I wondered (worried?) about how to instill a strong work ethic in our kids when there isn’t much “real work” apart from chores in their lives. I recently received confirmation that the older boys get it. Our oldest was promoted to shift manager at a restaurant at the age of 15. His quieter 14 year old brother works at the same place. The 14 yr old vented to me after work about how frustrating it is to work with lazy people. Rarely does this boy get worked up, but he was on a roll about how he can’t stand lazy people.
When they were little we pulled them out of youth sports for a few years because they were so far from aggressive that we knew they were developing bad wrestling habits. Now-they are hard working, aggressive and strong athletes. I can’t believe how my laid back 9th grader plays football. He moves fast and hits hard! I had feared for years they might be soft and lazy young men. Thankfully, that is not so.
All of this took years of effort from my husband, taking them along to job sites where they did the low skill dirty work for a small payment (big to a ten year old, though!). I also pointed out over and over that we are created for work-God gave Adam work in Eden before the fall. Work is not punishment.
Kudos to you for raising such fine young men. If more did what you have done, the whole society would be better off.