Outworked 4 teenage boys...

[davec]

While I've been clearing our land I've generated a ton of firewood. I have hauled 75% of it myself. Going to be selling off the good stuff shortly, but I have a ton of poplar and basswood to get rid of. Neighbor mom tells me her kid (HS senior next year) wants a lot of wood for bonfires for he
and his friends. OK, let's rock. I get 4 of them and one half ton short bed to go along with my 8' long bed 3/4ton. OK, we'll make a couple runs. Boys, I outworked the 4 of these yahoos, and I'M SLOW. It felt like I was working with recalcitrant zombies. "NO brains here, just lift basswood" If I wanted to hurt them, I would have pointed to the oak... Wow that was a sad display. Is this the generational "Kids these days don't know how good they've got it?" or what?

BTW, anyone is the East Twin Cities (Mpls/St Paul) metro wants some firewood, contact me. No I ain't giving it away, but I am reasonable.

 

[turnkey4099]

While I've been clearing our land I've generated a ton of firewood. I have hauled 75% of it myself. Going to be selling off the good stuff shortly, but I have a ton of poplar and basswood to get rid of. Neighbor mom tells me her kid (HS senior next year) wants a lot of wood for bonfires for he
and his friends. OK, let's rock. I get 4 of them and one half ton short bed to go along with my 8' long bed 3/4ton. OK, we'll make a couple runs. Boys, I outworked the 4 of these yahoos, and I'M SLOW. It felt like I was working with recalcitrant zombies. "NO brains here, just lift basswood" If I wanted to hurt them, I would have pointed to the oak... Wow that was a sad display. Is this the generational "Kids these days don't know how good they've got it?" or what?

BTW, anyone is the East Twin Cities (Mpls/St Paul) metro wants some firewood, contact me. No I ain't giving it away, but I am reasonable.

Heh! When I was planning my retirement from the AF I knew I needed to get in shape. Took a part-time job in a scrap iron foundry (they cast mostly sewer fittings, man hole covers and the like) grinding castings. Heavy things, took two guys to right one if you let it drop. Turns out the local college coach would send any of his football players who wanted work to the same job. Two of them showed up at the start of the evening shift on a hot Texas afternoon and we were grinding man hole covers right out of the shaker - hot!. 15 minutes after starting one of them came over and asked me who was the boss. "That little Mexican over there". He went over, short talk and both of them checked out.

Harry K

 

[Oldtimer]

Kids today don't want to do any kind of labor. If they can't do it via remote control- and better yet by their frickin smart phones- they don't want nothing to do with it.
Most view labor as inhumane and beneath them.

"MY Mommy will feed me and wipe my azz the rest of my life."

And the sad part is....most mommys will.

Parental failure. I'm guilty of it too. My 17 year old would rather take a beating than do even simple things like lug an arm load of wood. Makes me so mad I can't see straight. Which only serves to make the brat even less inclined to look up from the damn text she's writing. The 459th text of the day too.

 

[indiansprings]

I'm so fortunate to have boys (young men) that will work there azzes off. My boys not only do the majority of the work in out firewood business, but during the summer mow lawns and one works Saturdays at the local feed mill during the summer loading feed. We farm as well, they absolutely go non stop, all the neighbors and folks in the community are always calling wanting to hire them. They've got a heck of a reputation for being hard workers. They are hard as a rock, hay hauling is better than a weight pile. My daughter helps stack wood and runs the splitter when she's not playing basketball. They help in the garden, hoeing and tilling. They have their own bank accounts and save every penny they can. All have been honor roll students. I know I'm not going to have to worry about them later in life as they have already demonstrated they have excellent work ethic.
You are right trying to find a kid to work is almost impossible, we've hired several high school kids to work on the weekends and after school helping with wood, they don't last long. Usually about one pay check and they just don't have the time to work anymore.

 

[Misfit138]

Kids today don't want to do any kind of labor. If they can't do it via remote control- and better yet by their frickin smart phones- they don't want nothing to do with it.
Most view labor as inhumane and beneath them.

Agreed. There is definitely a generational gap. A huge one. I'll bet both of us could outwork any 21st century teen.
When I was a kid, if I wasn't on my paper route, I was cutting grass, raking leaves, shoveling snow or cleaning up someone's yard for a few dollars here and there (after all of my chores were done, of course).
I am so thankful that in my 14 year old wisdom, I decided to go to a technical high school.

 

[SpiralAcacia]

That is all so true, and still, when an older person would grumble to me about "Your generation" or "Kids these days" , I used to answer
"Yes, I agree, YOUR generation could have done a better job as educators, no doubt."



