Kids........Aaaarrgghh!

[Andy Collins]

Had my youngest bemoaning the fact that he doesnt earn enough as an apprentice mechanic. To remedy this I offered him the chance to top his income up with some Saturday maintenance work for me. Basically pressure washing machinery, checking tyre pressures, checking oils routine stuff really, and I offered him a tenner an hour for the service. He is currently on 3.60 p/hr as apprentice @ 19y/old, so I do sympathise somewhat, but he just doesnt want to do the Saturday work, which is to help free my time up so I have more time for pricing and paperwork. What is it with the blighters these days??? He's a ard worker at his job, but shut the door at the end of the week and its "his time off"

[APC]

Kids nowadays want everything on their own terms. They want to be bigtime from the start, on the big money, with their own work hours. I appreciate that at 19, you want to be out enjoying yourself, but at that age, for £10 an hour, i would have bitten ya hand off.

[Andy Collins]

I base everything on my own experience when I was in my teens. Work was extremely hard to come by, esp as a youngster with no formal training, but sheer grafting got me better money than many "educated" types. I suppose I tend to look back and expect them to be the same. Perhaps I'm the unreasonable one, maybe he thinks I what I expect is unreasonable? I dunno.

[likeitorlumpit]

He just doesn't want to be controlled by his dad

Make it seem like his idea and you're onto a winner

[LincolnSteve]

For £10p/h I'll come and clean your vans

 

Out of interest, what is he doing with his spare time on a Saturday, anything constructive or just having "me time"?

[Andy Collins]

Me time, girlfiriend time Tried suggesting it would give him more disposable income for going out.....didnt work!

D'oh just had a flash of inspiration, think I'll write out an advert for the shop window, and "carelessly" leave it on the table so he sees it by "accident"

[Pete Hart]

I don't think its just your son.... I keep coming across so many idle youngsters (slightly different to your scenario i understand given his mechanical work) who think the world owes them a living. Im getting pretty bored of it.

Im sure there are a lot of you guys out there who started on next to naff all wages (i started work at age 12 doing saturdays all day for £12). I remember being really proud and chuffed of my twelve quid every week.

 

Poor attitudes, lazyness, poor time keeping, scruffy appearances, back chat, etc all make me wonder why i bother!!

 

To those younger lads out there who do work hard, fair play to you.. keep it up and you will eventually be rewarded. Anbd if you live near Poole give me a shout!!!

[themonkian]

I don't think its just your son.... I keep coming across so many idle youngsters (slightly different to your scenario i understand given his mechanical work) who think the world owes them a living. Im getting pretty bored of it.

Im sure there are a lot of you guys out there who started on next to naff all wages (i started work at age 12 doing saturdays all day for £12). I remember being really proud and chuffed of my twelve quid every week.

 

Poor attitudes, lazyness, poor time keeping, scruffy appearances, back chat, etc all make me wonder why i bother!!

 

To those younger lads out there who do work hard, fair play to you.. keep it up and you will eventually be rewarded. Anbd if you live near Poole give me a shout!!!

I only about 45 mins away from Poole, is 28 still young? (please say yes, please say yes, please say yes...)

[slack ma girdle]

Don't get me started on the 19 year old that is supossed to be training with me one day a week !!!!!!!

[Stephen Blair]

So your boy wants to prioritise his Satuarday for doing things he enjoys and is more beneficial to his relationship with his girlfriend and friends.

You want to free up your Satuarday to spend time doing things that are more beneficial to your business and letting you do stuff that you would rather do.

So you both have the same problem. Now you want him to sacrifice his satuarday for you and you can do this by simply giving him money.

Now you could give him the money with out asking him to work for it and this would solve his problem BUT that would make him spoilt blah blah blah.

Now i reckon(correct me if i am wrong) the discusion mostly 1 way would consist of him saying something, you giving him YOUR solution, him saying no, you going in the huff and coming straight on here to moan about the younger generation.

But you never sorted out the problem, you didnt listen to him, your engrained ideas that were most probably drummed into you by guilt and tales of 'when i was a boy ' from your dad just got plucked from your brain and came out your mouth.

He wanted sympathy and a solution, you are his dad, sympathise with the lad and sit down and ask him what he suggests you both can do to work TOGETHER.

Neither of you wants to work the weekend, so put that to the last resort pile. Do some mind mapping mate, we are men so we need practical solutions, start at 1 end and work your way to another, and when you are doing this, give him the pen and paper and let him do it, put a 10 second delay from your brain to your mouth and open your ears.

FACT IS the reason your son acts and behaves this way is copying you, and you don't like the answers because they are your own answers.

Pretend he is not your son but the hard working young lad who works his socks off monday to friday for pittance, is well mannered and polite and is going to carry your name on to the next generation with pride BUT some rules need to be changed in the family ways passed from generation to generation.

A good teacher tells kids what to do, a great teacher shows kids what to do and an amazing teacher inspires kids to do things.

You have now taught him this morning if you do not get your own way, you huff and puff and rant.

I await your reply, always your number 18 fan, Stevie:biggrin: