Anonymous
Post 01/27/2026 10:07     Subject: what is wrong with modern kids and no motivation to shovel?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My kids were busy helping us chip through the ice dam at the foot of our driveway. They then went and helped a couple of our neighbors for a bit. But then they were exhausted as were all the adults out chipping away at the ice.


This. It's a lot.

Also some teens have probably dealt with the cranky entitled boomers who live around them who think that paying them $20 for multiple hours of back breaking work is great "pocket money". Hell no. Raise your price and you'll find someone willing.


And "$20 is a gift. They should be shoveling to help those in need without asking to be paid."


if you have not lifted a damn shovel in this icezilla, just stfu. No one should be doing this unpaid unless it's your own damn driveway. Not growing bodies nor senior bodies.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2026 10:05     Subject: what is wrong with modern kids and no motivation to shovel?
Anonymous wrote:I remember as a kid loving snow because it meant we could go door to door and earn cold hard cash shoveling. It was great earning $200 bucks for a few hours of work.

Now I'm reading in DC that it is a sidewalk apocalypse because no one shoveled their walkways. It is too late now because it is packed down into ice, but where are the kids going door to door to make loot? It was a goldmine opportunity if they went out and made some effort. They even had multiple rounds of opportunity for shoveling due to the hours of snowfall and days off from school. I bet they could have easily made $2000 going door to door all day.

What happened to modern kids? Parent too scared? Or are they completely demotivated because they're stuck on their screens the whole time scrolling TikTok? It is great exercise too.


They are out there. In all types of neighborhoods. This one required more efforts than what DC area typically gets for snow. Too bad you chose to live in the neighborhood you did.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2026 09:52     Subject: what is wrong with modern kids and no motivation to shovel?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My kids were busy helping us chip through the ice dam at the foot of our driveway. They then went and helped a couple of our neighbors for a bit. But then they were exhausted as were all the adults out chipping away at the ice.


This. It's a lot.

Also some teens have probably dealt with the cranky entitled boomers who live around them who think that paying them $20 for multiple hours of back breaking work is great "pocket money". Hell no. Raise your price and you'll find someone willing.


And "$20 is a gift. They should be shoveling to help those in need without asking to be paid."
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2026 09:40     Subject: Re:what is wrong with modern kids and no motivation to shovel?
Anonymous wrote:Mine would rather go sledding and hang out with their friends. It's still a snow day for them and they are still kids. They want to enjoy it. 20 years from now, those are the memories they will remember, not earning $40-50 for two hours of hard manual labor.


this
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2026 09:09     Subject: what is wrong with modern kids and no motivation to shovel?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:They're not motivated because their parents buy them everything they want and ask for. They don't have the incentive to earn money, since mom and dad will get it anyway. Why do hard work?


100% this


Kids are extremely busy with academics and extracurriculars these days. Parents barely give them basic household chores much less hard and time-intensive ones.


Stop generalizing. My DD was admitted ED to an excellent college and will graduate HS top 5%. She has chores at home and a real W2 job and not just during the summer.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2026 09:06     Subject: what is wrong with modern kids and no motivation to shovel?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:They're not motivated because their parents buy them everything they want and ask for. They don't have the incentive to earn money, since mom and dad will get it anyway. Why do hard work?


100% this


Kids are extremely busy with academics and extracurriculars these days. Parents barely give them basic household chores much less hard and time-intensive ones.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2026 09:06     Subject: Re:what is wrong with modern kids and no motivation to shovel?
Mine would rather go sledding and hang out with their friends. It's still a snow day for them and they are still kids. They want to enjoy it. 20 years from now, those are the memories they will remember, not earning $40-50 for two hours of hard manual labor.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2026 09:04     Subject: what is wrong with modern kids and no motivation to shovel?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:They're not motivated because their parents buy them everything they want and ask for. They don't have the incentive to earn money, since mom and dad will get it anyway. Why do hard work?


100% this


OR, like my DD they have real jobs they work hard at and don’t need extra money. My DD works three shifts a week at a restaurant. She doesn’t need $20 to shovel snow - not because we bankroll her. She bankrolls herself.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2026 09:02     Subject: what is wrong with modern kids and no motivation to shovel?
Anonymous wrote:This isn’t easy, push around snow. It took 3 grown men 2 hours to clear my driveway and sidewalk. My kids couldn’t have done it. The high schools I’d “contracted” never showed though they were great last year.


Agree. It took my 16 yo daughter 6 hours. She took a lunch break and two shorter breaks. She had to break up the ice and then shovel.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2026 09:02     Subject: what is wrong with modern kids and no motivation to shovel?
Anonymous wrote:They're not motivated because their parents buy them everything they want and ask for. They don't have the incentive to earn money, since mom and dad will get it anyway. Why do hard work?


100% this
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2026 09:00     Subject: what is wrong with modern kids and no motivation to shovel?
People around here are generally not hardy. Lots of type As that didn’t grow up in colder climates. Online life.i actually enjoyed shoveling and sledding with my son the last few days. I took a wonderful walk this morning- love the quiet and snow.

People also don’t have correct snow gear and layers. UMC thinks it’s beneath them to do manual labor. They pass this onto their kids.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2026 08:57     Subject: Re:what is wrong with modern kids and no motivation to shovel?
Anonymous wrote:We have teens in our neighborhood who helped for money, they could not do all of it themselves but it was a great help $20 for 1 hour of work.

They are not earning $200 ... that's insane.

Our neighbors help each other... were you out there yesterday helping your neighbors?

Why not, what has happened to your generation where you can't help a neighbor?


+1. If you were actually out shoveling, you’d know this is super tough stuff to shovel.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2026 08:56     Subject: what is wrong with modern kids and no motivation to shovel?
Op did you never take a statistics class? Your experiences aren’t universal. There’s multiple threads in the teen forum about shoveling teens.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1311427.page
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2026 08:54     Subject: what is wrong with modern kids and no motivation to shovel?
Just hang out on this forum and you'll get your answer. "My teen spent $200 at Sephora using my credit card. Should I make her return any of it?" "I pay for my teens acrylic nails, daily Starbucks and balayage because the other girls have it and I don't want her to be an outcast." "My teen is too busy with travel sports and ECs to even think about a job. We pay for all his needs because school is his job."
Kids have to be money-hungry to do work like this.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2026 08:53     Subject: what is wrong with modern kids and no motivation to shovel?
Anonymous wrote:My kids were busy helping us chip through the ice dam at the foot of our driveway. They then went and helped a couple of our neighbors for a bit. But then they were exhausted as were all the adults out chipping away at the ice.


This. It's a lot.

Also some teens have probably dealt with the cranky entitled boomers who live around them who think that paying them $20 for multiple hours of back breaking work is great "pocket money". Hell no. Raise your price and you'll find someone willing.