What age is appropriate for children to mow grass?

[Anonymous]

Ten seems reasonable

[Anonymous]

I don’t understand the aversion. I love mowing my yard and I’m a female. I mowed my grass while up to 9 months pregnant with my 3 kids. I think it’s exercise and I like the satisfaction of my lawn looking nice. I even like the smell

[Anonymous]

If it’s a safe neighborhood where everyone knows everyone else 8. You have to use your judgment here op, it depends on neighborhood, kids, if they were raised with mowers and farm equipment, there’s no one answer you’re looking for. My neighbors were helping to mow hay fields at 6 years old so it’s all relative.

[Anonymous]

My dad had a lawn mowing business at 8 years old, he tied a rope to his bicycle and pulled the mower behind him to get to the houses. He also had 2 paper routes. I know it was a different time but we don’t need to coddle our children just because we’re scared. They have cell phones, tracking devices and everything else that wasn’t around 50 years ago and they all turned out ok.

[Anonymous]

I am a mom of three boys - ages 8, 10 and 14. NO WAY would I trust my 8 year old to mow the lawn.. My 10 year old could do it but would probably need an adult around....My 14 year old, absolutely. We have an electric mower and it's easy to push and great exercise.

It pains me that so many kids do not help around their yard....raking, picking up sticks, shoveling, mowing, etc...Frankly some of my neighbors kids never come outside....so sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My brother didn't want the responsibility of our yard, so I told my Dad I could do it. I was 8 years old and probably 60ish lbs. He paid me $5 to mow the entire yard with a push mower that he had to start for me. Took me about an hour 1/2.
But I was responsible, hungry for money and wanted to earn his respect. I'm now a 50+ woman with 5 successful businesses. Not BS, just grew up up with strong business people and wanted to emulate them.

What made you decide to resurrect this 2013 thread, PP? I started mowing my family’s half-acre yard in 1978 when I was 10, and my DH was nonplussed when I wanted to mow our family’s yard in Bethesda for the first 10 years of our marriage. I was excited to see that someone mentioned the great place on Butler rd, which was at least a million times better Strosnider’s for blade sharpening. But I assume the Butler Rd. place is long gone, like my lawn-mowing days. Now I’m sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't want my kids being beggars in the neighbourhood.
I don't want neighbours employing my children, feeling superior to me.

Oh good grief, this post has to be a joke, right? I am assuming you and/or your spouse work for a living. Does that mean you are a beggar?


And do you really think it is better to teach your kids that they should worry about who is superior to whom in the neighborhood, rather than learning the value of hard work?

I work but I don't go door to door.
It's peasant like.

Did you grow up in a feudal country?

[Anonymous]

Zombie thread

[Anonymous]

I mowed around age 10-11 but only with my dad supervising relatively closely.

[Anonymous]

Ew, no. Hire a service.

[Anonymous]

DCs started at 14 and we have electric only. Gas powered landscaping tools are horrible for the environment.

[Anonymous]

This is beyond ridiculous.

I teach kids to pick up rocks and sticks first, and they add a surcharge for it to the mowing. They wear long pants (preferably denim), sneakers and socks, gloves (because the vibration in their hands makes that just as likely to be a problem), a hat, and plenty of sunscreen. They start with a push mower around 5-6, just like my siblings and I did, and they can use the gas mower when they can prove that they can cold start it correctly three times without help and without ruining the motor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the PP who sold their landscaping buisness, for the one who doubted me let me explain.

After taking over Somerset, Kenwood and Wood Acres bit by bit, I had to hire friends to help me cut lanws after school and all day on weekends. sometimes 30-40 lawns a day. I bought two trucks and two horse trailers,and hired people to drive them, bought as much used equipment as I could from the lawn mower place on Butler Road, and rented space off River Road to sotre the equipment. During high school I went half days my junior and senior years part of a work program I got into. Much like the students who do other trades, I got approval to do this.

I got several accounts for large developments like kenwood forest, parkside, and many others. Hired more employees and it grew and grew.

Need more proof?

How could someone under age 18 buy a car and horse trailer? Don't you have to be 19 to buy a car?

Are you really that out of touch? You can buy a used car from anyone who is selling, if you have the cash and can drive it home.

[Anonymous]

My kids were mowing the lawn with our gas mower and our riding mower by 11. They were driving (on a learners permit) at 14. But, we do things differently than your typical DC raised kids.

[Anonymous]

It depends on the kid. My son was able to do it independently at 11. He started much younger than that with one of us there supervising. I would have been comfortable with him mowing a neighbors lawn at 11 and he would have been meticulous. He was the kid who started at an early age because he always wanted to get out there with the lawn mower.

My other child is 11 now and I don’t think he’s ever done it. He is not as mechanically inclined and the interest is not there. We could teach him and will someday but there isn’t a reason yet. He should not mow anyone’s lawn right now.