Our poor kids

[jdots]

Remember when you could work at a Mom & Pop business and learn about business from the inside out ,maybe even start one yourself because you learned something more than stocking a shelf or folding a tee shirt.It's our damned duty as old farts to bring that back to America. Any ideas on how ?

[Carla in Ca]

1. It wouldn't be impossible

but you would have to change a mindset that seems pretty entrenched. There is no discipline anymore. How do you teach values without that?

[Maeve]

2. It starts with having a family business

And those aren't easy--my folks owned an old fashioned grocery/general store and it requires time and effort beyond most 9-to-5 jobs, often for low return. The economics of Mom & Pop stores has changed in the past 50 years--like the family farm, a lot of them just aren't feasible anymore.

But there is one business where you will still see that--ethnic restaurants are frequently family-run enterprises.

[ramapo]

3. The world has moved on

There are many things our kids have missed, some good and some bad.

There are fewer opportunities to work in a small retail business of your own since the big box stores have changed the retail world. There's probably more retail jobs, not that that is especially a good thing.

Our kids missed out on working the more menial jobs, landscaping or newspaper delivery.

They may be forced to learn these lessons later on as it becomes more and more necessary to achieve some type of economic independance since nobody can rely on their employment being secure.

I don't think we can bring back what we once knew. We can only help our kids make their way in today's world. I do not envy them one bit.