The record snow storm last week on the east coast was a learning opportunity for my kids. Like many other parents in my neighborhood, my wife and I could have bought a snow blower or hired someone to clean our snow, but we did not. We wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to teach our kids the value or work. So our two teenage sons, my wife and I worked several hours to clear over two feet of snow from our driveway. And, yes, even our dog Mansi helped!
Many kids today, especially those in the middle and upper classes, got used to the easy and lazy way of life – someone comes to cut the lawn and do yard work, someone is hired to clean the snow, the food is bought ready in the supermarket, etc. They spent their days watching TV, playing video games, texting to their friends, and sometimes spend limited time on homework. Too many parents tend to pamper their kids and protect them from work. They want them to “enjoy” life as much as possible and want to avoid arguments with their teenage kids over the need to help.
Even in schools teachers are increasingly careful to assign a lot of homework – God forbid the kids will overwork after school. Criticism is no longer accepted for its negative impact on our kids’ fragile emotional state. Teachers and parents are expected to always praise their kids – even when such praise is undeserved.
Many of today’s kids grow in such a sterile environment until they get to college, and suddenly life hits them in the face. Then they do not know how to deal with disappointments, they are not used to work hard to succeed in life, and are not used to failure. Some turn to alcohol and drugs. Many develop the tendency to blame others for their problems. They feel that the society has to help them get a job, healthcare, and a place to live.
So, shoveling snow on a cold day instead of sitting comfortably at home watching TV can be a valuable lesson. It teaches that life can be a hard work sometimes, there is nothing wrong in a physical labor, a family needs to help each other, and you can’t always rely on your parents to provide the easy way out. Besides, a physical activity like this is healthy – even for our two soccer players (although, we made sure that they do not over-exert themselves by lifting too much snow for their size). We did not pay our kids for helping with snow shoveling – helping their family should not require a monetary payment. Now we are waiting for the next teaching opportunity!
