A Strong Work Ethic

Today, it is something to admire when we see someone with an impeccable work ethic. A strong work ethic used to be something that was more common – most people had it. Today, however, we seem to be quite struck with surprise when we witness true dedication to a job well done and a work effort that is matchless. What parent doesn’t want their children to take pride in their responsibilities and to go above and beyond expectations? We all do. So how do we teach work ethics? How do we teach responsibility?

It starts, with teaching our children how to do hard things. Learning that we can accomplish anything that we set our mind to, brings a knowledge that only comes through trial and error and effort. Too many parents today, have lowered expectations of what their children are able to achieve through hard work and dedication.

Children are so capable of so many things. They are smart, they are resilient, and they have the energy to complete most tasks before them. One of the most rewarding moments that any individual enjoys is when we complete a task that we were not sure in the beginning that we could accomplish. It is when we are successful at jobs that were difficult, jobs that we were unsure how they were going to be completed, that we are most proud of and that we tend to be the most changed by.

Parents, we have to look for opportunities to help our children discover through hard work and endurance that they are capable of many hard and difficult things. As they stay the course and work hard until completion, they learn the most valuable lesson, that they are capable of many, many things. May each of you continue to look and create opportunities for your children to experience the joy that comes after a job well done and the satisfaction that comes knowing we finished the job.

Here are some ideas for possible hard jobs or assignments. Consider allowing your children to:

• organize or clean closets, drawers, cars, storage bins, toys, etc.
• serve an elderly person or neighbor on a regular basis, such as mowing, pulling weeds, light home maintenance or cleaning, retrieving and delivering their mail, shoveling sidewalks, etc.
• memorize passages from scriptures, poetry, important historical documents, etc.
• write their own music, poetry, short stories, etc.
• create a business plan and execute it to the best of their ability.

Parents, we don’t need to participate in slave labor to help our children to understand their abilities and capabilities, but we can do more to help our children learn what amazing things they are capable of achieving and it starts with hard work and learning the meaning of a strong work ethic.