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Wednesday, 05 August 2009

The Kid

By Joanne Zimmermann

He had to go to summer school, failed the FCAT. He might not pass 3rd grade. He looked dejected.

I let him cut my lawn a few times. His dad made sure he knew how to do it safely. Oh yes, he cut off one of my plants and missed a few spots at first.

I told him he had to pay for gas and expenses out of his earnings.

I encouraged him to do more in his neighborhood, since he was not in any sports programs or other summer activities.

I saw him Sunday. On his "day off" from summer school, he made $60 and another $20 the next day. He was excited. He got a big compliment from one of his "customers," a handicapped person who could not do his own yard.

He actually loved his summer school teacher. He figured out his reading problem and used a lot of math for his new job. He told me he wanted to go to college!! His mom said the lawn service elevated his self esteem.

He named his business "Justin's Lawn Service."

He reminded his dad he needed to buy more gas for the mower on their way home. He kept a list of his yards and when they went home he did another lawn for $20. When he came back to his house, he complained to his mom, "They are trying to steal my customers." He found flyers in their mailboxes about lawn services from adults. He then made his own flyers.

Welcome to the world of competition.

Maybe he should just quit school now and start his own business. Oh yeah, he is nine years old and is my grandson.

[EDITORIAL NOTE: All elders, 50 and older, are welcome to submit stories for this blog. They can be fiction, non-fiction, poetry, memoir, etc. Instructions for submitting are here.]

Posted by Ronni Bennett at 02:30 AM | Permalink | Email this post