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Rant: Over indulgent parents strike again
Paul wrote:
http://archive.thebrunswicknews.com/...ws%0A%09%09%09 Hopefully the link above works, I found this while cruising the web. Not two weeks after christmas and two children in this sleepy little town have already been hit by cars while riding scooters that their best friends (parents) indulged them with this holiday season. IMO, these parents should be held civilly and criminally liable for the damage to the vehicles that these children of theirs caused. I have witnessed these children on numerous occasions lately breaking nearly every traffic law imaginable except for speeding on these things - which I assume these scooters are not capable of. Among the violations and/or dangerous acts I have seen my self include disregard for traffic signals, disregard for stop signs, riding on sidewalks, riding on the wrong side of the road and darting in and out of traffic and otherwise acting in an unpredictable manner. Also, (atleast in GA), these kids are violating the law simply by taking these scooters on public rights of way since they must be at least 15 years of age to operate one off private property and they must also have a DL or Learner's Permit. It would be nice if the police would start to crack down on these idiot kids - hitting their parents in the pocketbook would be a good start. rant off -- Paul First of all -- the kids of this generation are spoiled and "do no wrong" in the eyes of their parents. They are right and you are wrong .... especially when a 13 year old wanted $40 to shovel the snow from my sidewalk recently. I told the kid I'll give him $10 and he walked away. Good. I'll wait until it melts before I pay that much. About 7-8 teens (12-15) received these motor cycles/scooters this Christmas and they ride (speed) up and down the street and don't even use helmets! The law here requires helmets for bicycles so you'd think the parents would demand they wear them .... but they (kids) always get "their way" but this will change when one of them is seriously hurt! They even ride through this neighborhood at night with no lights attached to their motor cycles. Where are the parents? Jon |
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Rant: Over indulgent parents strike again
Jon Walters wrote in message ...
First of all -- the kids of this generation are spoiled and "do no wrong" in the eyes of their parents. They are right and you are wrong .... especially when a 13 year old wanted $40 to shovel the snow from my sidewalk recently. I told the kid I'll give him $10 and he walked away. Good. I'll wait until it melts before I pay that much. Ah, so you think just because he's 13, he ought to do it for less than an amount that he considers worth his time? He doesn't owe you service. The only thing I can think of is that he might not have been polite, and that's the only thing that he might have done wrong. But, I've seen people like you grump over the polite ones, too. Shoveling snow is hard work, and it's no fun. And if you contract with an agency that does stuff like that, they charge $75. So you should either pay up or shut up and do it yourself. I've heard this so many time before...old codgers who think the neighbor kids owe them labor for cheap. And for whatever reason, it's always over shoveling snow. Cathy Weeks Mommy to Kivi Alexis 12/01 |
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Rant: Over indulgent parents strike again
My grandmother's neighbor used to shovel her snow for her every winter, a pretty big job where she lived! She commented one year that she could tell he was growing up, because he still shoveled her snow but no longer charged her for it. I think he started shoveling for her when he was about 10 or 11, and stopped charging when he was about 16 or so. Kids do need a way to earn money when they're too young to take a regular job. ANd I've always thought hard physical labor was worth paying for, if done well. If your 13 year old neighbor seems to be charging too much, look at how much walkway you have to get cleared. Consider how long it ought to take him to do a good job, and in your own head work out a fair hourly rate. Then negotiate, and include both how much you think the job is worth, and what the job specifically entails. Do you want just a narrow path, or the full walkway uncovered? Does it include the full sidewalk in front of your property as well as the walkway? A walkway to the back or garage? The driveway? Does he put out salt or dirt as well? For labor of this demanding nature, we figure on a wage equivalent to $7 or $8 per hour with a $10 minimum. So given all that, was $40 really out of line? If only by a little, perhaps you could work on teaching the child how to negotiate, and throw in some hot apple cider on completion. Just my thoughts, --Beth Kevles http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner. NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the AOL one if you would like me to reply. |
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Rant: Over indulgent parents strike again
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Rant: Over indulgent parents strike again
In article , Cathy Weeks wrote:
minimum of driveway and a path to the door (only about 5 feet of path). This is actually a very small area (our front door is RIGHT by our driveway, and our house is VERY close to the road). The job took hours (4 or so). If I could have paid someone $25 per hour I would have HAPPILY paid the $100 (or perhaps more). I was stiff and sore for days after that job. As I have learned in chicago blizzards is to go out in the snow as it's falling and shovel low depths often. The last one we had in 99 (I think) I went out and shoveled every couple-three hours. Annoying yes, but I didn't have my cars burried like the neighbors did. It's just easier to take care of it in small bites. |
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Rant: Over indulgent parents strike again
Brent P wrote:
As I have learned in chicago blizzards is to go out in the snow as it's falling and shovel low depths often. The last one we had in 99 (I think) I went out and shoveled every couple-three hours. Annoying yes, but I didn't have my cars burried like the neighbors did. It's just easier to take care of it in small bites. I just moved to California! :-) Problem solved. John -- To reply, remove "die.spammers" from address Von Herzen, moge es wieder zu Herzen gehen. --Beethoven |
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Rant: Over indulgent parents strike again
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Rant: Over indulgent parents strike again
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Rant: Over indulgent parents strike again
In article , Mike Helm says...
On 8 Jan 2004 11:34:11 -0800, (Cathy Weeks) By the way, *I* might shovel someone's snow for free (if they were friends, and were unable to do it) but I wouldn't take on a shoveling *job* for $10 (unless it were quick and easy). Yeah, but you're probably not a teenager without a regular job either, are you? She's not an aerospace engineer laid off after a contract is lost either, but what's the point? Banty |
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Rant: Over indulgent parents strike again
Mike Helm wrote in
: During the '80s, I got $20 to mow the yard, which of course includes edging, sweeping the pavement, and it was a big yard. During the mid-80's I kept food in my belly by shoveling snow in the winter and doing yard work in the summer and fall for $5 an hour. Spring was a very lean time for me. Even though I got paid by the hour I usually did 2 hour's worth of work in that 60 minutes... -- IBA# 11465 http://imagesdesavions.com |
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