Kids and farm equipment, how old? -poll

[True Grit Farms]

Jo,

Economics and education are ok. You get points as a parent for that. What about work ethic?

At what age did she start using a chainsaw? I hope you had her trained on three phase electric before she was off to pre- school. If I remember you said once she was cleaning turbine blades in a hydroelectric plant at 6. While they were spinning!

She was working a saw at 4 but I didn't allow her to gas it up for the obvious safety concerns. And, yes, I'll admit she was a late bloomer on cleaning turbine blades because her water wings wouldn't let her stay submerged long enough to make any real money and it just seemed so uneconomical to me. Of course the time wasn't totally wasted because as a toddler I noticed she was quite the climber the way she would scoot out of her crib at night so we got her a contract job changing light bulbs on cell phone towers till she started nursery school. At a $100/bulb this wasn't bad and with a 16 hour work day she could make some serious change. Of course, I did insist that she tie off every 100 foot.

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

That has to be the all time best response.

He left the part out about her working on the weekends riding in a cage being pulled by a big 4wd tractor planting pine trees.

 

[Farm Fence Solutions]

LMAO

Kudos to any parent that takes the time to teach kids how to work. My old man started us young, and the lessons stuck. I know it was painfully tedious for him, but I'm grateful that he took the time. He's 65 this year, and still hits it 7 days a week. I think that the financial part is pretty important, too. I wish that more financially successful, aka rich, people would be more open to discuss money. It's a valid conversation.
Craig, one can turn into 20 before you know it. That'll turn into great lessons and a college/house fund before you know it.

 

[ez14.]

We've invested on her behalf since she was very young. Not a fortune, just enough to plant the seeds. Once she was old enough to start understanding how things work, she was in on the decision making. It's important to understand the difference in gross and net. 80% of that cash was overhead that hadn't been paid yet. 20% was her net profit, 95% of which landed in her savings account. The other 5% went to the American Girl Doll store, as she likes to keep a diversified portfolio. My wife and I both come from common families....There are no great inheritances on the schedule. I would like for my daughter to understand what hard work is all about, know the value of a dollar, and not have to suck hind tit through the best years of her life.

how did she make this money! this sounds like a great thing for the kid though i don't know many parents who can front their kids that kind of money. (if my parents had that much for all of us we'd be pretty well off :lol: ) i wish i had the opportunity to do something like that when i was her age (instead i'm just working on losing the money i've made )

We gave her a cow every year for her birthday for the first 5 years of her life. I sold the calves on her behalf, and put the money in her savings account. I didn't deduct any for inputs the first few years, because I wanted her savings to build as quickly as possible. Once she was old enough to help and start making some of her own management decisions, she started keeping heifers. Her cow herd is now in the teens, and she usually buys all the neighborhood bottle calves....twins and dead cow kind of calves. When she sells yearlings, it's a good check, but she still owes for feed/hay/pasture/meds. We are trying to prepare her for the real world, but also set her up for success if we can. She has also purchased a good slug of dividend paying stocks, and I think the last time I looked the little chit had over a hundred ounces of silver in her box. (My Dad ramrods the silver collection) We also pay her to help with both fence businesses. She is an expert insulator putter outer, and can sweep a warehouse floor like nobody's business. She pays income tax on every dime she makes, and has even started contributing to a Roth IRA. My Dad taught me how to work my azz off every day, all day. There never was any education on planning for the future.....not because he didn't think it was important, but just because sometimes life happens. I don't want my kid living check to check. I want her prepared for life.
My wife and I are not wealthy by any means. We are just like most of the folks on here, and have our fair share of sleepless nights worrying about our decisions, investments, and future. We live in a run down turd of a house, and that's cool with us, because we believe that there are more important things right now. We have just decided that investing in our daughter is the best thing we can do, so that her nights will hopefully be more restful than ours.

sounds like you're doing great but really I'm glad my parents didn't do that for me some day i'll be able to look at what I have and whither great or small i'll be able to say nobody gave me anything! (Except a good work ethic and a place to live with something to eat and clothes to wear while I was young) but I'm not sure I can really say that as I was looking at my banking history the other day and seen I opened my savings account when I was 3 with $50 I don't remember how I got that but I'd guess someone gave it to me

 

[Jogeephus]

He left the part out about her working on the weekends riding in a cage being pulled by a big 4wd tractor planting pine trees.

