Archive for October, 2007
October 28 2007: This May Be Controversial But…
Filed under Family with 20 Comments
I don’t agree with the way that children and teenagers ‘earn’ their pocket money by doing something as simple as the dishes, or the laundry. Needless to say, it’s a damn sight better than those who simply receive their pocket money without lifting a finger, but I still don’t understand why children are essentially paid to do something they should be doing without renumeration anyway.
My brother and I don’t earn a cent for doing the laundry, the dishes, or for cleaning up our rooms or the house. It is taken for granted that we do so, as part of living in a household where everyone does their fair share. My parents do the cooking and heavy cleaning, we do the small daily tasks.
Since he hit two years old, I’ve trained my brother to help with housework. When I was tidying up the house, he was taught to follow me around, going over all surfaces with a duster. Something easy and safe for a young child to do, designed to teach them the importance of housework.
Additionally, when pegging clothes onto the clothesline, I would teach him to get pegs from the peg basket and give them to me when I needed them. When all the clothes were pegged up, he would then be given the job of dragging the empty basket to the laundry room. All simple things for a toddler to do, and all designed to teach them the importance of playing one’s part in a household.
It’s all about teaching children from a young age to understand that everyone has a role to play in the family. There shouldn’t be any “if I wash the dishes, Mum has to give me five dollars”. If they want to earn pocket money, they can do additional chores. Elementary-school-aged children can be taught to pack their own school lunches, or to shine dad’s shoes. Teenagers can weed the garden, wash the car, or do the ironing.
Essentially, I would never reward your children for doing simple daily household tasks. It doesn’t teach them to be independent, and self-sufficient when they move out of home and have to learn to do their own laundry and cook their own dinner. Make it clear from an early age that they should be doing the tasks regardless of whether they get pocket money or not.
October 27 2007: A Top Employee
Filed under Uni/Work with 5 Comments
There’s something to be said about being a top employee.
I’d been worried about moving, and how it would affect my job. Sure it’s only a part-time job, but how many part-time jobs can a university student find that allow you to pick and choose which days you want to work, lets you take two-month-long study vacations whenever you want, gives you time off for exams, gives you more days during term, and actually treats you as a person rather than simply an employee? Not many.
I like my job. It’s flexible, well-paid, and comfortable. I just wasn’t keen on the commute - though I now have a car, it takes 40 minutes to get there in the morning (up to an hour in peak traffic). Is it really worth it to spend two hours daily commuting for a part-time job? Additionally, it wasn’t simply the time factor, it was the money that would have gone into filling up on petrol for the commute as well. There were a lot of factors that went into the decision of whether or not to keep my job, or leave and file for a student allowance from the government.
The decision was made for me when I was offered a weekly petrol allowance of $20AUD (on top of my regular wages) by my manager, to keep me working for them and to cover my travelling costs. Believe me when I say that sum is more than sufficient for my needs.
The interesting thing is, I’m the only one who’s ever been offered this petrol allowance, though other employees have driven larger distances to get to work. Would I be wrong to assume it’s because of my sales averages which are consistently higher than everyone else’s? Or because I complete all administrative tasks and handle a lot of the marketing? Or because pregnant women love me and specifically ask for me?
There’s something to be said about being a top employee.
October 26 2007: Toddler Talk
Filed under Money & Uni/Work with 8 Comments
It’s amazing how much a compliment from a toddler can brighten one’s day.
At that age, one can hardly expect them to be used to the nuances of human communication - flattery for one’s own nefarious purposes is generally a foreign concept. Thus, you know that when you get a compliment from a toddler or a young child, it’s genuine. They honestly think that you look fantastic.
At work today, a lady about six months pregnant came in with two little boys. She tried on this beautiful silk print cocktail dress we have in at the moment (which I’m considering buying for myself as it’s really lovely, and doesn’t look maternity), and as soon as she came out from the changerooms with it on, her little boys stopped playing with the toys we have and said, “Mummy, Mummy, you look so pretty!”.
How could she not buy the dress after that? I didn’t have to compliment her, and say “That dress really suits your complexion”, nor did I have suggest “You know, I think it’d be lovely with a little silver handbag and some low heels”, nor did I have to say anything at all. How could anything I say be better than her sons thinking she looked beautiful?
A truthful compliment from a toddler is more valuable than any input from a shop assistant.