boondocks
Well-known member
herofan":2ts2704o said:[]
It's amazing what people debate these days. Here we are trying to convince people that it's ok for children to operate heavy machinery.
I think (hope) some people just like to argue and we're not really back in the 1400's.
"Light" machinery ain't much better in the hands of wee ones.I almost did myself in a few times as a kid (on a tippy 3 wheeler) and my brother (age 8 or 9) hit a tree on a snowmobile. Lots of kids get hurt on ATVs every year. The age people let kids on them is ridiculous. (Google Britney Spear's niece).
To the larger point re farm equipment: if a person can't make a living (in whatever (literal or figurative) field) without forcing their children into dangerous working conditions, maybe it's time to consider another line of work. (I'm not talking about gradually introducing them to things. I'm talking about giving them primary responsibility for an adult's workload, using machinery sized and calibrated for adult use. Kinematics are a real thing).
Country folk often rail about irresponsible urban parents who don't adequately supervise and oversee their kids. We need to make sure we're not giving ourselves a "pass."
Are we really wanting to head back to the days where farm kids were little better than indentured servants (at best)? When families were big so that you could afford to lose a few and still bring in the harvest?
Work them, sure. Make 'em sweat, learn things over time, fine.