The Neighborhood Kids Are Just Fine

[redduck]

We’ve had some threads about choosing colleges and future occupations for children. We’ve also had some threads (or posts) about lack of direction school-age kids have. Many of the posts were gloomy and doomy and filled with apprehension regarding the future of the upcoming generation.

I’d like to counter that a bit with some neighborhood kids.

Over the last few years, my significant other and I found we no longer have the desire/motivation/energy/ to water the lawn as often as needed. So, we’ve hired local teen-agers walking by the house watering jobs. Each kid said, “Yes.” And, they all worked out well. The only reason for the turn-over has been that they got older and went off to college. Two went out-of-state, two went to college in Europe (one of whom is now studying toward becoming an MD). One went to UCLA and recently graduated from law school (OK, so that didn’t work out so well).

Each of these kids came from well-to-do families. Two went to expensive private high schools. Two went to charter schools. One a public school. None of them needed the watering-the-lawn money. All were responsible and did good jobs. All were self-directed regarding what college they went to and all were self-directed in choosing their majors although, of course, there were family discussions about options and choices.

[Chuckanut]

As a former Middle School teacher I can say that the vast majority of the students I taught were pretty good kids.

[NYEXPAT]

Have you considered one of those sprinklers that moves around by itself?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAPdmh1dRas

[Red Badger]

During my w*rking years, I did Junior Achievement. Lot's of good kids. I also taught bible study for middle and high school age yoots for several years. Mostly pretty good eggs.

I also thought interacting with kids helped me in keeping things in perspective regarding our youth.

[jazz4cash]

What do those jobs pay? Maybe I'll walk by your house apply for the job. Neighbor had one of those self propelled sprinklers. It took quite a while to get the hose placement optimized. Then it was mesmerizing to watch it go. Wasted a lot of time watching the sprinkler. After the novelty wore off it was too much work laying out the hose and rewinding it afterward to do it consistently.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jazz4cash What do those jobs pay? Maybe I'll walk by your house apply for the job. Neighbor had one of those self propelled sprinklers. It took quite a while to get the hose placement optimized. Then it was mesmerizing to watch it go. Wasted a lot of time watching the sprinkler. After the novelty wore off it was too much work laying out the hose and rewinding it afterward to do it consistently.

Back when we lived in Texas my late ex-husband had one of those self propelled sprinklers that look like a tiny tractor, exactly like the one shown. It was a total PITA to set out the hose correctly. He loved it, though. Guess he thought it was fun. I sure didn't and I was the one who had to use it when he was at sea (he worked on a research vessel and was gone over half the time).

One more reason why I love living in New Orleans. We have so much rainfall that I have never had to water the lawn here, and don't even own a sprinkler. OK, we DO have floods here in New Orleans sometimes. Life isn't perfect but at least Frank and I don't have to water our lawns, and our homes have never flooded (yet).

[travelover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NYEXPAT Have you considered one of those sprinklers that moves around by itself?.......

I had one of these. I'd always forget about it and find it at the end of its run churning a mud pit. It was supposed to shut off automatically but never did reliably.

[redduck]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut As a former Middle School teacher I can say that the vast majority of the students I taught were pretty good kids.

Don't Middle School kids have the reputation of being the toughest to deal with?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Badger ...I also thought interacting with kids helped me in keeping things in perspective regarding our youth.

It's fun talking to these kids. They are fairly open about their lives and they seem to like their parents. And, they are realistically optimistic about their futures.

[misshathaway]

From what I can see the parents in my neighborhood are much more involved than they ever were in the 60's.

There is an elementary school parental lobby group in my town formed to get the abbreviation "Ms" included on a spelling worksheet. Right now it has "Mrs" and "Miss"

Yesterday a group of kids came by while I was out in the yard looking for a bird bath. They were doing a scavenger hunt created by one of the parents.

Far cry from "Come home when the street lights go on"

[redduck]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jazz4cash What do those jobs pay? Maybe I'll walk by your house apply for the job.

The pay is good. The days and hours are sort of flexible. If you have band practice, home-coming, traveling to Europe for a couple of weeks, visiting potential colleges, or you're out clothes shopping with your mom, just text us and let us know and you can come another day (or not). You also get a Christmas gift and a gift upon graduation. You can also listen to music, podcasts, etc. while watering.

[audreyh1]

It’s nice to read this. I get tired of the cranky: today’s kids (as opposed to yesterday’s kids) are doomed/horrible/idiots/worthless/selfish complaints that just sound like old geezer syndrome. The young people I see around here are very polite, motivated, work hard, want to make something of themselves. It’s hard to identify with the generalized complaints about young people.

[ExFlyBoy5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelover I had one of these. I'd always forget about it and find it at the end of its run churning a mud pit. It was supposed to shut off automatically but never did reliably.

We have one that we use out back and it has been easy to use and reliable once we got a metal water hose that is easier to position.

Our neighborhood kids are good to go...never any issues with them and have used them for some small tasks (like spreading pine straw) and they did just fine. As a matter of fact, we are having our decks re-stained and the owner of the company was out here last Sunday @ 8AM to start staining...with his teenage kids doing a bulk of the work.

[happy2bretired]

I’m very happy with the young people I know. They work hard and are creating their own loving families and homes.

[Philliefan33]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 It’s nice to read this. I get tired of the cranky: today’s kids (as opposed to yesterday’s kids) are doomed/horrible/idiots/worthless/selfish complaints that just sound like old geezer syndrome. The young people I see around here are very polite, motivated, work hard, want to make something of themselves. It’s hard to identify with the generalized complaints about young people.

+1

[redduck]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 The young people I see around here are very polite, motivated, work hard, want to make something of themselves..

Quote:

Originally Posted by ExFlyBoy5 we got a metal water hose that is easier to position. Our neighborhood kids are good to go...never any issues with them and have used them for some small tasks (like spreading pine straw) and they did just fine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by happy2bretired I’m very happy with the young people I know. They work hard and are creating their own loving families and homes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Philliefan33 +1

Darn. From what I've been reading, I thought all the good kids were exclusive to my neighborhood. Uh, hold on a second...

HEY!!! YOU KID!!! GET OFF MY LAWN!!!

Oh, never mind, it's your day to water. Sorry. How's the hospital volunteering going?

[ncbill]

"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise.

Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households.

They no longer rise when elders enter the room.

They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers."

https://www.bartleby.com/73/195.html

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ncbill "The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers." https://www.bartleby.com/73/195.html

I guess it was considered rude to cross ones legs back in 400BC?

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 I guess it was considered rude to cross ones legs back in 400BC?

We don't really know, but the quote wasn't from Socrates. It only dates from 1907.

https://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/0...ancient-times/

[corn18]

We have started hiring interns again at my company. We had 7 last year and 14 this year. Fantastic kids. Motivated, brilliant and hard working. One of them helped us invent a new way to shoot holograms and applied for a patent with us. We introduced a new product with it and it’s selling like hot cakes. I would hire any of them.

[Scuba]

I mentor kids at a local university and am very inspired by them. I am not worried about the success of today’s youth.