So yes, here is to us and our parents, to their mistakes and to the ones we'll be making ourselves...

SA

 

[olyman]

While I've been clearing our land I've generated a ton of firewood. I have hauled 75% of it myself. Going to be selling off the good stuff shortly, but I have a ton of poplar and basswood to get rid of. Neighbor mom tells me her kid (HS senior next year) wants a lot of wood for bonfires for he
and his friends. OK, let's rock. I get 4 of them and one half ton short bed to go along with my 8' long bed 3/4ton. OK, we'll make a couple runs. Boys, I outworked the 4 of these yahoos, and I'M SLOW. It felt like I was working with recalcitrant zombies. "NO brains here, just lift basswood" If I wanted to hurt them, I would have pointed to the oak... Wow that was a sad display. Is this the generational "Kids these days don't know how good they've got it?" or what?

BTW, anyone is the East Twin Cities (Mpls/St Paul) metro wants some firewood, contact me. No I ain't giving it away, but I am reasonable.

cool,,but ive burnt basswood,,bout the same as balsa,,,poof!!!!

 

[davec]

cool,,but ive burnt basswood,,bout the same as balsa,,,poof!!!!

That's why I'm giving it away for campfires and such... On the plus side it is very easy to light!

I also have a bunch of oak, which I am not giving away but will sell off.

 

[Dieselbreath]

I was just talking to my wood carving artist neighbor and he was lamenting about the cost of basswood. Do you have any large pieces left that hasn't been down very long?

 

[davec]

I was just talking to my wood carving artist neighbor and he was lamenting about the cost of basswood. Do you have any large pieces left that hasn't been down very long?

Yeah I do, but considering you are 2500 miles away, I don't think it is going to help your neighbor much...unless you'd like to drive out and pick some up...:jester:

 

[indiansprings]

One thing your forgetting is it doesn't start with the kids of today. It starts with todays parents and their expectations. I started mine out working beside me, they know it was expected and demanded. it created a work ethic at an early age. It's the parents fault if their kids are soft and lazy, the parents should make them get off their dead azzes and video games and do something instead of doing it for them.
All mine including my daughter could handle a chainsaw by 14, the boys were cutting hay at 13 and 14, started baling at 14. They were taught to weld and use a torch and all the wood working tools by 13 or 14.
It's more about the parents failing in my view. I want my kids to know how to survive on their own. They take turns helping cook so that they won't be like I was and have to live off frozen and fast food when I got out on my own. They take turns doing laundry, it's something they need to know. Parents don't teach their kids jack squat anymore, that is the problem. You'll have to look dang hard for anyone that will out work mine, especially the one that is a Senior this year, he is a stud. A couple of weeks ago he was on a crew that hauled 20,000 bales of straw and put in barns. When we are splitting wood I can't come close to doing what he can anymore. I wish he would play football this year, but he isn't going to, says it will interfere with the wood business, he's 6-2 and 170 lbs of steel.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Kids today don't want to do any kind of labor. If they can't do it via remote control- and better yet by their frickin smart phones- they don't want nothing to do with it.
Most view labor as inhumane and beneath them.

"MY Mommy will feed me and wipe my azz the rest of my life."

And the sad part is....most mommys will.

Parental failure. I'm guilty of it too. My 17 year old would rather take a beating than do even simple things like lug an arm load of wood. Makes me so mad I can't see straight. Which only serves to make the brat even less inclined to look up from the damn text she's writing. The 459th text of the day too.

Very true...awhile back I had a post asking "how would you survive without your cell phone?" and I think most teenagers would kill themselves if they were permanantly taken from them-it's sad. Most kids today are growing up like that, soft and lazy. I coach U-12 soccer so it's the 10,11 and 12 year-olds and I see it in some of them but I get them moving and tell them "you're not at home playing a video game you're in the game"....some of the kids look at me like I'm nuts and grumble when I discipline them because they don't get any at home. There are some good kids out there that are hard-working fine examples but the majority of them seem to be like what the OP talked about; they probably are sitting around a bonfire right now stoned out of their minds and drunk to boot....

