Training Children to Work Hard

By Kim Doebler

Hard work is a key element in your child’s character.

With working hard children learn perseverance.

Through persevering they experience the joy that comes with accomplishing a task.

A task accomplished brings with it learned skill.

Learned skill comes from relationship with the teacher.

Relationship develops family unity.

With family unity comes family pride.

Family pride brings thankfulness to Jesus for His many blessings.

A good friend of ours left a legacy through the motto:

“work is the best fun.”

When we work side by side, we bond.

We can’t help it, it just happens!

Our children have always loved helping us. Admittedly, it was not as enjoyable for us when they were small. Baking Christmas cookies with four children age six and under was trying. I can tell you today that I am glad I didn’t shoo them away then, because now it is natural for them to help. These days their help has nearly taken over the cookie baking!

A recent example: This past weekend, as a family, we shoveled approximately half of a ten yard load of compost around our garden. It was back breaking. It was challenging. It was rewarding. But most of all, it showed us how much could be accomplished if we each did our part. I am not saying every moment was pleasurable. Yet, when the job was done and we all plopped into chairs on the deck to chug our water, we experienced

Proverbs 12: 14b, ”as surely as the work of his hands rewards him.”

We talked about our sore muscles and how great the garden was going to be. From perseverance to counting our blessings; all of our character was strengthened by working hard.