Getting your kids involved at work

[Rockers]

My oldest son will be 15 this month. Just 5 years short of him being an adult. like most of the teenagers in his age he spends most of his time in front of the PS 4, no sports no real interest in school and no idea what to do once he is done with high school. As our shop is a family business I consider now to get him involved during the summer break which is a good 6-7 weeks here. Hopefully by having him in the shop 3 times a week might get him interested in our business and the different aspects of it. I think there is a lot of stuff he could do which should not be too much for a 15 year old teenager. Recycling screens, learning how to burn simple 1 color images, pulling stock, etc. Now one thing I`m not certain about is if I should pay him for that time he works at our shop. That way he might have more of an incentive to come and help us. I`m sure some of you guys have your own kids involved in your shop or maybe even have them take over the business one day?

[Dottonedan]

I have this friend who walked into a donut shop today and I or he noticed the Chinese owner had his son making donuts in the back. The son looked to be 6 or 7 years old. He looked pretty legit like he knew what he was doing.  Child labor laws were put in place to protect people from harm, but training someone in your family to take over the business one day or for a career or skill is another thing. I'm all for training the youngsters (if they are into it). I've spoke to a few shop owners that have tried the same thing and have not had a good experience with it. I often hear the youth today want things given and would rather sit in front of a game but I believe in them and know they will step up when needed.

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

Yes, by all means pay him what he's worth!

I'm 61 and "back in the day" we got em all involved in our sign business... before we became garment decoraters. My oldest son welded, bent the sheet metal, painted and wired an entire electic sign cabinet while still in High School. And helped me hang it. He's now a farmer and a self employed auto body technician and @ 30 (or 31?...I forget) has his house and farm buildings almost paid for. He and his wife are expecting out first grandbaby in July.

We were designed to work. It creates satisfaction, and a sense of self-worth not to mention wealth.

Your instincts are right. Make him work and make him glad he did!! Do it all with appropriate praise and $$. (Or yen??)

He probably won't be interested in your business as his future. At least be prepared for that. But he'll learn to work anyways. And that is a good thing! Most of our youngsters in the USA can't even change their own flat tires.

Sad...

[GKitson]

DO IT, best choice you will ever make.

My girls had no choice, they worked for Dad or somebody who could pay better than Dad.  Started in their teens worked hard when we did, played when we did.

Both went to college, had to work 5 years in a real job before I would talk to them about coming into the family business and both have chosen careers that they excel at outside of my business, however they know how to work. 

No regrets on my part, running a small family business is hard but they knew the score and made their choices.

I am proud to say the kids are using my favorite rule on the grand kids now and I love it.  That rule is simple, "If you accept responsibilities in life you get privileges!  Nothing is free and you are entitled to nothing unless you earn it", end of the rules.

I am proud of my kids!

~Kitson

[mooseman]

I started working at age 7 in the family grocery store. I swept floors, sorted dirty filthy return bottles when they were 2 cents each and the Pepsi bottles went back to Pepsi, Carling Black Label bottles had to back to Carling etc.
I scraped the butcher block, cleaned sidewalks, stocked shelves, bagged and delivered customer orders in a 1953 panel truck I would kill to have today and on and on for years.
All of that taught me what I feel is a great work ethic and I had a solid association between work and reward.
My grand children today are around  the same age that I was when I started working for my family.

When they visit my shop I put tem to work, they cut shirts for rags, sweep the floor, sort shirts and just about anything else I can assign them to do. I get to watch how they think and act when they forget that I am watching them. I will increase their responsibilities as they grow and continue to visit, I hope they will. My wish is that after it all they will either learn the value of work or the value of a good education.

mooseman

[AntonySharples]

Oh yeah.  My son is 13, and he works after school reclaiming and cleaning.  After next week, he is off for the summer and will work full time.  He is extremely excited at how much money he can make (I pay him $4 an hr, until he proves he can make it a day without me catching him on his ipod playing games).  Kids need to learn how to work.  I explain to him all the time how he has such an advantage having a father who owns a business that can give him the opportunity to learn and develop the skills to be successful in life before others do.

