In consideration of the Child Labor Act

I often laugh at my children when they complain about the amount of slave labor I force them into. “Why else did I have children!” is my favored reply. Granted these kids hardly do anything around here, but they assume that is how it should be. They didn’t witness our childhood years, where work was called play, and so we enjoyed it. I don’t quite know how my mother managed that… but then again, I would have to admit that as the youngest and only daughter, I was spoiled and hardly did any work either.

On the other hand. I often wonder what would happen if they were to experience true child labor (not that I would want them to, but it sure would stop the complaining!). All over the world today, little ones over the age of four work 12-16 hour days, rolling cigarettes, toiling in fields, as sex slaves. It is a terrible, horrible reality. And when I think of it, I give in to the complaining and let my kids play all day. I truly want them to have a CHILDHOOD. But I also want them to grow up to be responsible, hard working adults. My dilemma…

Yesterday they played, today they work, ad infinitum! Maybe someday they will realize that if they worked for someone else they’d get a paycheck!!!