That is true. All my children have planted plenty of trees and I've told them that if they ever act foolishly with the trees I'll come out of the grave and haunt them because I've seen more than my share of spoiled youngun's pizz away the efforts of previous generations with no thought of the work and sacrifice their parents and grandparents put into them.

Ez, I don't think there is nothing wrong with helping your children but I think the important thing is how you go about it. Like the good book says, you don't give someone a snake if they ask for bread. In other words, you don't want to enable sorriness. Many parents fail at this. In my case, I was kicked out of the house when I graduated high school so my dad's doing nothing was actually the best thing he could have done for me at the time. Between his teaching me how to work and a crash course in time management where I learned you could do more sh!t before sunrise than I ever dreamed I soon became well equipped to deal with just about anything.

Of course, every child is different but I've raised mine by being very light on the reigns and I'll back them 100% if as long as the results justify it but they all know I will have no problem weaning them real fast if they start acting up.

 

[boondocks]

If you have a 9 year old generating $20k, you must have quite the operation going.

We've invested on her behalf since she was very young. Not a fortune, just enough to plant the seeds. Once she was old enough to start understanding how things work, she was in on the decision making. It's important to understand the difference in gross and net. 80% of that cash was overhead that hadn't been paid yet. 20% was her net profit, 95% of which landed in her savings account. The other 5% went to the American Girl Doll store, as she likes to keep a diversified portfolio. My wife and I both come from common families....There are no great inheritances on the schedule. I would like for my daughter to understand what hard work is all about, know the value of a dollar, and not have to suck hind tit through the best years of her life.

how did she make this money! this sounds like a great thing for the kid though i don't know many parents who can front their kids that kind of money. (if my parents had that much for all of us we'd be pretty well off :lol: ) i wish i had the opportunity to do something like that when i was her age (instead i'm just working on losing the money i've made )

My niece also has such a portfolio. I got her a few outfits for her dolls for Christmas, and also a few knockoffs from Ebay and Etsy. There are a lot of good seamstresses with side businesses making Am Girl doll clothes that fit well and are a quarter of the price.

 

[ez14.]

He left the part out about her working on the weekends riding in a cage being pulled by a big 4wd tractor planting pine trees.

That is true. All my children have planted plenty of trees and I've told them that if they ever act foolishly with the trees I'll come out of the grave and haunt them because I've seen more than my share of spoiled youngun's pizz away the efforts of previous generations with no thought of the work and sacrifice their parents and grandparents put into them.

Ez, I don't think there is nothing wrong with helping your children but I think the important thing is how you go about it. Like the good book says, you don't give someone a snake if they ask for bread. In other words, you don't want to enable sorriness. Many parents fail at this. In my case, I was kicked out of the house when I graduated high school so my dad's doing nothing was actually the best thing he could have done for me at the time. Between his teaching me how to work and a crash course in time management where I learned you could do more be nice before sunrise than I ever dreamed I soon became well equipped to deal with just about anything.

Of course, every child is different but I've raised mine by being very light on the reigns and I'll back them 100% if as long as the results justify it but they all know I will have no problem weaning them real fast if they start acting up.

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with helping your kids! Or even that my dad hasn't but he hasn't given me financial services! Now I think what FFS is doing is great his kid will have a huge head start! But I'd rather not be given anything

 

[True Grit Farms]

He left the part out about her working on the weekends riding in a cage being pulled by a big 4wd tractor planting pine trees.

That is true. All my children have planted plenty of trees and I've told them that if they ever act foolishly with the trees I'll come out of the grave and haunt them because I've seen more than my share of spoiled youngun's pizz away the efforts of previous generations with no thought of the work and sacrifice their parents and grandparents put into them.

Ez, I don't think there is nothing wrong with helping your children but I think the important thing is how you go about it. Like the good book says, you don't give someone a snake if they ask for bread. In other words, you don't want to enable sorriness. Many parents fail at this. In my case, I was kicked out of the house when I graduated high school so my dad's doing nothing was actually the best thing he could have done for me at the time. Between his teaching me how to work and a crash course in time management where I learned you could do more be nice before sunrise than I ever dreamed I soon became well equipped to deal with just about anything.

