#Work Ethics and #Lemonade Stands #Childhood in the #50's. #work ethics, #lemonade stands, 3

Our work ethics were planted at a tender age. We siblings all had responsibilities and chores to perform every day. My own included washing dishes, washing clothes, hanging out clothes, bringing in clothes, and most of all baby sitting. My brothers' were more into the lifting, and yard work, and assisting dad in the more "manly" chores. I was a worker bee, although my creative nature and senior status allowed me to delegate to the younger ones while making them feel they were very lucky to have been "chosen". My oldest brother, on the other hand, was a money maker from the word go. He started a lawn mowing business and even hired a couple of kids from the neighborhood which he supervised. He supervised and they worked. A beautiful business formula. His pockets were always full of money. It was a precursor of what was to come. Looking back the elements of our future were all there. M, K and G all doodling and drawing with raw talent. R starting up businesses and making money, K loving drama, and me, always telling stories and creating plays with my siblings forced to act out. L was the youngest and she was probably trying to find her own niche in the power wielding forces about her. What I remember of D was his brute force. He was the muscle guy.
We certainly were a tribe, each vying for their own identity and power. I remember I was a bit of a general, because I was the eldest. That worked beautifully until my brothers were stronger than me, then I had to step back from my leadership position.
Between the chores, the little lemonade stands, the grass mowing business, selling for prizes on the back of the comic books, we were all learning the meaning of hard work and the value of money. Good lessons that fared us well in our adulthood. Lessons that not all of us passed on to our own children whom we wanted to  hand everything to on a silver platter. The pendulum swings both ways. Our children's generation were not so motivated and eager as we were. Let us see how this will influence their offspring. Every generation leaves its mark. Our parents generation was a good mark.