First Job

In the late 90s, at a time when the minimum wage here was just over $7 per hour, I spent 7 hours at a local berry farm picking raspberries. This farm made berry wines and since I wanted a job that would ensure I wasn’t face to face with people that I might have to talk to, this was what I chose to do.

It lasted for one day. It had been pouring rain, and it was miserable. And I made $11.00 for the entire day I was there, so I never went back.

Our older son, has started his first job a couple of months ago, at Tim Horton’s. It’s a very Canadian first job, a chain of restaurants known for their coffee and donuts that was started by a hockey player. It’s going well, and he is getting complimented for being efficient and doing the work well. Which is a major success, if you ask me. When asked to do chores or little jobs at home, it’s common to be met with protests, complaints or the requests completely ‘forgotten.’ So having other people to answer to is just what has been needed for some reality and perspective.

A few friends of mine who have kids a bit older say that the maturity really improves a few months into that first job.

I was quite angered yesterday… when a load of wash went in at home when I went to work in the morning – with very strict instructions that this be loaded immediately into the dryer upon wash cycle completion – only to get home at the end of the day to find it sat in a wet heap all day and not transferred to the dryer. Once the boys knew how angry I was, I soon found our older son outside, vacuuming my car. He wasn’t asked to do it. This hadn’t been on the chore list – which, by the way, was only 40% complete when I got home. He then completed the other chores on the list. When dinner was finished, he went outside to complete the vacuuming, and also put everything away after… which was just as shocking.

This morning he had a morning shift, which he doesn’t normally do. He was upstairs at 5:05, made toast (this is the kid that doesn’t particularly like breakfast food and normally doesn’t have much of a morning appetite), and emptied the entire dishwasher for me. Then he was waiting to be driven to work and wanted to make sure WE would be ready to drive him on time at 7:30. My husband and I wondered if we were in a twilight zone.

After the berry farm, my next ‘job’ was in The Netherlands in the museum cafe. Although it was not paid, it was like a job. After that it was once I was home working as a teller at a Credit Union (like a bank for those that are unfamiliar). That was more to my liking 😅.

We always remember that first job though.

Sending Love,

Devon