Of course, every child is different but I've raised mine by being very light on the reigns and I'll back them 100% if as long as the results justify it but they all know I will have no problem weaning them real fast if they start acting up.

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with helping your kids! Or even that my dad hasn't but he hasn't given me financial services! Now I think what FFS is doing is great his kid will have a huge head start! But I'd rather not be given anything

You'll be fine young man, just stay away from the drugs, alcohol and tobacco. The drugs and alcohol are killers upfront, the tobacco slips up on you.

 

[ez14.]

That is true. All my children have planted plenty of trees and I've told them that if they ever act foolishly with the trees I'll come out of the grave and haunt them because I've seen more than my share of spoiled youngun's pizz away the efforts of previous generations with no thought of the work and sacrifice their parents and grandparents put into them.

Ez, I don't think there is nothing wrong with helping your children but I think the important thing is how you go about it. Like the good book says, you don't give someone a snake if they ask for bread. In other words, you don't want to enable sorriness. Many parents fail at this. In my case, I was kicked out of the house when I graduated high school so my dad's doing nothing was actually the best thing he could have done for me at the time. Between his teaching me how to work and a crash course in time management where I learned you could do more be nice before sunrise than I ever dreamed I soon became well equipped to deal with just about anything.

Of course, every child is different but I've raised mine by being very light on the reigns and I'll back them 100% if as long as the results justify it but they all know I will have no problem weaning them real fast if they start acting up.

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with helping your kids! Or even that my dad hasn't but he hasn't given me financial services! Now I think what FFS is doing is great his kid will have a huge head start! But I'd rather not be given anything

You'll be fine young man, just stay away from the drugs, alcohol and tobacco. The drugs and alcohol are killers upfront, the tobacco slips up on you.

i will! i will be the only male in my family not to use chewing tobacco. i've added it up and a very conservative estimation is that my brothers spend over $1260 a year on chewing tobacco each! i got other things i'd rather do with my money :nod:

 

[Jogeephus]

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with helping your kids! Or even that my dad hasn't but he hasn't given me financial services! Now I think what FFS is doing is great his kid will have a huge head start! But I'd rather not be given anything

I agree but I don't view what FFS is doing as giving his child anything other than a valuable life lesson which will be extremely important for them later in life. This could be viewed as selfishness on his part because I'm sure he recognizes that one day he will be forced to pass the torch to his child and I'm sure if he is like most of us he doesn't want to see his life's work sold on the auction block or squandered so what better way to insure this doesn't happen than giving his child a small piece of the operation and a taste of the responsibility so they will be prepared to run the operation themselves one day.

Our kids didn't ask to be here so I view it as our responsibility to groom them to be productive and successful. For people in agriculture I can see no better way to do it and as for myself, I am selfish, and don't want to see my life's work squandered so I view stuff like this a cheap insurance policy to insure it isn't squandered or lost due to not knowing how to run things. Some might call this privileged but I think its simply responsible parenting.

 

[ez14.]

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with helping your kids! Or even that my dad hasn't but he hasn't given me financial services! Now I think what FFS is doing is great his kid will have a huge head start! But I'd rather not be given anything

I agree but I don't view what FFS is doing as giving his child anything other than a valuable life lesson which will be extremely important for them later in life. This could be viewed as selfishness on his part because I'm sure he recognizes that one day he will be forced to pass the torch to his child and I'm sure if he is like most of us he doesn't want to see his life's work sold on the auction block or squandered so what better way to insure this doesn't happen than giving his child a small piece of the operation and a taste of the responsibility so they will be prepared to run the operation themselves one day.

Our kids didn't ask to be here so I view it as our responsibility to groom them to be productive and successful. For people in agriculture I can see no better way to do it and as for myself, I am selfish, and don't want to see my life's work squandered so I view stuff like this a cheap insurance policy to insure it isn't squandered or lost due to not knowing how to run things. Some might call this privileged but I think its simply responsible parenting.

your right about that! i've grown up on and around dairy farms but my parents dont have a farm so that doesn't really apply to me

i dont have the experience to say for sure but id wager the value of the lesson taught will by far surpass the value of what ever was given to teach that lesson!

