Fed up with entitled kids? Here’s how one clever mum taught her offspring to work hard and appreciate the value of a dollar.
She created a job listing, which has fast been hailed a ‘genius hack’ by other parents.
Shaketha McGregor was concerned about her kids’ constant demands for money. Requests for new toys, mobile phones and expensive outings came daily and she knew something had to change.
The US mother of three hosted a “jobs fair”, complete with a different job listing for each household chore, and invited her children to apply for one of the positions on offer. McGregor’s terms were simple, if her kids wanted pocket money, they needed to accept employment.
Positions vacant included “kitchen manager”, “lead housekeeper” and “laundry supervisor”. The job listings clearly stated the tasks her cherubs would be responsible for to earn their cash.
A Job for Everyone
Kitchen Manager would need to keep the area tidy and make sure everyone washed their own dishes. Lead Housekeeper would be responsible for the upkeep of the living room, hallway and bathroom. Keeping clothes and shoes in order and refreshing towels in the bathroom would be the job of the Laundry Supervisor.
The three children, Jahkeem, 13, Takeia, 10, and Serinity, six, were given an application form to complete. They needed to specify their preferred position (including their experience and desired pay rate), and then attend an interview.
“My oldest and my youngest both applied for the same position and, unfortunately for my older son, he did not get the position,” McGregor said.
“I was more impressed with my six-year-old’s application and her interview than my 13-year-old’s.
“She said she could start immediately, whereas my son needed a few days before he could start, and she was a cheaper hire.”
Parents Applaud Mum’s Unconventional Method
If you think her approach sounds a little harsh… you’d be in the minority. The post quickly went viral, with more than 200,000 parents praising the inventive mum for coming up with a solution to entitled kids.
“I was like I don’t want to just give money to them,” she told Good Morning America.
“I want to do something different to make them work for it so they will appreciate it more.
“The night before the jobs fair I said that I had a surprise for them when they came home from school so they were really excited.
“When they came through the door it kind of went from a ‘Yay!’ to an ‘Ohhhh. Really?’”
Prepared for the Future
Once “employed” McGregor’s kids attended orientation sessions where they received name tags and had to complete new hire forms.
“I want them to be a little bit familiar with the process when they are older,” she said.
“Whether they’re applying for school or a new job or something, they can look back and say, ‘I did this with mom all those years ago.’”
After battling cancer in 2016 and losing the family home in a fire last year, McGregor, a single mum, is no stranger to financial hardship.
She now works for the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice and is excited to be able to give her kids luxuries such as an allowance, which they previously lived without. But now she wants them to learn that money doesn’t grow on trees.
“Adulthood happens and it happens hard and sometimes you’re just not prepared for it,” she told Good Morning America.
“As a parent, you want to protect your children from as much as possible but you know that eventually they’re going to have to go through it on their own and that’s why life’s greatest lessons are through experience.”
We love the idea of creating jobs listings for household chores. What do you think, is it time to put your kids on the payroll?
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