[Hey Monkey]

Absolutely. I will be putting my daughter to work in my shop this summer and paying her for it as well. She is super excited. My thing is figuring out logistics, She is in a wheelchair but otherwise very ablebodied and minded. Working all that out now.

[Prosperi-Tees]

We put our oldest to work in the shop every summer and he absolutely hated it even though he would get paid. Needless to say he will be graduating high school in June and is now enrolled for fall at a state university.  If he learned anything it was that he definitely didn't want to toil in the heat all day when we were printing, heck I don't either but I don't have a choice.

[bimmridder]

I'm proud to say my son is one of my best employees. Just a few years in and he does pretty damn good. Started through a temp service like every other employee I have. Half the people here don't even know he's my son. He's working for, and earning everything he gets. I'm not saying this is his best carreer choice, but he's doing well and learning a lot about printing...and life.

[mk162]

i am a product of this very thing.

I seriously started when I was around 13 during summers.  I untaped, cleaned, reclaimed, and folded.  I started at the bottom and was running the shop at 19.  I moved into sales and then eventually bought the company.

The reason your son sits in front of video games all day is because you let him.  I had nintendo and PC games, but my dad got me off my ass and put me to work learning things like how to roof, small engine repair.  I wasn't allowed to waste my days playing games.  Also though, we went fishing a ton...where I also learned boat repair, fish cleaning and other things like that.

He does nothing because you let him...put him to work, pay him for it and he will learn work/rewards.

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

<snip>The reason your son sits in front of video games all day is because you let him.  I had nintendo and PC games, but my dad got me off my ass and put me to work learning things like how to roof, small engine repair.  I wasn't allowed to waste my days playing games.  Also though, we went fishing a ton...where I also learned boat repair, fish cleaning and other things like that.

He does nothing because you let him...put him to work, pay him for it and he will learn work/rewards.

Oh yeah.  Sounds like BALANCE to me. It's a lost art. Brad's Dad had it figured out.

The trap is easy to fall into. Instead of working for 6 days, and making the 7th that "day of rest", we tend to go to one extreme or the other. Workaholics VS Useless Eaters. Balance is a tightrope act.

We did okay with the young-uns in that area, but I'd sure change some things if I could do them over again.

And modelling a balanced life ideally starts waaaaay before 15. Put the video games in the closet for a while and expect shrieking.

He won't die.

[cleveprint]

ive been in my family's shop since i can remember. started here in 6th grade cleaning screens and folding at the end of the dryer. went to college to be an idiot for 4 years (biggest waste of money ever) and ended up coming right back here starting full time after i was done. there are times when its really challenging working with family. here in our shop its my dad, brother, uncle. the rest might as well be family too. challenging that we argue with each other like we are family, but it should be that we are fellow employees and should be treating each other with respect. but all in all, we all know that its a family business and whats good for the company is good for the family.

ive been here full time for 14 years now. ive got a LOT to learn before buying the company!!!

[RGB]

    Kids should get there first jobs outside the family (IMO), For the simple fact they have to work, not learn to manipulate family members for what they can get away with.... And stop Pooing on the games, they are kids, There is a lot worse things they could be doing. Besides, that is the modern equivalent of human interaction.... IE: Online and connected to their friends.

[mk162]

games are fine...but moderation.

What turned me off to video games was playing Privateer for an entire day...seriously I did nothing else all day but that.  When the sun went down I felt like crap because I accomplished nothing.

So yes, I will poo-poo games.

[whitewater]

i have my stepson working here since he was 11.  catching shirts at first..last year..taking shirts off the auto, counting shirts in, had hime print 40 left chests..because he is finally tall enough.

When we did our open house he took everyone on a tour and explained how it all worked. he was 12.

this last year he bacame involved in video games , its damn annoying.. does want to do anything else.  we have been nipping that in the bud..your right brad, poo poo the games...

no one ever said " i want to marry a gamer"