Giving out experience

[bluedogz]

Been away too long and had to get back to it...

Had 3 or 4 piles around the property of split-and-dumped wood that I'd never stacked. Wasn't even sure how much- just a pile here and a pile there. Plus, a BIG pile of unsplit cherry rounds that's been sitting for 18 months.

So, a co-worker says, "My 12-year-old son wants a new pair of Air Jordans, and I'm d****d if I'm paying $150 for them." So I says, "How about he works for them?" Dad thought that was fabulous and sent him over. We agreed that son would get minimum wage in cash dispensed to Dad- I think Dad wanted to show him, 'This is what minimum wage is, kiddo.'

I rent a 22-ton splitter from the local rent-a-wreck, and away we go. Kid got the lessons:
- Make sure your pallet is level BEFORE you begin stacking
- Stacking wood twice sucks more than twice as much as stacking it once
- the dry gray ugly-looking wood is the good stuff
- water weighs a LOT
- garter snakes aren't dangerous
- neither are woodchucks
- running the splitter when you're 12 is AWESOME
- gloves are a good idea

3 cords later ... he's asking when he can come back and do it again!
3 cords- 5 hours- not a bad pace, I think...

 

[Applesister]

Wow 3 cords in 5 hours! thats a grueling pace(from a girls perspective)

 

[bluedogz]

Wow 3 cords in 5 hours! thats a grueling pace(from a girls perspective)

Is it?
Most of it was already split (from the piles)- we had to split only about 1/2 cord.

 

[Michael Golden]

I think that is great! I know a couple kids that age and they don't lift a finger to help, I just shake my head because it isn't my place to say anything. But, they expect new clothes and going to the movies all the time!

 

[Lumber-Jack]

Wow 3 cords in 5 hours! thats a grueling pace(from a girls perspective)

Pretty sure he was being sarcastic.

I say good on you for giving that young man a job, he must have not minded the work much if he came back for more at minimum wage. Or maybe 5 hours at min. wage just wasn't enough to buy those shoes yet?

I got two sons who are young men now, they often get odd jobs with neighbors and friends. Sometimes they only make minimum wage (sometimes they do it for free), but sometimes I'm a little jealous with the money they earn. It seems they get paid the best when they don't negotiate a price before doing the job and just let the person pay them what they think they figure they were worth.

 

[Applesister]

I have several members of my family in the military. "Pain is weakness leaving the body" is a philosophy.
I say, bring it on.
If you can motivate a kid to do physical work, its pretty amazing these days.

 

[bluedogz]

Also, keep in mind than I'm doing this stuff single-handedly in the truest sense of the word, so if I and the I'd can do three cords over ANY period of time, I'm happy...

 

[ScotO]

Good on ya for giving those kids some real-world experience! My youngest son has been a good little helper the past several weeks, and he's getting motivated by the money he can earn, and he's eager to help me on the tree work I have scheduled next month.......

I love seeing a kid learn what it's like to put in some hard work to earn some dough.....they spend waaaaay too much time sittin' around on video games and computers nowadays...

 

[bluedogz]

Good on ya for giving those kids some real-world experience! My youngest son has been a good little helper the past several weeks, and he's getting motivated by the money he can earn, and he's eager to help me on the tree work I have scheduled next month.......

I love seeing a kid learn what it's like to put in some hard work to earn some dough.....they spend waaaaay too much time sittin' around on video games and computers nowadays...

That's why Dad and I agreed on minimum wage on a Saturday morning. I think Dad got something of a wake-up call when kid asked for new Air Jordans.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

No way around it. This is a good lesson for the boy. Sounds like he enjoyed it too.

 

[osagebow]

Great list of lessons there...that kid will appreciate those new kicks and have a story not many of his peers can match.