchers to clip overgrown vines, trees and weeds and drag them to the burn pile (the house is outside of the city limits where they’re allowed to burn).

 

DD 6:  Baby entertainer.  We had a sheet that we laid out for the baby to sit on away from any mowing and she helped take care of him there within our view.

DD 3:  Well….she missed out on it all.  She fell asleep in the car on the way over.  Can you believe that the mowing didn’t even wake her up?  She’ll get in on it next time!  Had she been awake, she would help drag sticks to the pile and help entertain the baby.

DS 10 months:  He loves loud noises, so he would’ve been happy to chase the mower around the yard if we’d let him.  He played happily with his sisters.  He loves the outdoors!

While it was sometimes too loud to actually have much conversation, it was still cultivating a work ethic within them.  It makes them a part of a large project.  It shows them what happens when so many people work together.  It shows them how quick we can get a job done if we all stick with it.  It whispers that it is important to spend time together, even when we’re working.  It illustrates that you can actually have fun while working.

Let me assure you that we are not always in tune to working alongside our children.  There are times that we want to do it alone or don’t feel like having to think about children working alongside us.  I am especially guilty of taking over for my older kids when I think it will be easier for me to just do it myself.  I’m having to retrain my brain to think through not taking over.  My goal is to teach them how to do it, even if they don’t get it right the first time.  In addition, I do not want to react harshly or with surprise when they don’t quite get it.  My job as their teacher, is to accept them where they are and continue to prod them on to a job well done.

After all, a family that mows together, grows together.

What about you?  How do you work together with your children in order to grow their work ethic?

 

If you are interested in further resources, check out the book Created For Work.  It is geared for boys, but goes into detail about how you should strive toward good character while working.  We read it together as a family, even with our 4 girls.