There is a fine line between supporting and encouraging your kids, and carrying them.

• I do not think it benefits a young person for their parents to do too much for them early on.

They need to learn responsibility and work ethic, and that cannot happen if they do not work. That said, if a child or young person works hard and puts in maximum effort, that should be rewarded. I have followed that path with my children, and in my estimation have gotten great results. My youngest son Ethan just finished up with night school after deciding he did not want to go to college. He told me his plan, to get certified for HVAC work, get a job, and work his way up through the ranks of the company. It was a good plan, he had done his research, and had decided that learning heating and cooling repair would allow him to lead the life he wanted to live. Something else I taught the kids is “work to live, don’t live to work” and Ethan thought that HVAC would be his perfect path for that philosophy. He passed his certification test, got an internship with a local HVAC contractor, and has been doing just great for himself! Since then, as a way of rewarding his hard work, I have been paying him to some personal climate control projects for me around the house. It’s good practice for him, he works cheap, and now I have a great new ventilation system installed in my kitchen like I’ve always wanted!

a/c repairman