" Well said Matt Neal "

" My first job was mowing lawns during the summer. My brother and I built up quite a list of clients and it eventually turned into more than a part time thing. We spent all summer mowing lawns, weed eating and fertilizing. We built up enough of a cash flow that we bought our own equipment. When we started, I was 12 and my brother was 16.

We made money which allowed my brother to buy his first car, an older truck. With the money we made we had enough to fill the gas tank and go fishing every weekend wherever we wanted to go. We would mow all week and then plan a trip over the weekend, without fail, all summer

I probably would rather have been playing baseball but I had money in my pocket.

Eventually, my brother put himself through college by mowing lawns. Hired help or not, it was a small business that provided a service while keeping us out of trouble and teaching us the value of money.

It all started when our grandfather gave us his old lawnmower because he bought a new one. We tuned it up and started knocking on doors. Eventually we knocked on the right door because the owner of the house also owned about 12 houses in the neighborhood that he rented out. We picked up all those houses and from there we built up a clientele of about 40.

Teenagers. We went to all the local nurseries to figure out how to apply fertilizers, how to plant trees and shrubs and just about any other question we had. No, it is not rocket science, I'm sure that (if you could pull your kid away from his or her playstation 3 for an hour or so) then they could figure it out as well. Kids are not stupid.

Five days a week, we mowed lawns, in the heat. But we always had money to go fishing. "

" To To Exiled (will the just never understand the "name" box?)
A bit high-strung, aren't you? You're absolutely correct. Ontario teenagers are worthless. Can't teach them a darned thing. Makes me wonder why we bother trying. "

" You teach some kid to mow and do all the other things, and send him my way. He needs to have all the supplies to do the job right. I have no lawn mower, no spreader, and also no trimer. The bushes in ront of my house need to be pruned, and the trees fed several times a year. Exile dont compare a local kid to a hard working farm kid. Also, we have 11 lawn companys in Ontario, so I am not alone.
Maybe instead of worring about my lawn care you should worry about your self, because you have problems. "

" To To Exie (NAMES, people, NAMES!): And I (believe I) explained that if you took the time to teach a high school kid how to do it, they COULD do it. If you insist on thinking that they cannot do it and are not willing to teach them how to do it, you are contributing to next generation's ignorance. "

" I never complained about the cost just explained why i could not use a highschool kid. So read before you write. "

" To To Stephanie (when will people learn they should put a NAME in the NAME box and not a SUBJECT?)
If you teach a teenager how to maintain a lawn, yes, they can fertilize, pull weeds, and maintain a lawnmower properly. Ever seen a farm boy?
If, on the other hand, you assume children are idiots and aren't capable of learning these things - and thus don't teach them - then of course they won't know.
Thank you, I now better understand one aspect of the educational system around here - parents who think children are too stupid to learn things. "

" If fertilizer and sprinklers are your priority, stop complaining about the cost! "

" Do these kids know when to start fertilizing,start up springlers, check for leaks, and spray for weeds ect ect? I doubt it. You think he wants to check up on someone all the time to see if they are doing a good job? My son could cut my wifes hair and it would save a ton of money, but get real. Come on Stephanie "

" Thanks, Stephanie!
On a slightly similar note, I think if the child labor laws weren't quite so strict, we wouldn't have half to problems we do. "

" To the guy who posted as Thanks Exiled. There are many teens around the area who need a summer job, and you could pay $15-20 a week or just $15 to have them come mow your lawn, instead of a big wig lawn maitenance company doing the job. I know my son did that one summer, and it does cut down on the cost of lawn mowing. If you have a lawn mower a teen could use, let a teenager do it. Just make sure they go over it again, if they have missed any spots. Its a good learning experience plus the teen puts some money in his or her wallet. And yes girls can mow lawns too, if they wish. AS for the rest of you able bodied people, mow your own lawns. Save money. I do now that we have lawns to mow. Good exercise too. "

" I was injured Thirteen months ago overseas and am now back at home. I do not have the ability to mow my own lawn, so I have to pay someone to do it. That is the kind of person I have become.

Think before you talk, because you can end up looking like an idiot if you dont. "

" I reckon I aim to get me one of them mowers that you plug into the wall. That Doyle Hargrave's has one and it works real good. Doyle let me push it a time of two the other day. I reckon it works good. It's good for the environment too. I reckon that Obamer feller would be proud of me for keepin the environment clean and what not. "

" Sheep, goats, geese, and the good ol fashioned "push" reel mower. All have one thing in common. Gasoline free but not entirely "gas" free. Except for the reel mower. I have one. Great for small lawns. "

" Oh, dear, lawn maintenance companies have raised prices!

I have a hard time feeling sorry for somebody that has to pay more for their "hired help" to come take care of their lawn.

Next we'll here somebody complaining about how they have to pay their maid more. Perhaps there could be some sort of government welfare to help poor people pay for their landscaping...

What kind of people have we become? "