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My Work Ethic (childhood)

Judging from my first few jobs, I guess you can say that I didn’t have a very strong work ethic at this point, and though it would be a cop out to completely blame my parents, I can’t help but include them in the reasoning behind my poor work ethic. They both work hard now, but when I was growing up, I didn’t have the best role models for my career.

My Mom didn’t work outside the home. She is a diabetic and she had social anxiety issues which made it difficult for her to work outside of our home. I do remember her working briefly at a deli, though. I can remember being obsessed with the cash register. I wanted to press those buttons so badly! My Mom got me a cash register as a Christmas present that year. I loved that thing.

So, Mom didn’t work, and then there was Dad. He worked the night shift and seemed tired and miserable most of the time. He had about an hour commute every night, and I remember my Mom telling my sister and I to keep quiet constantly during the day. We had to play Hungry Hungry Hippos outside on the front porch. Every so often, my Dad would get laid off from his factory job, and these were actually happy times for my family. He would collect a regular unemployment compensation, and we would be instructed no to answer the phone if his work called. (I think this was the sole reason my family had caller ID on our phone. This was back when it was a separate box you had to buy to see who was calling.)

See, they had to try to contact him by phone first, to get him to come back to work. In an effort to put that off as long as possible, we wouldn’t answer the phone, forcing his employer to send a letter instead. This way, my Dad got another week or so before he had to go back to work.

Eventually the factory where my Dad worked closed down, and he went back to school to learn another trade. He seems happy with his dayshift job now, and my Mom works part-time in a school cafeteria. In general, they seem happier than when my sister and I lived at home.

I grew up thinking work was something you avoided at all costs. Employers are demanding and unfeeling, and any time off work is great.