When my 12-year-old son Ben agreed to shovel snow for our wealthy neighbor Mr. Dickinson for $10 a day, he was overjoyed.
His plan was simple: earn enough money to buy thoughtful gifts for the family. But when Mr. Dickinson refused to pay, calling it a “lesson in contracts,” Ben was devastated.
That’s when I decided it was time for a lesson of our own—a lesson in accountability.
Ben had always had a heart bigger than his years. At just 12, his determination could humble grown men. Still, I never imagined I’d be standing with my husband in the freezing cold, enacting a plan to teach our neighbor that cheating a child wasn’t just bad business
