The farm can be a dangerous place for kids. Many of these deaths and injuries are work related. Now, for the first time, farm parents can obtain guidelines to help their children gain a work ethic and experience, with the lowest possible risk. Surveys indicate that parents assign chores based primarily on intuition and the age of the parent when he or she first performed a task.
Problems often arises because parents feel their own child is exceptional.
But parents often mistake physical signs of age for ability, says Barbara Marlenga, project manager for the guidelines. We need to consider balance, strength, reaction time, coordination, attention span and memory. Furthermore, many parents don't consider that teens adjusting to rapid growth spurts can become clumsier and less coordinated. Of course, kids develop at different rates. Like these recommendations, the guidelines are a general reference, requiring further adult assessment and decision making.