WHO decided kids should not work in their family businesses?   There is a move afoot to make it impossible for children of farmers to work on their own family farms.  I don’t want to talk about the whole political side, as we each have our own strong feelings.  I want to ruminate about kids working.

This is not about children trapped in basement sweat shops, forced to work for a bread crust.  Nor is it about children denied their education and forced to work in terrible factory conditions.

THIS is about children being denied their right to learn in a hands on environment, close to nature, while helping their families.  Children who would grow up with not only a long list of abilities but a better understanding of the environment.  Children who would learn where the food for nations comes from, and the attention and responsibility and education that goes with it.  Children who would understand the importance of continued learning   to meet the needs of today’s world.

Although the current discussion is about farmers, this special learning opportunity is there in any home owned business, and has been through generations.  Yes, it helps families survive, and for a time is ‘free’ labor.  Free?  These children are fed, clothed,   and taught a long list of life skills.  They go to school, participate in activities, and often are leaders.  They grow up understanding work ethic; ie, show up on time, do your job to the very best of your ability, and never quit learning.  As they acquire ‘book learning’ whether through public, private or home schooling, they are better able to correlate it to their life lessons.  This improves understanding at home, at school and in their future lives.

Most of our formative years were spent ‘off the grid’, not that we knew the term in those days.  It was just how we lived.  For many years we lived on a homestead in Alaska. That was followed by an old mine and a ranch in Arizona and other places that required work.  We were expected to help with whatever we were big enough to help with. Period.  We were expected to do our best at home and at school [both home schooled and public], to think for ourselves and yet be courteous to others whether they deserved it or not.  Although we never lived on a big farm, there are similarities in the conditions.

My own boys grew helping in the garden and learning to ‘recycle’; ie, re-purpose a variety of items.  They looked forward to spending time with aunts and uncles who had ranches and hay farms.  They learned to drive machinery, to work hard, eat hearty and have a sense of accomplishment because of that.  This carried on into their adult lives, and will pass along to their children.

Is there something wrong with that?

[I’ve seen some posts alleging that this is just a proposal and ‘no where near implementation, but that it would even be considered is appalling.]