My husband is one of the hardest workers I know. He grew up on a farm and he learned at a young age that if you don't put forth the effort, you may be without. Unfortunately, many kids in our society, do not appreciate what it means to work hard. They are lazy and they expect everything to simply be handed to them.
Many parents are aiding in this laziness epidemic and are not giving their children the opportunity to build strong work ethic. Here are five ways parents can put a stop to this laziness.
1. Assign chores
Helping around the house is one of the best ways to teach children the value of work, even at a small age. Children and teens should be able to make their bed, do dishes, put their clean clothes away and more. If parents do everything for them, they are depriving their children the opportunity to learn basic housekeeping tasks. Children will not learn the effort that is required and needed to enjoy the benefits of a well-kept home.
2. Don't be your child's own personal banker
When I was a teenager, I never understood why my parents would not give me money to see a movie with my friends. However, this became one of the greatest lessons my parents taught me as a teen. For one, I learned to value my money. If I didn't want to spend my money on a certain movie, I didn't go. Two, I appreciated the time with my friends more. Three, I learned to work for my money. I was able to graduate college with no student loans and am now able to be a stay-at-home mom.
It is hard to tell your children, "No," when they ask for something, but if you continually hand them whatever they desire, you are creating a monster. You will be bailing them out for years to come. A few no's may go a long way when teaching your kids.
3. Evaluate yourself
If you are lazy, you will most likely have lazy children. Your children pick up on your habits. If your home is cluttered and dirty, your children will accept that as normal and theirs will be also. If you are constantly asking others to help you out instead of learning to work for something, your children will once again think it is OK. Evaluate your work ethic. Do you put a 100 percent into a project? Even a small project like cleaning the bathroom or doing the dishes? The way you work is exactly how your children will learn to work.
4. Encourage commitment
Commitment is a valuable characteristic in an individual. When a child is committed to something, whether it be a goal, a homework assignment, a chore or even a job, he is more likely to put forth his best effort. A lack of commitment is one of the first steps to a lazy or an incomplete job.
5. Work with them
The best way to teach your children to work is to work right alongside them. Teach them how things are done and the best way to accomplish them. Some of your most cherished memories will be spending time with your children and teaching them the importance of hard work.
A strong work ethic is something that will benefit an individual his entire life. Take the time to teach your children how to work hard and put 100 percent into whatever project they are doing.
