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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

...to pay an 11 year old to mow the lawn?

43 replies

earthling19 · 13/04/2022 14:58

Would it be reasonable to pay my 11 year old nephew £10 to mow the lawn? It's not a massive garden but is on a slight slope.

OP posts:
Snoozysnoozy · 13/04/2022 15:00

Offer £10 then dock his pay if his work is not up to scratch.

ManyATime · 13/04/2022 15:06

What do his parents say?

bigbluebus · 13/04/2022 15:08

Is he a sensible 11 year old? I'm assuming you're not expecting him to cut it with a pair of scissors! What sort of mower will he be using and has he mowed a lawn before?

Cultureclub · 13/04/2022 18:36

Only if he knows what he's doing and has proper protective clothing.

Snoozysnoozy · 13/04/2022 18:59

proper protective clothing.

I mow my grass in shorts and t-shirt. WTF is proper protective clothing for cutting the grass?

junglejane66 · 13/04/2022 19:06

@Snoozysnoozy

proper protective clothing.

I mow my grass in shorts and t-shirt. WTF is proper protective clothing for cutting the grass?

And he also needs to complete a work instruction, method statement and risk assessment

Dont say you dont do this either?

Svara · 13/04/2022 19:10

@Snoozysnoozy

proper protective clothing.

I mow my grass in shorts and t-shirt. WTF is proper protective clothing for cutting the grass?

Not barefoot or in flip flops?
MrsClatterbuck · 13/04/2022 19:10

When I was his age or maybe a year older I used to cut our grass for half a crown 12 1/2 p
It was a petrol mower and my dad would have got it started.

ManyATime · 13/04/2022 20:10

There was a blind woman on ‘gardener’s world’ recently who always mows the lawn barefoot.
I think I might have found our lawn mower too heavy when I was eleven.

notanothertakeaway · 13/04/2022 20:15

Easy to scoff, but when I was at school, the groundaman cut off his toe whilst cutting the grass. I don't think this us a suitable task for an 11 year old

ManyATime · 13/04/2022 20:21

Yes, eleven is probably too young except perhaps for a roller one, and that might be too heavy.

Qwill · 13/04/2022 20:26

@junglejane66

Definitely, I put together a work package plan and a task briefing. Always make sure they sign off on it too. Also need to think of any tax implications and pension contributions, I suppose it depends if he’s set up his own company? It really is a minefield these days 😂

RB68 · 13/04/2022 20:39

Ask the parents but so long as he can handle the mower properly its fine. Have you seen the size of some of the 11 yr olds these days

Dky4 · 13/04/2022 20:42

My own son did ours with a hover mower at that age. If you let go of the handle it switches off.

Dky4 · 13/04/2022 20:43

He did mow over the electric cable though. (which also made it stop!)

Organictangerine · 13/04/2022 20:44

@notanothertakeaway

Easy to scoff, but when I was at school, the groundaman cut off his toe whilst cutting the grass. I don't think this us a suitable task for an 11 year old
Is this like the mythical child who swung back on their chair and cracked their head open? Anyone else remember that?!
Somuddled · 13/04/2022 20:44

Does the mower have a dead man's handle? What about the roller? I'm a gardener and I'd not trust an 11 year old to be safe with a petrol mower. Maybe an electric one. If you do let them, please do make sure they wear shoes and mow across the slope.

Sprig1 · 13/04/2022 20:47

If he is used to using a mower then absolutely. My son is 11 and has been cutting ours with big petrol mower for more than a year.

Morechocmorechoc · 13/04/2022 20:47

My dad drove a tractor at 5, I owned a van at 8. Seriously, an 11 year old can push a stupid lawn mower. People are so overprotective bo wonder we live in such a precious society these days.

TheNoodlesIncident · 13/04/2022 20:52

@notanothertakeaway

Easy to scoff, but when I was at school, the groundaman cut off his toe whilst cutting the grass. I don't think this us a suitable task for an 11 year old
So did that football commentator of years gone by. Saw it on 24 Hours In A&E. They couldn't save his big toe. He stepped back into some pots, lost his balance and fell backwards with his feet going up to the underside of the mower, which he still had hold of.

In summary: Don't walk backwards but if you do, let go of the mower. And have decent footwear.

A sensible 11 year old would be OK if they are strong enough. And no tying string around the dead-man's-handle either. (My MIL did this so she didn't have to hold it in all the time, it's madness to bypass a safety feature that is supposed to lower the risk of serious injury like severing toes!)

DilemmaDelilah · 14/04/2022 15:51

@Organictangerine. My uncle managed to cut off all the toes on one foot while using a hover mower, so it's not just a story. However they are much safer nowadays especially if they are used with those special trip switches. If your nephew's parents agree and he is strong enough to do so - I say go ahead... but I would be letting him know that £10 is for a good job - if it's not a good job you will be giving him less.

ConsuelaHammock · 14/04/2022 15:54

My 12 year old is cutting ours atm.

nellytheelephantscircus · 14/04/2022 16:03

My 12 year old DS does ours with a cordless mower. He's pretty sensible and it's lightweight. I do always make sure he's wearing trainers instead of sliders/flip flops (although not sure it would make too much difference should the worst happen).

Blueeyedgirl21 · 14/04/2022 16:05

My Nephew is 11 and is 5ft 3 and 8.5 stone! That’s about half a stone off me! If I can handle a mower why couldn’t he? 11 year olds aren’t tiny boys

reluctantbrit · 14/04/2022 16:13

Depends if he knows what he is doing and has it done before.

How big is your lawn? £10 sounds ok for a average size garden.

DD gets £25 to "valet" the car interior, that takes her around 1 1/2 hours though but I refuse an hourly rate