Today I fired my son. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I’m having mixed emotions. The mother in me wishes I could have given him another opportunity; however, the business woman knew there was no other way.
He worked five hours. In those five hours, he worked on my social media editorial calendar, learned how to create memes, researched quotes for an upcoming feature and also answered phones. It. Was. Amazing.
But it only lasted five hours.
He left the office on time. No overtime for him. He watched the clock. At 3pm on the dot, he walked over to my desk, gave me his finished projects and departed.
As I watched him leave, I could not have been prouder. He did all the tasks I gave him. And, he did them well.
So, why you ask? Why this post titled Today I Fired My Son?
Simple.
He rebelled against the status quo. He could not understand that Migdalia at the office is different from Mom at home. There is a difference. One may offer chances, but the other expects her money’s worth.
He decided not to come to the office. He slept in. No call. No email. Just didn’t show. And that is unacceptable.
Can I blame him?
No, I cannot.
His maturity level is not there yet even if his skills are.
So today I did what I never thought I would do. I handed my son his first and last paycheck and dismissed him. As I watched him walk away, I knew it was the right thing. For him. For me.
He is only 13, not yet in high school, and childhood goes so fast.
Let’s talk! Have you ever paid your children for work (not chores)? How did that turn out? Share in the comments what worked,and what didn’t, so we can learn from one another!
Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
{ 5 comments… add one }
My kids have their usual chores that I don’t pay them. They both have iPhones and our deal was, if I get you both smartphones, allowance is out the window. Anything extra, I pay them an allowance such as snow removal. It works for us! Those smartphones are EXPENSIVE!
Lisa recently posted..Enjoying Some Afternoon Tea with Teavana and The Best of Me #TheBestofTea
@Lisa: He was home this week and you know what that means! I kept hearing the “I’m bored” mantra so I told him I would hire him. He was super excited! Did fantastic the first day. The next day he wanted to sleep in and didn’t call or email his employer. He just didn’t show so I really can’t blame his boss (Me!) for firing him. He did great work but you can’t miss work because you want to sleep late.
And, I completely agree re: smartphones! They just got new ones for Christmas. Thankfully, I caught a sale!
While your decision was not an easy one, hopefully he will learn from it for future work. He is really young and this may set him up to learn for future opportunities.
Nancy Johnson Horn recently posted..On-the-Go with Baby? PLAYSKOOL Introduces A Foldable Baby Toy Line
I understand the concept, can’t say about paying for social media work. When I was paying for my own .com site I tried begging and bribing Lesli to write. Not much luck there.
Ofelia recently posted..See Hear Speak
My kids are only 6 and 9, so no I haven’t paid them to do any work. They have things to do around the house, but that’s as far as it goes – for now.
Alissa Apel recently posted..A Story He Wrote