It is just a couple o’ weeks before Christmas and the children gine be out o’ school soon.
All like now so, parents, especially the ones wid teenage sons, out there scouting around trying tuh get a li’l pick fuh dem; not only tuh put a few dollar bills in duh pockets fuh the holidays, but tuh make sure dat duh doing something dat would keep dem outta any kinda trouble during this season.
Ya know what the old people does say – the devil does find work fuh idle hands tuh do. And ya also know dat some real freaky things does happen during this season too.
I am sure dat the supermarket owners got a good few applications from both young men and women fuh jobs packing and carrying out the customers’ groceries; and some parents racking out duh brains tuh think ’bout anybody they know wid a li’l business who might want a hand doing small jobs as they would be expecting business tuh pick up fuh the season.
The thing is, though, a lot o’ business people have been complaining like crazy all year long ’bout the hard economic times, the downturn in the economy, the recession and might very well try tuh do it all by demselves to hold on tuh the few dollars dat duh aint make during the year. And even though they might be known fuh taking on youngsters at Christmas, this year could be a li’l different.
I know wha’ I talking ’bout ’cause fuh years I had tuh do it fuh my children, my nieces and nephews and I know dat I, the parent, woulda had tuh do it ’cause ya know some o’ these young people, duh aint like nothing called pressure.
Fuh the amount o’ times ya does get a negative answer from business people, these young people woulda done give up long time. It woulda got dem too stressed out. Ya know how it is wid dem; duh cahn handle it and aint prepared tuh try ’cause duh just doan want the lot o’ pressure.
Look, I aint telling ya nuh lie, I does hear my sister telling her son all the time dat God aint foolish, He know why he make people called parents and why he cause parents tuh live long so dat they would be able tuh let some o’ these young people know dat nutten aint new, we went through all o’ this before and harder than dem too.
Ya does have tuh remind dem time and time again dat nuhbody aint owe dem nutten. Dat is why the parents does have tuh go out there around both this time and the summer and try duh best tuh get things tuh happen fuh dem ’cause I gine tell ya, left tuh some o’ dem, from the time one or two doors shut, dem does be done wid dat, one time.
But, thank God, when ya say A, ya does have tuh say B ’cause duh got another set o’ young ones, pon the other hand, who from the time dem see the end o’ the term getting close, does make sure dat dem make a beeline and contact whatevah business they would’ve worked wid before tuh get back duh li’l pick. And look, if dem was good, not a soul doan get picked in front o’ dem.
Tuh be honest wid ya, I really doan like tuh see dem hanging ’bout the place doing nutten when these vacation periods come around though. Fuh one, getting a li’l job prepares dem fuh the job market, it even opens their eyes tuh the possibility o’ setting up duh own business and being duh own boss when duh get outta school.
The other thing is dat duh got a lot o’ lawlessness happening nowadays and the people who engaging in it does target vulnerable young people ’cause duh know dat duh gine want some money in duh pockets tuh spend at Christmas.
That is why from the time duh turn 15 years old, ya should try and put dem into some kind o’ work environment quick so. Not a thing aint wrong wid dat!
• Mavis Beckles was born and raised in The Orleans. She has an opinion on everything.
