Working for Opportunities

I like to watch "Leave it to Beaver" sometimes. I find it amusing. In the most recent episode I watched, Wally asked for nearly $4 to cover the cost of a uniform for a neighborhood baseball team. (I found it interesting that these were professional-looking baseball uniforms, from head to toe, not simply a t-shirt and hat.) Wally's father would not give him the money, but made him earn it by doing yard work for twenty-five cents an hour. All the other neighborhood boys were given the same arrangement by their parents: work at twenty-five cents an hour to earn the uniform, meaning that each boy would have to work for about 16 hours to get their uniforms. The boys started working and then there was a twist in the show, they learned a lesson in economics, and the show ended with the boys finally earning and wearing their uniforms.

This show was aired 58 years ago, and a lot has changed since then, but it got me thinking. When my daughter joined a neighborhood t-ball team, I handed over the $35 without much thought. She didn't have to earn it, and if she had, I likely wouldn't have made her do hard work for 16 hours. But maybe I shouldn't just hand over money like that. These days, I think most parents simply hand over the money for what their children want, especially if it's for sports, music, or other lessons or classes. We pay so that our kids can have opportunities. The opportunities to learn, play, participate in, and pursue sports, art, music, dance, martial arts, and other interests. We are all about giving our children opportunities. But should earning be a part of the opportunity? Hmmm. It's food for thought.

I try to raise my children to not have an attitude of entitlement, which seems so prevalent in society today. A part of parenting is providing for our children, which in some cases means shelling out the money for them to take piano lessons, swim lessons, play on a team, or other things that we know will be good for them, but that they may not initially be interested in. However, there are many things that my children do want. Instead of handing those things over or simply saying "No", I could make my children work for them (though I suspect I'll still be saying 'No' to some things). They can learn to work for things that they want, and that will prepare them for adulthood and teach them to work hard, learn the value of work, and appreciate what they have.

I'm not going to make my kids earn every little thing. They're still kids and they have a lot of learning and growing to do before they're ready to face adulthood. But now I'm going to stop and think the next time money is requested.

Today's pondering brought to you by "Leave it to Beaver"!