Work Ethic

It was a cold, breezy afternoon (a typical Benicia baseball afternoon), with fans turning up their collars and huddling close together when I heard the edict. Clearly I misunderstood the order directed from the dugout. I was trying to watch the game over the din of one of my boys complaining because I wouldn’t buy him a cup of hot chocolate to keep him warm. Then I heard it again.
Now it was a scream from a baseball player, “Mom, get me a Gatorade!” The first thing that came to my mind was non sequitur, the second thing that came to my mind was that this was the best way for that kid to NOT get what he wanted. The third thing that came to my mind was amazement as I watched his mom jump up from her seat and run over to the canteen and buy a two dollar Gatorade for Junior. Was the kid dying of thirst? It was chilly outside and it was a baseball game, not a marathon. Based on the look of major league players I would venture to say that baseball is not the most aerobic workout you can get. So, why the leap for the drink and since when is water from a water fountain not good enough for kids? How many plastic drink bottles does this town go through during a sport season?
I recently read three books on the German occupation of Europe during World War II. City of Thieves, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, and Resistance. All three are excellent books and worth reading. The European people knew hunger and thirst intimately. You only ate if you had a ration card and only what you were given. The Germans took every animal and all of the produce. There was no butter, sugar or milk. There were no eggs. Even in the United States my parents and grand parents talk about the strict rationing on such basics as food, rubber and nylon. Want vs. Need was very different then. Do any of us, especially our kids, even know what hunger is? Do they ever really thirst? Are we are raising a generation of pampered, spoiled kids who are going to have a hard time making it in the real world, let alone surviving any real hardship. Are we catching a glimpse of this in the current economic downturn and crying foul?
On this year’s anniversary of D-Day, I was listening to some veterans talk about their experiences in the war and how brutal each day was to them. These were just boys fresh out of high school who took the beaches and brought an end to the war. Just kids who somehow had the fortitude to survive hunger, thirst and deprivation. One soldier said that while he was held prisoner he marched more for the Germans than he ever did for the Americans on little food or water and certainly not a refreshing sports drink. There were many other accounts about the psychological challenge to adjust your wants vs. your needs just to stay alive. There were harrowing accounts of survival, brotherhood and valor. Clearly, they were the greatest generation.
Somehow, in a very short span in history, the Greatest Generation gave way to the Me Generation and now, to the Neediest Generation. Kids who have wants and needs all mixed up. Although to be fair it is their parents who are confusing the two.
Needs are the basics for survival. Food, water, shelter. All the rest are wants and those do not have to be met on a daily, weekly or even monthly basis. Wants should all be earned. Maybe if Junior had to buy his own Gatorades at two bucks a pop, he wouldn’t be so thirsty anymore. I bet if it was his own money, he would be happy with the water fountain. A little more hard work and a little less indulgence would go a long way in raising kids who know how to work hard and earn their rewards. As Thomas Edison once quipped, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
Employers who are now hiring Generation Y have said that this generation although technologically savvy, does not have the work ethic and fortitude of other generations. They expect constant positive feedback and are surprised that they have to work for money and advancement. The Boston Globe recently reported that “workers under 30 feel that work is something to do with your hands while you are chatting on your cell phone.” Work ethic to them is “Here I am, give me a high five and a Starbucks.” Starbucks…the sports drink of the office!
We are raising this generation and we are to blame for these problems. When is the last time your kid spent the day working for the good of the family, instead of playing a game while the whole family watched him?
My dad was famous for coming up with meaningful work. I grew up in the mountains of Colorado and we used to spend weekends cutting and stacking firewood for winter. Dad could create some elaborate designs with firewood. If you spent too long thinking about it he would tell you to get to work and not to make a career out of it. I learned a lot about work from stacking firewood. Like I didn’t want to make a career out of it!
Let’s do the world a favor this summer and hand our children a shovel or a paintbrush and put them to work. As Ann Landers used to say, “no one ever drowned in their own sweat!”
That is my prescription for raising good kids who will contribute to society and make the world a better place. A little more work and a little less Gatorade.