To think neighbours are unreasonable making their son dig car out of snow?

[CookYourOwnDinner]

This kid looks about 14 I think. He was outside at 8am cleaning about 5-6 inches of snow off the family car, and still doing so when it started to snow again. Either way the wind was blowing a lot also, and it was biting.

Eventually he went in again, but now he’s back out to finish the car, and is currently shovelling snow off the drive.

(You may wonder why I’m looking but we have a big front room window and he’s literally right opposite, so it’s hard not to notice.)

He’s a lovely boy, and seems very obliging, but it’s an horrendous task, and besides this, he is often outside sweeping...

The dad seems to be very particular about his house frontage, and last summer he was mowing the lawn at 8:30 every fricking Sunday morning, and watered his lawn regularly. His was the only garden that had green grass. He often spent time sucking up leaves, and had his son helping, sometimes on his own with this weird broom thing, cleaning moss out from between the bricks on the drive.

I never see the girl being asked to do that, although who knows what chores she does indoors.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for children doing chores, but surely within reason...

I wouldn’t make my child do that in the snow... AIBU to feel this way? If I was physically fit to help, and it wouldn’t aggravate his parents, I’d go and help him.

I don’t know, maybe he likes it? But I can’t see a smile and he’s certainly not building a snowman. I just think let kids have fun in the snow ffs...

Maybe he just wants to help out? Money could be involved or he wants to go somewhere so needs a lift if possible? If school s closed he's maybe bored or just likes doing outdoor jobs.
My ds always cleared the front path and some pavement at that age. I didn't ask him to, he just likes gardening and outdoor stuff

Maybe he is off school and parents want him occupied and tired out, maybe its just a useful contribution - 14 is fine - sensible enough to go in if too cold put warm clothes on etc

Unless you are privy to their household conversations you really cannot comment. I always look at the whole picture. When we see a woman loudly yelling at her children, we don't see the dozen times before the yell that she's asked, told them bribed them to do or stop doing something but many people will judge on the snapshot they witness. Unless the kid is in tears and you see dad giving him a beating to get outside and clear snow you have no idea what's going on. And even if he does look pissed, we don't know if it's a punishment for something.

As a child I can remember the whole village clearing snow from the pavements, driveway and roads , perhaps the parents want their children to have a good work ethic?
Some parents let the children take a day off when it snows, others encourage them to put wellies on,wrap up warm and walk to walk to school.
Private schools would say these things are character building. Fresh air and excise is good for us all.

Paying kids to do stuff you don't want to do is one of the best things about having them.

My father's generation were going out to work and doing a full time working day at the age of 14.

I doubt clearing some snow off the car or helping in the garden is going to cause him any harm.

Perhaps the reason he's a 'lovely boy' is because he's been encourage to do things that benefit others and to take part in, and contribute to family life.

I wouldn't even pay my teen to do this. We just muck in with what needs done in our family though, so if the car needed sorted it would get done. I can't actually imagine a world where you had to pay a member of your own household to contribute towards it.

Paying kids to do stuff you don't want to do is one of the best things about having them.

Hehe... I shall consider taking up the practice.

@HRTpatch I'm 20 this month and I'd build a snowman

Hopefully he's doing it for some extra pocket money OP, otherwise it would be quite sad, it's freezing outside!

Hands up. I am a scummy mummy. In Sweden and it was -27 on Monday. I gave to the kids (11) 20kr each (just under 2 quid) to take the rubbish and bin to the bottom of the garden in order to be collected the following morning. Made sense, they had just come in from school and were still dressed for minus temperatures. I would have had to nag and face a chorus of I'll do it later had I not thrown a little coinage at the problem.

Maybe the kid likes to feel useful,more than likely he's getting bunged a tenner for it too. As long as he's dressed appropriately I would just think 'good for him' and think no more about it.

ha, what do you think teenagers who live in places like Canada do? Of course they are sweeping/scraping the cars and shovelling the drives! Perfectly normal chores. Sometimes for extra pocket money. Even better if they hire themselves out to neighbours

I was told off the other day by a passerby for making my 4 year old scrape ice off the car. I didn't 'make' her do anything, she thought it looked fun and wanted a go.

I grew up in rural New England. It was perfectly normal for teens to be out shovelling the front path (fortunately we paid snowploughs to do the drive!) and digging out the cars.

In fact, the only cold weather chore I didn’t like was the early morning emptying sap buckets from the maple trees into the big vat. Freezing cold and you had to fish out the dead moths. (We made our own maple syrup)

My 12 and 15 yr old would have helped to shovel if their school was shut for the day.

Did he clear the snow so that he could get a lift to school? I think most people would think that was fair.

Whether he is being paid or not, he's likely to be driving in 2-3 years, and I assume needing help from Mum and Dad to do so. It's not a bad thing that he learns how to manage the snow when you are a vehicle owner.

I'll be honest, if I were you I'd concentrate on me and mine. I wouldn't worry about what chores the boy over the roads parents ask him to do! Unless of course to see him being put down the chimney!

Well I don't know what you'd think of me because my 10yo scrapes the ice off my car every morning. I don't even ask him to he just does it.

Like others have said he might be getting pocket money to do it.

14 years olds are pretty much running snow plies in rural New England.

Plows!

Darnsquirrels that is funny

My 6 year old and I were out doing this at 6am this morning. It wasn’t horrendous at all - it’s quite satisfying and the work kept up warm.

DS told me he wished for snow again tomorrow so we could do it all over again.

Haha! Seems I’m missing out on fun by not doing it myself too.

Op you are writing this as if you are in the grips of a stateside polar vortex