There was never a shortage of workers for summer help with fencing, haying, and such, when I was growing up, or raising my family. High school kids needing money for school clothes in the fall, or saving to buy a car were plentiful. And, of course, there was an abundance of older fellows who drifted from one ranch to another and back again. Some of those guys were so old that they just hired on for yard and garden chores, to sharpen sickles, or wrangle horses and do the milking but it freed up someone else to put in longer hours in the field.
That has changed a bit but in our area there’s plenty of job security for the younger set, especially this time of year. Brandings start before school gets out, so every weekend my teen aged grandkids are booked weeks ahead. If it’s a small branding, they often go directly from school to the ranch where they are hired, and it’s not unusual for them to hit two brandings in one day on Saturdays and Sundays. This is equal opportunity employment; girls are just as in demand as the guys.
My two youngest grandkids, one of whom is graduating, have already got their summer employment in place. One will go to North Dakota to work construction until he leaves for the University of Wyoming in the fall. His sister will work maintenance at a local golf course. Their older brother and a friend who have just completed their first year of college, will day work on the home ranch and for neighbors, picking up rodeos here and there.
My children’s dad expected our kids to work for him on weekends and in summer, but did insist they spend one summer working elsewhere. There was never any doubt that they would have a job, earn money, and learn how the world works.
Maybe that last part should be amended to how the world used to work. It seems like a lot of youngsters nowadays have never known that expectation, and even people a couple of decades older prefer to coast on whatever perks are available. I’m pleased that our family has had the opportunity to grow up in communities where summer and weekend jobs are plentiful, because I know that’s not true everywhere.
There’s no substitute for the feeling of pride and self-esteem that comes when you do a job well and make a contribution to the welfare of your community. The earlier a person learns that the more satisfaction they will get from life. Children learn that early, if parents expect them to small chores at home and praise them for doing that well, but it takes patience and persistence on the parent’s part. My mom could barely boil water when she married a rancher and needed to cook for hired men and branding help. She always said her mother preferred to do house work and cooking herself rather than take time to teach a daughter.
Not all jobs pay a living wage, and many people need to work more than one job, but people who are willing to learn and be respectful to their employers will always be happier than those who have an entitlement mentality.
Meet me here next week and meanwhile, do your best at work. Someone might like it.