Lazy Kids and the End of Entrepreneurship in America
The Future of Entrepreneurship in America
I noticed something strange while sitting on my front porch today: A professional landscaping crew of seven had descended on my cul-de-sac to industriously cut the lawns and trim the bushes at my home and the homes of my neighbors on either side.
While this same event happens twice each week during this time of year, it finally struck me as odd today when I realized that there were children of lawn-mowing-age living under our very roofs. In fact, of the eight kids occupying our three homes, five of them are old enough to mow lawns. (While I began mowing neighborhood lawns for cash at 9, I am only counting those kids 11 and above as being of lawn-mowing-age.)
Help Wanted: Lawn Mowing Tweens and Teens
It’s not like we never offered to let our children mow our lawns for cash. I have offered, begged, cajoled and even pleaded with both of my sons of lawn-mowing-age to let me keep the cash in the family. My oldest mowed twice last year, though once he had earned enough cash to acquire whatever video game he simply had to have at the moment, he lost interest. (We “allowed” him to lose interest because he seemed unwilling or unable to edge or trim; a feature we enjoy with our current professional landscapers.) Likewise, my neighbors have used every tactic known to mankind to see their kids on the business end of a lawnmower, all with no luck.
Something has changed over the past few decades. While I’d prefer not to sound like my father or grandfather and lament about how “this generation blah, blah, blah;” it’s important to mention that my current neighbors and I literally fought with kids in our respective neighborhoods to mow the lawns, trim the bushes or shovel the snow of childless homeowners back in the 1970’s and 80’s.
What does all of this mean?
The End of Entrepreneurship in America
American fathers and mothers of school-aged children should sit down when they read this: Your kids are destined to lead a life of indentured servitude. They don’t share the American Dream that made Gates a billionaire and Obama a President. They want everything handed to them, and that simply will not happen in the real world.
I wish the news was better, but it seems they are lazy and they are ungrateful and they’ve lost the Great American Spirit and innate entrepreneurship that built such lasting companies as Lehman Brothers, WorldCom and Enron.
The good news is that they can always get jobs as landscapers.
Bizinaboxx
October 29, 2009 @ 10:50 PM
The “oh-so-deserved” allowance for doing nothing is part of the problem; the encouragement that people are entitled to the things they want. What ever happened to earning an allowance or even unpaid chores?
Why is it that we feel taking our kids to dance or tennis lessons prepares them for the real world and yet we cringe at the thought of teaching our kids how to earn a living – something that will prepare them for the real world? Teaching kids the value of a dollar, hard work and even how to earn or make a living are vital skill sets. Even more, our economy depends on small businesses for employment, growth and innovation and without teaching the next generation how to do it will only collapse our economy further.
Traci
April 28, 2009 @ 5:28 PM
Maybe it’s just because I don’t have kids, but my first reaction after reading that article was:
“Damn, right on, short and to the point.”
I can’t find anywhere the author states they get some padded allowances and furthermore they had to mow lawns to earn enough to get a video game, then they played the crap out of it and stopped mowing the lawn. 🙂
I do think Manager needs to tell them: “Today is your day to mow the lawn, I will edge the trim and help you, let’s go, now.” And if they don’t like that, start cursing and throwing things. Kids these days are crazy.
Popeye
April 28, 2009 @ 9:44 AM
Brutus, are you slow or what? I can’t believe anyone could read this article and not realize the author has his tongue firmly planted in his cheek.
You are an idiot, sir. Now go eat your spinach.
Ugh, ugh, ugh.
TheManager
April 26, 2009 @ 7:09 PM
Touche… of course, would you rather I waste my time reading vanity blogs?
Brutus
April 26, 2009 @ 6:48 PM
You’re joking, right? It sounds like you’re a lazy parent. “Gosh, kids don’t want to mow our lawns! I know, I’ll write a witty blog about it rather than actually doing anything about it.”
Now, quit complaining, give the kids their oh-so-deserved allowance, and go back to your vanity blogging.