 

[davec]

One thing your forgetting is it doesn't start with the kids of today. It starts with todays parents and their expectations. I started mine out working beside me, they know it was expected and demanded. it created a work ethic at an early age. It's the parents fault if their kids are soft and lazy, the parents should make them get off their dead azzes and video games and do something instead of doing it for them.
All mine including my daughter could handle a chainsaw by 14, the boys were cutting hay at 13 and 14, started baling at 14. They were taught to weld and use a torch and all the wood working tools by 13 or 14.
It's more about the parents failing in my view. I want my kids to know how to survive on their own. They take turns helping cook so that they won't be like I was and have to live off frozen and fast food when I got out on my own. They take turns doing laundry, it's something they need to know. Parents don't teach their kids jack squat anymore, that is the problem. You'll have to look dang hard for anyone that will out work mine, especially the one that is a Senior this year, he is a stud. A couple of weeks ago he was on a crew that hauled 20,000 bales of straw and put in barns. When we are splitting wood I can't come close to doing what he can anymore. I wish he would play football this year, but he isn't going to, says it will interfere with the wood business, he's 6-2 and 170 lbs of steel.

You must be quite proud of them. Sounds like you have done your part well. There is another side to this puzzle. Self-motivation. Some have it, many don't. You can raise them right by teaching them responsibility and the need for hard work, but if the individual does not have the self-motivation to see that they are in control of their outcomes, then they will end up in slacker-ville. Your kids are clearly self-motivated. I see it in your oldest son's comment about football interfering with the firewood business. That will carry them much farther than anything in life, IMHO.

 

[unclemoustache]

I had two (homeschooled) boys helping me the past two days. We did some roofing, and took down two trees. I had them work their little tails off, and they did just that! They worked hard all day (despite the VERY high heat and humidity) and pulled their weight and more. On top of that, they took a 2-hour hand-to-hand combat class that morning before coming to work with me!!

The hard workers are still out there, but they're getting rarer.

 

[iowa]

I'm 31 and my brother is 23. He helps me sometimes and he's really well built. Very muscular. I'm a string bean and 3" taller than him. I out work him in my sleep. To top it off, I've got a crappy heart too and I had two surgeries last summer..

 

[spike60]

You must be quite proud of them. Sounds like you have done your part well. There is another side to this puzzle. Self-motivation. Some have it, many don't. You can raise them right by teaching them responsibility and the need for hard work, but if the individual does not have the self-motivation to see that they are in control of their outcomes, then they will end up in slacker-ville. Your kids are clearly self-motivated. I see it in your oldest son's comment about football interfering with the firewood business. That will carry them much farther than anything in life, IMHO.

Lot's of wisdom in this post. Self motivation and character are equally important as parental guidance. Parents can plant these values in their children, but the degree to which they take root eventually falls on the character of the child. IndianSpring's kids are almost unique in the world of today, and he's blessed to have them. Yeah, Indian, you did the right things raising them, and steering them in the right direction. But, they also must be of good solid character to turn out that good.

I often see kids hypnotized by the gadgets they are constantly staring into and working feverishly with their thumbs. To an certain extent, these "electronic narcotics" are the drugs of this generation. Not as harmful to the body, but just as harmful to the mind as any other leisure drug. They sap ambition and the desire to do anything useful with their time. They live in the virtual world of Facebook and Twitter and become more and more insulated from the real world around them. I refer to those sites as "anti-social media".

 

[lone wolf]

Lot's of wisdom in this post. Self motivation and character are equally important as parental guidance. Parents can plant these values in their children, but the degree to which they take root eventually falls on the character of the child. IndianSpring's kids are almost unique in the world of today, and he's blessed to have them. Yeah, Indian, you did the right things raising them, and steering them in the right direction. But, they also must be of good solid character to turn out that good.

I often see kids hypnotized by the gadgets they are constantly staring into and working feverishly with their thumbs. To an certain extent, these "electronic narcotics" are the drugs of this generation. Not as harmful to the body, but just as harmful to the mind as any other leisure drug. They sap ambition and the desire to do anything useful with their time. They live in the virtual world of Facebook and Twitter and become more and more insulated from the real world around them. I refer to those sites as "anti-social media".

You got it, now how to deal with that problem?

 

[promac850]

Kids today don't want to do any kind of labor. If they can't do it via remote control- and better yet by their frickin smart phones- they don't want nothing to do with it.
Most view labor as inhumane and beneath them.

"MY Mommy will feed me and wipe my azz the rest of my life."

And the sad part is....most mommys will.

Parental failure. I'm guilty of it too. My 17 year old would rather take a beating than do even simple things like lug an arm load of wood. Makes me so mad I can't see straight. Which only serves to make the brat even less inclined to look up from the damn text she's writing. The 459th text of the day too.

Hey, you're basically saying no kids at all will work... that should be stated as "90% of the kids nowadays don't want to do any labor."

