My siblings and I ran
a lawn mowing/snow shoveling family business.
We ranged in ages
and we ranged in abilities.
My sister started working in this business
when she was four years old.
At that age,
she held the bags
as we put lawn clippings in them.
She would stomp on snow banks,
making them more compact.
She would only ‘work’ for an hour or two.
When she was ten years old,
she’d use the hand clippers
to trim around trees and garden beds.
In the winter,
she’d push the snow to the side of the walkway.
She’d work three or four hours a day.
Kids are capable of different tasks
at different ages.
The key to bringing your child to work
is to match the task/environment
to the child’s age.
Katie Morell has a great
Age-By-Age Guide to Bringing Your Child to Work.