I started doing it when I was 10, fwiw.
The Official Parenting Thread
- Thread starter ficklenicholas
- Start date
My dad had my sister and me start mowing when we each turned 10. We had a standard walk-behind mower on a 1/3 acre lot. Looking back, it seemed reasonable. My daughter just turned 8 and there's no way in hell I'm having her get close to the mower now, so I'll revisit that thought in a couple years.
I think I was 11-12. It was a push mower too, which actually might be safer for a kid but the struggle was real.
Eventually graduated to riding mower after my parents moved, which was thrilling to say the least when I couldn't drive, lol.
Now their entire lawn is rocks (with planters around the trees) to be environmentally friendly and they don't even need to mow. The fucks.
One bonus to having really bad allergies as a kid was that it got me out of mowing the lawn.
BigFrank
Forbidden Chicharron
Just started having my 13 year old do it, though my 11 year old is probably mature enough to do it now.
I started mowing my parents lawn in 3rd grade. In 4th grade I was also mowing one of my neighbor's lawns. By 5th grade I was mowing both neighbor's lawn.
Though my dad was kind of an a-hole by tricking me into it being my responsibility. And I never got any allowance/payment for it, which isn't terrible except my sister (only 2yr older) would get paid for babysitting me and my brother (my brother and I would play outside while my sister watched TV). And this was in Houston, TX, talk about hot and humid.
BigFrank
Forbidden Chicharron
You didn’t get paid for mowing the neighbors’ lawns?
Sorry, I meant my family's lawn. I got paid for the neighbors. 1st neighbor I got $5. 2nd neighbor I got $20, I was then like, wait wtf, and got a raise on the 1st neighbor.
I was just pointing out my parent's difference in handling us kids. There are still many differences, and they acknowledge the different treatment and say it is because they never worried about me and felt I was the achiever of the family and independent.
Damn, now I am going down a rabbit hole.
BigFrank
Forbidden Chicharron
For a second I thought your dad was getting paid for your working on their lawns. Giving me some tips to recoup my losses with these kids of mine.
(Former Member)
Guest
Push mower or rider? Push, it seems like 10-11 is about right, but older for rider, obviously.
Push. Should have specified that.
(Former Member)
Guest
Yeah, a relatively responsible 10 year old should be fine, provided they're strong enough to push the mower.
I've got a super-wussy 7 year old with a bunch of allergies, so him taking over isn't happening soon. I've got about two years left in me and then I'm hiring that out.
I have never mowed a lawn before. Should I move this to first world problems?
A few years ago I had a blast watching my neighbor’s 15 or 16-year-old son try to figure out his zero turn mower. Way too complicated for this dummy.
Then that couple got divorced, the mom got the house, they sold the mower and hired someone to cut their lawn. I’ve never seen the two kids do anything resembling yardwork now that dad isn’t around.
FATC1TY
the fat, shitty poster
My 6 year olds use the rotary to clean up leaves and junk. I won’t let them use the reel, because it’s crazy fast and will yank them over.
(Former Member)
Guest
I'm dumb...is rotary the push mower? Or the old timey spinning blades thing my grandpa had?
FATC1TY
the fat, shitty poster
Hah! Yeah just different nomenclature I guess. Rotary is like the traditional push mowers you see. Had a blade that spins from the top.
the old timey one your grandpa had was likely a push reel mower that had exposed blades and cut like a scissor action.
both are still dangerous for sure and have their own downsides.
Those old-school ones are great when you're dealing with a small yard. My old place had a tiny yard that definitely needed to be mowed, but any kind of powered mower would just be overkill. The cheap little push mower handled it easily enough.
I left it there, for all I know the new tenants are still using it.
I left it there, for all I know the new tenants are still using it.
I always referred to reel mowers as “Leave It To Beaver mowers”, because growing up in semi-rural suburbia where everyone had at least a half acre to mow, that show was the only place I’d ever seen one of those.