I will. I work hard, especially if I know exactly what I'm doing, and get it done pretty fast. I am slightly asthmatic, so having me run (not walk) heavy things around all day will require me to take short breaks to catch my breath. Otherwise, walking or fast walking, I can do that all day long, every day. I can move some heavy stuff, and do much, much more than the majority of kids out there today.

I hardly ever use my cell phone. Never text while driving, very, very rarely talk on the phone while driving (actually, I only had to do that once to find my way home from a detour that threw me off, it was quite dark out to boot, and hardly no traffic)

I agree, there are tons of kids out there that won't do anything but sit around and let mommy wipe their ass.

I rarely asked my parents for anything. Sometimes I just keep talking about something, and it magically shows up... (thanks mom and dad)

I am quite spoiled, but nowhere near as far as those kids at college with their BMW or Mercedes, and their big ass flat screen tv's, PS3, etc.

I am very happy and grateful for all of the stuff I have. Lots of it, I did earn, they do not just give me something for doing nothing. For example, when we first moved here, our basement looked pretty ####ty. A couple of years later, we all got to work and tore it all apart, then remodeled and repainted it... After doing that, mom took my brother and I to Meijers to pick up the recently released ####, with our first two games that kicked off video game addiction disease... Halo, and Midtown Madness 3... That was our reward for working so hard to tear that ugly crap out of the basement, and helping them get all of the new carpet and such in. We dripped sweat all over that basement.

Almost can smell it... and I'm sitting upstairs!! :jester:

Needless to say, we have a lot of video games now, 92% of them were earned. Some were bought by me or my brother, with our own money from a birthday card, etc. I clear snow off of the driveway, mow the lawn, run the trimmer, stack firewood outside the door for the wood stove in the winter, keep our cars maintained, and much more. Sure, some days, I was a bit lazy, but when I did work, I worked my ass off.

Most kids out there whine and beg their asses off for most of the #### they have. Sad thing is it usually works.

 

[zogger]

fifty cents

"Most kids out there whine and beg their asses off for most of the #### they have. Sad thing is it usually works."

when I was a kid I made fifty cents a week for chores, all of them. A week. Any extra money, I had to go do work, and living in the sticks, that was mostly going and working on (in my area) fruit farms. Dawn to dusk I would make around nine dollars, and I was beat, whipped, dragazz tired....

Made me appreciate what stuff I had and what I spent my loot on and to take care of it, etc.

Wish I had socked away more mil surplus cheap guns though..man they were deals back then.

I did have an oustanding comic book collection from the fifties and early sixties, then one day we were gonna move because of dad's job, so he tells me to get rid of them cuz he didn't want to pay freight etc. So I gave them all away to my friend.

I had in there, just one of them, the first appearance of spiderman...didja see what one of those copies went for a few months back?? Oh man....

I actually have no idea what would be available today that is cheap and common and might be worth beaucoup decades from now. I tried to use my hindsight on that, and still came up bupkis, blank.

Even with the chainsaws, what current model is destined to be a serious collector item like a stihl contra or a mucculloch sp125? I can't think of any.

 

[Hedgerow]

One thing your forgetting is it doesn't start with the kids of today. It starts with todays parents and their expectations. I started mine out working beside me, they know it was expected and demanded. it created a work ethic at an early age. It's the parents fault if their kids are soft and lazy, the parents should make them get off their dead azzes and video games and do something instead of doing it for them.
All mine including my daughter could handle a chainsaw by 14, the boys were cutting hay at 13 and 14, started baling at 14. They were taught to weld and use a torch and all the wood working tools by 13 or 14.
It's more about the parents failing in my view. I want my kids to know how to survive on their own. They take turns helping cook so that they won't be like I was and have to live off frozen and fast food when I got out on my own. They take turns doing laundry, it's something they need to know. Parents don't teach their kids jack squat anymore, that is the problem. You'll have to look dang hard for anyone that will out work mine, especially the one that is a Senior this year, he is a stud. A couple of weeks ago he was on a crew that hauled 20,000 bales of straw and put in barns. When we are splitting wood I can't come close to doing what he can anymore. I wish he would play football this year, but he isn't going to, says it will interfere with the wood business, he's 6-2 and 170 lbs of steel.

The boys in Carthage won't have to deal with him this year!!!:hmm3grin2orange: Tell him they offer their thanks...:msp_sneaky: By the way, I can't argue about the next generation being soft, but the kid in my avatar is my son... He had just turned 10 when that was taken... Could lift his own weight in wood... He wants a cell phone... I think I'll stall a couple more years...:hmm3grin2orange: