Chapter 15

Child Labor Ended

             Throughout most of history people worked regardless of their age.  Only during the last couple centuries have some people concluded that children should not work.  However, as child labor was prohibited in western culture, the prohibitions extended from childhood through the teen years, and adolescents were also forbidden to work.

Bible Times

            When people think of children working in the Bible, they probably most often think of David the shepherd boy out caring for sheep.  When he came to Jesse’s home near Bethlehem to anoint the man who was to be the next king, the prophet Samuel asked to see Jesse’s sons.  One by one Jesse called in his sons, but the Lord had not chosen any of them.  Finally, when Samuel asked if that was all, Jesse said, “The youngest is out tending the sheep.”  Even his own father did not think he was old enough to be considered—and he was only a shepherd, a low-class job (1 Samuel 16).

            Soon after that when his father sent him to take some treats and see how his older brothers were doing, David arrived just as the soldiers were preparing for battle.  David heard Goliath taunting his brothers and the other soldiers.  When David criticized them for not fighting and offered to fight by himself, even the King said, “You can’t fight him, you are only a boy.”  David pointed out that while tending sheep he had killed lions and bears, and he could do the same to Goliath.  How many “children” today could say such a thing.  Most Sunday school children know the story of how the “boy” David used his sling to kill Goliath (1 Samuel 17).

            Joseph, a TCK, was a teenager (17 years old) when his brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt.  When his owner, the captain of the guard in the palace, observed Joseph’s work he promoted him.  Before long Joseph was in charge of everything his owner had, so that the only thing the owner had to be concerned about was choosing what he ate.  Not bad for a teenage TCK! (Genesis 39).

            Joseph was falsely accused and put in prison.  However, when he observed Joseph’s work there, the warden put Joseph in charge of the entire prison—all the prisoners there.  Joseph was given the responsibility for everything that was done in the prison so that the warden did not have to worry about anything there.  Not bad for a young TCK! (Genesis 39).

            By the time he was 30, Joseph was in charge in the whole land of Egypt.  He was wearing Pharaoh’s ring, dressed in fine linen robes, wore a gold chain around his neck, and rode in the chariot with Pharaoh.  Everyone in Egypt had to do whatever Joseph said.  Not bad for someone from a dysfunctional family who had become a TCK as a teenager as a result of being sold into slavery by his brothers only after the oldest one was able to convince them not to kill him!

USA Years Ago

            Little changed between Bible times and the USA 200 years ago.  Here are some quotes from sources 150-200 years ago.

• Although a child started working at the age of six, it was usually at age fourteen that his father decided to choose a calling for him.  In the Puritan ethic a calling meant more than a means of gaining a livelihood.  God called an individual for a particular occupation by giving him the talent and inclination for it. (The Burlington Court Book, 1705)

• I was put to the grammar school at eight years of age....at ten years old, I was taken home to assist my father in his business, which was that of a tallow chandler and sope-boiler....I continu’d thus employ’d in my father’s business for two years, that is till I was 12 years old....  (Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, born in 1706)
• They shall certify that no part of such account is for the support of any male person, over the age of twelve, and under the age of sixty years, while of competent health to labor. (Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1823)
• And that is how in 1850 I got my first real start in life.  From the dark cellar running a steam-engine at two dollars a week, begrimed with coal dirt....into paradise, yes heaven, as it seemed to me, with newspapers, pens, pencils, and sunshine about me. (Autobiography, Andrew Carnegie, born in 1835)

            Note that as recently as 1823 boys became men at the age of 13.  It was against the law to give welfare payments to any young man who was 13, exactly the age that Hebrew boys went through their bar mitzvah and became men able to buy and sell property and so forth.  Andrew Carnegie had probably been working a couple years when he got his big break, at age 15!

USA Today

            As adolescence was being invented during the late nineteenth century, changes took place relative to work.

• 1834: 40% of factory workers were children.
• 1842: Two states passed laws limiting working hours for children.
• 1850: Some states prohibited the labor of children 10-12 years old.
• 1869: Knights of Labor (union) formed and worked to prohibit child labor.
• 1900: 61% of men 14-19 years old were employed.
• 1916: Federal child labor law was passed by congress.
• 1918: That child labor law was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
• 1922: AFL (union) called for a Constitutional amendment to stop child labor.
• 1924 “The congress shall have power to limit, regulate, and prohibit the labor of persons under 18 years of age” (Failed to pass).
• Since then most states have passed laws forbidding labor of those under 16 or 18 years of age.

            Thus, people who cared about children, people who wanted to create a labor shortage and drive wages up, and people who wanted efficient labor combined forces to prevent teenagers from working.  When the first child labor laws were passed around 1850, they prevented children from working, but the teenage adults could still do so.  Just as our culture passed laws to increase the age at which people could marry just as the age of puberty was decreasing, so they passed laws to increase the age at which people could work just as the age at which their bodies grew to adult size and strength decreased.

            We now have the situation in which the “new adults” in our society find it illegal to work.  Laws meant to protect children now prohibit some adults (the adolescents) from working as other adults do.  As the National Commission on Youth (1980, The Transition of Youth to Adulthood: A Bridge too Long, 1980, Boulder, CO, Westview, p. 14) said, “Protection has come to mean isolation.  Youth are now isolated, restrained, and eventually victimized by the very institutions designed for their protection.”

            We have a situation in which it is illegal for adolescents to keep part of the fourth commandment “Six days you shall labor and do all your work” (Exodus 20:9) given to Moses, a TCK.  Of course, we usually emphasize the “not do any work” part of the commandment on one day a week rather than emphasizing working the other six days.  Neither can adolescents keep the command of Paul, another TCK, who said, “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”  Paul urged people to settle down and earn the food they eat, and not associate with people who do not work—to shame them into working (2 Thessalonians 3:6-15). 

Managing Money

            Since younger adolescents cannot hold jobs to earn money, they often have no means of learning how to manage money and, even more important, how to manage consumer credit.  Although taking classes in personal finance may be helpful, the best way to learn anything is to actually do it, and managing money is no exception.  There is no good substitute to actually getting money, saving some, giving some, spending some—and running out so that you cannot buy something you really want.  It is all theoretical until people find themselves out of money to even go out with their friends.  Therefore, I recommend arranging some way to get a “regular” income which has to be used to meet real “expenses” day by day.  This may be done by asking parents for an allowance, doing extra things around the house for a “salary,” or working a part-time job outside the home.

            Likewise, there is no substitute for actually writing checks on a checking account and charging items on a credit card—then paying for them when the monthly bill comes.  Credit cards were invented shortly after adolescence was, and many people still have not learned the discipline necessary to use these cards.  In 2001 the average college student had $1236 in credit card debt, and 22% of all college students had more than $3000 in such debt.  I recommend that teens get a credit card—one that has a spending limit.

What can adolescents TCKs do?

            All adolescents face the restrictions presented above, but adolescent TCKs usually have even more difficulty.  Since TCKs in their host country are not citizens and usually do not have the documentation necessary to work, they find it even more difficult to get work.  The lists below begin with suggestions that are likely to work to earn money in either host or passport countries and end with those that are more likely to work in one’s passport country than in the host country.  Of course, when in the host country, TCKs may find other expatriates who will pay occasionally for specific tasks.

• Do volunteer work. Help in such places as clinic, school, or children’s home.  These experiences are invaluable not only for what you learn, but also in finding out whether or not you like that kind of work.
• Work around home. Everyone has his or her share of chores around home, but parents will often pay for extra work around the house or grounds.
• Work from home. TCKs often have computer skills they can market to people anywhere in the world.  When people from the USA call for assistance, they often talk with someone in India or elsewhere in Asia—they could call a knowledgeable TCK anywhere in the world.  TCKs can be webmasters for people in their passport countries.
• Work for others in your agency.  They often want babysitters from their passport country and are eager to pay either males or females for staying with their children.  Those without adolescents may have tasks such as painting they would be glad to pay for.
• Start your own business. You may be able to turn a hobby into a business if you make some “craft” that others would like to have.  We know of a TCK who became a photographer for National Geographic before going free-lance last year.
• Prepare your own resume.  Write down your educational experience, work experiences, volunteer experiences and so forth.  Even if your resume does not land you a job, it will be most helpful in applying for college.
• Become a student assistant at school.
• Shovel snow, rake leaves, clean houses, walk dogs, wax cars, organize a baby-sitting service etc.
• Do a car wash, bake sale, or hire yourself out for odd jobs.
• Take any “menial” job you are offered—don’t wait for the “perfect” job to come along.
• Do anything you do well.  I know several TCKs who went to work for people they had done “internships” with.
• Don’t be picky about exactly what you do or how much you are paid.  Experience and contacts are often worth more than money.
• Develop good work habits such as getting yourself out of bed in the morning,  arriving promptly (or early), doing more than you have to do, not goofing off on company time, etc.
• Take vocational training classes to develop marketable skills, such as word processing and other computer skills, wood working, engine repair, etc.
• Practice interviewing—the interview is often the deciding factor in getting a job.
• Find a “TCK buddy” with whom you can do some of the suggestions above.

            When it comes to learning how to manage money, other than learning more than one economic system, TCKs have about the same opportunities as adolescents living in the passport countries all their lives.  Here are some suggestions.

• Open bank accounts, both savings and checking.
• Get a credit card and learn how to use it wisely—many offer a small percentage of your purchases back.
• Learn how to balance your checking account and to verify your credit card bills.  Identity theft happens to children and adolescents as well as other people.
• Learn how to comparison shop for the best merchandise and prices.  Such information used to be available only in consumer magazines, but now it is widely available on the web.  Search engines will find the best prices for you by comparing prices on the Internet.
• Ask your parents to share their finances with you.  You probably know that they had to raise $50,000 or more per year or that their salary is $100,000 a year—but you will be surprised how little money they have to spend as they wish.
• Read what the Bible has to say about money, poverty, and wealth.
• Set up a budget and keep track of how you spend your money so that you will know where it is going.
• Ask your parents to “pay” you the money for your clothing, shoes, school lunches, etc. if your are not able to learn money.  Learn how to budget your “pay” so that you get all these things when you need them.
• Read a book on personal finance—many Christian ones are available.
• Remember about giving to your church and to the needy.
• Ask your parents to see an income tax return.  Many TCKs do not even know what one looks like, and you will want to be able to file one when you are back in your passport country working even part time—get that refund of hundreds of dollars!