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full time. The job skills they learn will be invaluable. Children learn the responsibility of getting to work on time, calling in when they are unable to go to work, and completing a certain mount of work within a given time period. Children also learn what types of work they most enjoy and what types they least enjoy. Some children will find they are happiest working with their hands or working outdoors. Others will decide they most enjoy working in a social setting or in a quiet office. Young people also learn to open checking accounts, write checks, use debit cards, and budget their money.

Parents could just give their children an allowance and pay for all the extra things their children want, but hard times will come, either while the child is still at home or after he is on his own. Learning the value of doing a good job for pay and what it means to sacrifice in order to have what you want or need is never a wasted lesson. Things that children must work for are generally treated much better than things given to them. Life will be more difficult in the days to come. The better prepared a child is to face the future, the easier it will be for her to be creative in order to survive. Children have been working for centuries to earn a little pocket money. Working conditions have greatly improved and there is certainly no better time for children to learn responsibility.

After school and weekend jobs are harder to find with the unemployment rate nearing ten percent. If businesses are not hiring in your neighborhood, your children could offer services at a reasonable rate for friends, relatives, and neighbors. Some examples of services include: car washing and detailing, babysitting, running errands, house sitting, mowing lawns, pet sitting, tending a garden while the owners are away, and cleaning houses. Another way to earn pocket money is to pick blackberries, raspberries, mulberries, blueberries, and pick up pecans and other nuts to sell in the neighborhood, to friends and family, and even to some local grocery stores if there is enough volume.

As children work to earn their money, the are instilled with good work ethics, resilience, and creativity. The benefits include much more than just money. Working engages children in productive activities that keep them physically fit, increases their ability to learn quickly and easily, and helps grow a strong and proper sense of self-esteem.

Learn more about this author, Barbara Stanley.
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