How often do you hear people complaining about their kids expecting everything to be handed to them? There were kids like that when we were teenagers, too, but it wasn’t as bad as it is today. Many of today’s kids have no work ethic. They don’t know what it’s like to work for the things they want. If you want your child to learn that he can get anything he wants if he works hard enough, you have to teach him good work ethic. Let’s take a closer look at some tips for doing just that.
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Set an Example of Good Work Ethic
You want your child to see how hard you work. If you ever have a bring your kids to work day, take advantage of it. Show him that you spend the day working in order to provide for your family. You can show your child how you set financial goals for vacation and how you save part of the money you earn to make that happen. Don’t be the type who constantly complains about work or calls in just because. This will not set a good example for your child.
Pay Your Child
Instead of giving your child an allowance for simply existing, give him money for doing chores. Not just any chores—he shouldn’t get money for picking up his room, for example—but ‘above and beyond’ chores that help parents out. You can give them a list of chores to do in order to earn a certain amount each week or you can set a pay rate for each chore. For example, washing dishes might be $1 and taking out the trash is $0.50. This second method encourages them to work harder to earn more money.
Help Your Child Set Financial Goals
Sit down with your child and talk to him about what he wants. If he wants a new bike, take him to the store to see how much they cost. You can then help him set a goal and determine how much money he needs to earn each week to meet that goal. For example, the bike might cost $100 and your child might want to get the bike in a couple months. This would mean he would need to earn $50 a month or $12.50 a week. Help him determine how many chores he needs to do and if he needs to do extra work for neighbors to reach his goal in time.
Reward Hard Work
If your child goes above and beyond when doing chores, reward him. This will help him learn that the harder he works, the better his pay can be. It’s the same in real life. If you work hard at your company, you can earn a raise. If your child takes initiative and does chores not on his list, this is another good time to reward him for going above and beyond.
Instead of handing everything to your child, take the time to teach him how to earn money. The earlier you teach your child about good work ethic, the better off he’ll be when he’s on his own. The last thing you want is to raise a child that expects the world to hand him everything.