Pink Flamingos and Lawnmowing

[darkmatter]

Just how do you get a teenage boy to mow the lawn while you're away earning the living to feed cloth and house the litte parasite? I bought him his own riding lawn mower with a bagger and trailer. That worked real well the first summer, he even used the lights on his mower to mow after dark. After a while the mowing just wasn't as fun as it use to be, then the bagging part to give the clippings to the chickens was just way too unreasonable. That was a couple of summers ago. This summer I came home from a job assignment and noticed one of the Pink Flamingos was moved to the garden and the other was MIA. I then noticed in the trash the other Pink Famingo minus its head!! I asked the Wife "Whats up with that" and she told me to ask my son. When I asked him what happened to the lawn decoration, he told me how the Pink Flamingo committed suicide by running under the mower before he had a chance to dodge it. The Flamingo was clearly depressed and suicidal. There was nothing he could of done to avoid killing him.

 

[mamagardener]

Ahhh kids, gotta love them, because if we don't who will?!

 

[MissPrissy]

Funny story but the real issue is about you.

You need to decide if cutting the grass is an option or a requirement for your son.

If he can choose to cut it or not he probably won't cut it.

If you require it as part of the reason he gets spending money, a bed to sleep in and meals, etc., then he has no choice.

If he doesn't complete the task make a consequence for his inaction and follow through.

Tough love is hard on everyone but it teaches life lessons he will one day thank you for.

 

[darkmatter]

Quote:
Relax, the story is a few summers ago, the kid turned out fine, I laughed harder then he knows with his story. The lawn is just grass, growing the kid was the important part.

 

[saddina]

Hmm...

I have been banned from all mowing and powertools from life....

When I was 16 my brother skipped out on mowing (again) and my mom called from work to tell me to do it. The weekend before I did his yardwork, which was 5 hours of raking so I was a bit grumpy. I'd never touched the lawnmower, didn't want to now, but was stuck. According to my mom "it's an electric one, just plug it in a pretend you're vaccumming the grass". Fine, being the irate thing I was at 16 I did just that, did a few strips and then ran over the cord... see if I ever mow again...

Turns out that's a prime way to electrocute one's self, hair never did grow back on my arm...

She still doesn't know I did it on purpose, but when we married Dad told my husband why I'm not allowed around any sort of electric tools... and the ban stuck.