• Give your kids a natural sense of belonging and self-worth.
• Strengthen their autonomy, independence and responsibility.
• Watch them tone their physical muscles as well as the muscles of perseverance, excellence and attention to detail.
• In a world of “give me, give me,” and “I want it now” make sure your kids have the history of effort it takes to healthfully acquire and steward what the world has to offer.

Do it all by giving the children in your life one precious gift, the four-letter word: WORK.

I recently asked my grandfather what one gift from his childhood he would give to the children of the youngest generation. At first, he said a racing sled. Then I clarified what I meant and without hesitation he said, “Cows to milk.” He went on to explain how the dairy cows his family, and so many families of his generation, kept provided a stable structure to his young life. Every morning before school he awoke to milk the cows, and every evening when he got home the ladies were ready to be milked again. If he failed to do his part, another creature would suffer. There were natural, visible consequences for him and others if he failed to show up.

He went on to share how he sees young people in his small town wandering around the streets, stuck in their cell phones with nothing constructive to do with their time, no purpose.

Cows, he believes, could be the answer.

Though cows might not be the best solution for the climate or for our abundance of urban dwellers, the principle of daily work is. My grandfather is correct to observe a young generation adrift.

I have spent my entire life since I was a youth working with youth, and a key poverty of this generation is a sense of purpose and meaning.

Work provides that because it shows me in a small, but practical way that my existence matters to the world.

The present generation of youth is told more than any other in history that they are special, that they matter, but the expectations we place on their young lives communicate the opposite, “We don’t need you, just let the adults take care of it.”

In the healthy family, the entrepreneurial family, everyone must have their meaningful work to do to keep the family functioning.

If it takes buying cows to get it done, then let the methane rain!

I don’t think I have been more astounded by anything as a parent than my children’s craving for their job.

Our family began with responsibilities before and after every meal (one kid clears the table, one kid puts away leftovers, one kid sweeps etc. etc.) With even just these simple tasks, I have seen kids get into fights with their two-year-old siblings for trying to “steal” their duty. We have since increased our expectations and currently maintain mealtime chores with the addition of a set indoor/outdoor morning chores on a weekly rotation. We currently split girls and boys. One team goes outside to feed and care for our chickens, while the other team stays inside and is responsible to deep clean a different room of the house each morning. I am astounded to prepare a bucket of soapy water for my little girls and find them an hour later still scrubbing away at the kitchen floor to defeat the final hard-to-get grime. Such labors take the childhood which is popularly the time where I get doted on, spoiled and wait to become an adult who contributes to the world and make it the childhood where I already contribute to the world, where I not only get doted on and spoiled but understand my power to do so to others.

That four-letter word transforms the family from a place where children are constantly served, to a place where we all serve each other.

In such a place, everyone feels more important, more a part, less stressed and more capable of resting or playing together, because we’ve all done our parts with the labors which make it all run.

Whether you are a parent, teacher, soccer coach, or great aunt, I want to encourage you to evaluate how you can increase the meaningful work of the children in your life. Don’t give them pointless chores or to-do lists for the sake of to-do lists, but make sure they know, through the experience of dirty hands, their importance to your family, classroom, or team.

Discuss their qualifications, their strengths, their potential responsibilities. 

Let them know you will get back to them soon with how their services will be required.

After everyone has had their interview, assemble a new list of responsibilities for each family member!

Present them, turn them loose, and watch the pride of jobs well done satisfy their purpose-yearning souls.