Lawn Care During Tough Times

by Amandalynn
(Silverdale, WA)

My son is not shy at all, in fact when he wants money he is not shy to ask, just like his mother. And on some occasions I'm not shy to tell him no. When he was 14 our family really hit some hard times due to lack of employment and layoffs. So I was forced to tell him no, more often then I liked or thought right.

My son needed money for several summer events, so he took the initiative to go out and walk around our neighborhood and offer lawn services to houses that looked a little shaggy or over natural. He would offer services such as mowing, weeding, planting trees, shrubs and flowers, and even removing huge masses of thorny wild blackberry bushes.

He flourishes in this field of business, getting several offers from new customers due to good referrals from neighbors and friends. He even got help from friends that played on his baseball team. I noticed how serious it was to him when I saw him spending his hard-earned money on a new lawn mower, and weed eater. He explained that he needed two sets, should one break down or for when he needed additional help on large projects.

At one point I really just thought "wow he really is taking off and growing up." This job that he created for himself has become such a great opportunity for him to learn responsibility and money management skills, which are critical to pre-teens and young adults.