How old are you? My dad was born in 1926, he was a rough guy, but he would have been only 13 or 14. Grandpa would have kicked his butt for not concentrating on school or chores. He had the job his day should have been working. Employers hired kids because they were cheaper, even back then. Grandpa worked the farm, Dad made the cash that made the farm solvent between crops.
My father was born in ‘24, so he and his high school buddies switched from beating up queers to fighting Nazis. I came along in ‘49 under the GI Bill.