I'm just a country girl - What do I know?
Lot of emphasis has been put on the ‘fact’ that illegals come to America to do the jobs that people here will not do, one of them being working on the farms, harvesting crops. I remember, when I was a teenager, and crops had to be harvested. In fact, it takes lots of work before they are harvested. Back then, most farmers didn’t have the equipment they do today to keep their crops manicured. They hired young teenagers and other people who needed jobs to do them. I was one of those teenagers.
A farmer would bring a truck around early in the morning (before most people even get up today), and we’d jump on the back and ride to the farm for a full days work. We would hoe the crops, whatever they may be, from okra, to corn, to cotton. Then, late in the afternoons, in the boiling sun, we would go pick turnip greens, so they could be washed down and sent to the Farmer’s Market in town that night for sale the next day. It was hard work, paid little, but was satisfying to us teenagers who didn’t mind a little dirt under our fingernails, and sweaty clothes and hair. We wore gloves, but, anybody that has picked okra for an extended length of time, knows those don't always protect your hands. We would often have sore fingers, after picking okra.
And, during this time, we had our own sack lunch and ‘hot’ drinks with us (usually water), and we’d sit under a shade tree, eat and talk and laugh about the days’ work. I think many of our American teenagers are missing out on knowing what ‘work’ really is, and how to appreciate the good jobs that are available today. Most of them never will know working and living by ‘the sweat of their brow’. Most think manual labor is out of the question!
Maybe if we taught our children the importance of working at any job, to make a living, was not beneath you, then perhaps we would not be facing what we are facing today. The jobs wouldn’t be there for those illegals to come over the border for, and perhaps our crime rate would be lower. Our teenagers would not have time to get into trouble; they would be using their free time, working, and realizing things do not come to you on a silver platter. Oh, I realize many teenagers do hold jobs during school. But, I’m talking about a job that will get them out in the open, strengthening their hands and bodies and maturing their minds, not adding flab to their backsides! During my teenage years, it was very unusual to ever see an obese teenager. Now, it’s rare not to see one.
But, then, I'm only a country girl!
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3 Comments:
Amen!
So true, Barb! Today's youth see the glamour of celebrities and the splendor of wealth portrayed in all forms of media. They see it, they want it, but no - they're not going to work for it.
I never linked that to our porous borders, however. Interesting thought.
If a parent doesn't teach a child he must work to get by in this world, then he may think he's entitled to things he really isn't. I remember the saying, 'an idle mind is a devil's workshop'. All children that seem to be lazy won't end up bad citizens, or perhaps in jail, but a big majority will. Teach a child from early on to do little odd jobs, then you progress forward, as they grow older. Then, perhaps, when they become teenagers or young adults, they won't mind a little work.
Perhaps if parents would cut back on the 'giving', the kids might be more apt to want to work. You know - the 'don't work - don't go' mentality. Most kids want to GO!
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