 

[Brute 23]

Teaching kids about money is essential now days. Im not saying that so they can buy flashy things. Its part of our every day lives and there are legal cons and scams out there (our govt is the biggest one) that will take that from you if you are not educated. Its like teaching "stranger danger". Plus stress, quality of marriage, and all kinds of other things are related to how people handle their money.

There is nothing wrong with giving your kids, or any one, some thing as long as it is done the right way.

 

[Jogeephus]

your right about that! i've grown up on and around dairy farms but my parents dont have a farm so that doesn't really apply to me

i dont have the experience to say for sure but id wager the value of the lesson taught will by far surpass the value of what ever was given to teach that lesson!

And there is a lot to be said for people have an interest in the game. I work with a dairy that just had some major management changes. In the past, people were expected to work and do their job and receive their paycheck and the dairy did alright but a few months ago the philosophy changed and EVERYONE was given an incentive package for various things and bonuses were handed out on a regular basis based on these benchmarks. Not surprisingly, production increased, the milk quality increased, the feed conversion increased and the feed cost decreased. Everyone was rewarded and these rewards were not just in farm but from the coop as well. Not to mention, the whole atmosphere is better.

 

[Ol' 243]

People are such pu$$ies with their kids these days. I saw a Facebook video on a cattle group page the other day, a guy told his 7 or 8 year old kid he would give him twenty bucks if he could sneak out in the pasture and jump on one of their steers back while the steer was laying down. The guy video taped it, greatest thing I ever saw. Kid snuck up on steer, jumped on his back, steer jumped up and gave half a little buck and the kid fell off, no big deal, but they were ready to hang this guy for endangering his kid. They would have put my folks in prison for life now days.

 

[Bright Raven]

People are such pu$$ies with their kids these days. I saw a Facebook video on a cattle group page the other day, a guy told his 7 or 8 year old kid he would give him twenty bucks if he could sneak out in the pasture and jump on one of their steers back while the steer was laying down. The guy video taped it, greatest thing I ever saw. Kid snuck up on steer, jumped on his back, steer jumped up and gave half a little buck and the kid fell off, no big deal, but they were ready to hang this guy for endangering his kid. They would have put my folks in prison for life now days.

You are probably right, people who shelter their children are "pu$$ies". Nevertheless, I bet even you agree, the protection parents provide their children is sacred. Had the 7 year old been injuried jumping on the back of the steer, the video would have had a different impact.

As you have heard, never get between a sow bear and her cub. Likewise, leave it up to a parent to decide what constitutes danger to their child.

 

[TexasBred]

My daughter is 9. She's been sitting in my lap to run skid steers for probably 5 years or so. I've been letting her run one by herself(I stay close by) for a year or two now, but not throttled up, and only in CAT's on tracks......VERY smooth to operate. She steers the semi for me on the back roads, drives and docks the boats, knows the basics of driving a post and stretching wire, and knows what $20k in cash feels like in her hands. I've tried to expose her to as much as possible to prepare her for what's to come. My wife and I both want for her to understand what it takes to be successful, and are willing to do whatever it takes to show her the best we can. Not every 9 year old is mature enough to have those conversations and lessons, but at the same time, some kids are ready for it at the age of 5. There is just no way to answer the survey, as quite simply, every situation is different.

Sure wish you'd have talked to my ol' Dad....he did give me a job at 14 and I thought tried to work me to death. The day I got married he handed me a long list of every check I had ever written during college and fully expected to be paid back. Took a while making $200 a month but finally got him paid. Can't remember if he said thanks or not. Heard him say "I love you" for the first time when I was 43 and though mom was gonna knock him in the head to get it out of him then. He was a good man and I loved him dearly....just very hard.

 

[Bright Raven]

My daughter is 9. She's been sitting in my lap to run skid steers for probably 5 years or so. I've been letting her run one by herself(I stay close by) for a year or two now, but not throttled up, and only in CAT's on tracks......VERY smooth to operate. She steers the semi for me on the back roads, drives and docks the boats, knows the basics of driving a post and stretching wire, and knows what $20k in cash feels like in her hands. I've tried to expose her to as much as possible to prepare her for what's to come. My wife and I both want for her to understand what it takes to be successful, and are willing to do whatever it takes to show her the best we can. Not every 9 year old is mature enough to have those conversations and lessons, but at the same time, some kids are ready for it at the age of 5. There is just no way to answer the survey, as quite simply, every situation is different.

Sure wish you'd have talked to my ol' Dad....he did give me a job at 14 and I thought tried to work me to death. The day I got married he handed me a long list of every check I had ever written during college and fully expected to be paid back. Took a while making $200 a month but finally got him paid. Can't remember if he said thanks or not. Heard him say "I love you" for the first time when I was 43 and though mom was gonna knock him in the head to get it out of him then. He was a good man and I loved him dearly....just very hard.

TB. Our fathers are members of that generation that could not say "I love you". But somewhere in the course of Dad's later years, I reached a state of tranquility with him. During the time he was in the nursing home, I picked him up and brought him to my farm a couple times a week. That was my best time with my dad. The fire had mellowed. He loved riding in my cub cadet and seeing the cows and farm. It was cute to hear him look at one of my raised heifers and say, "Ron, I never seen a better heifer in my life." I wish he could see the calves I have now. I truly miss his visits.

 

[boondocks]

Can't remember if he said thanks or not. Heard him say "I love you" for the first time when I was 43 and though mom was gonna knock him in the head to get it out of him then. He was a good man and I loved him dearly....just very hard.

.....

TB. Our fathers are members of that generation that could not say "I love you". But somewhere in the course of Dad's later years, I reached a state of tranquility with him. During the time he was in the nursing home, I picked him up and brought him to my farm a couple times a week. That was my best time with my dad. The fire had mellowed. He loved riding in my cub cadet and seeing the cows and farm. It was cute to hear him look at one of my raised heifers and say, "Ron, I never seen a better heifer in my life." I wish he could see the calves I have now. I truly miss his visits.

fine line between "hard" and "mean" sometimes. And other time's there's a canyon.
I'd have taken "hard" and been quite glad for it.

 

[greybeard]

My father said "I love you".
Then he took my only cold beer............

 

[Bright Raven]

My father said "I love you".
Then he took my only cold beer............

:lol:

 

[Farm Fence Solutions]

My daughter is 9. She's been sitting in my lap to run skid steers for probably 5 years or so. I've been letting her run one by herself(I stay close by) for a year or two now, but not throttled up, and only in CAT's on tracks......VERY smooth to operate. She steers the semi for me on the back roads, drives and docks the boats, knows the basics of driving a post and stretching wire, and knows what $20k in cash feels like in her hands. I've tried to expose her to as much as possible to prepare her for what's to come. My wife and I both want for her to understand what it takes to be successful, and are willing to do whatever it takes to show her the best we can. Not every 9 year old is mature enough to have those conversations and lessons, but at the same time, some kids are ready for it at the age of 5. There is just no way to answer the survey, as quite simply, every situation is different.

Sure wish you'd have talked to my ol' Dad....he did give me a job at 14 and I thought tried to work me to death. The day I got married he handed me a long list of every check I had ever written during college and fully expected to be paid back. Took a while making $200 a month but finally got him paid. Can't remember if he said thanks or not. Heard him say "I love you" for the first time when I was 43 and though mom was gonna knock him in the head to get it out of him then. He was a good man and I loved him dearly....just very hard.

TB. Our fathers are members of that generation that could not say "I love you". But somewhere in the course of Dad's later years, I reached a state of tranquility with him. During the time he was in the nursing home, I picked him up and brought him to my farm a couple times a week. That was my best time with my dad. The fire had mellowed. He loved riding in my cub cadet and seeing the cows and farm. It was cute to hear him look at one of my raised heifers and say, "Ron, I never seen a better heifer in my life." I wish he could see the calves I have now. I truly miss his visits.

My Dad WAS a real hard ass when I was a kid. I was working at the age of 7. He also rewarded hard work, and signed for me to by my first piece of ground when I was 16. Just as he rewarded hard work, jacking around was "rewarded", as well. He lost his hard edge when my younger sister was killed in a car crash. She was 17, I was 20, and my Dad was pretty close to my age today. He really softened when my daughter came along, and it's been fun to watch. I am really lucky to have my Dad around full time. When he and Mom retired, they moved down to a little house on 20 acres that we'd renovated for them, and it's nice to have them just a few miles away. He's slow and tears things up, but riding through the cows on the Mule with a cold beer sure is fun.