It’s always a good idea to see what you can do for your neighbors and foster a sense of community. When one Florida man was working in his yard, he was approached by some neighborhood kids on a mission: they wanted to help in exchange for pay.
Posted by TikTok user Leon_alvarez87 (Leon), he had been hauling debris out of his yard when he was approached by two young neighbor boys. One of the kids was persistent in trying to get Leon’s attention. They wanted to offer to do some chores and make a couple of dollars in the process. Leon said this immediately spoke to him, as the boys didn’t just ask for some money. How he took it, according to his caption, was that “They asked if I had a way for them to earn it.”
Leon told the boys he had a couple of chores they could help him with. In his video, he records the boys hauling debris onto the back of his pickup truck. He offers a helping hand because the work is hard and the debris is heavy. Then he has them spray his driveway off with a hose. He asks the boys halfway through, “How much you think this job is worth of your time? $10, $15?” The boy responds, “$20.”
Leon goes to his pickup truck and tells the audience that the boys worked for about 5 minutes. However, he says, “I’m not going to tell anybody that they’re not worth what they’re asking.” He approaches the boys and hands each of them a crisp $20 bill. He tells them he appreciates their help and their willingness to take on the work.
Leon says in his post that he gave the boys his contact information. He received “thank you” texts from both the boy’s parents. More importantly, he learned they do chores for the neighbors for extra cash. As Leon says, “He was asking out of necessity for work and compensation. That hits hard as an entrepreneur.”
Leon and the neighborhood kids get praised online
Unsurprisingly, both the children and Leon were given props—the kids for being upstanding and helpful, and Leon for helping teach them a really good lesson. As he put it: “Dirty hands always get you clean money.”
“May your pockets never run dry! ❤️” one viewer wrote, with another praising the boys for “hustling” and making “honest money.”
Others touched on how Leon handled the interaction, drawing attention not only to paying them what they asked for but also to teaching them a lesson. “U just gave the a positive experience and ambition to continue.”
One commenter expressed a desire for children to need “these opportunities more and more” and shared that a young kid who used to help them was now a Marine. That kind of work ethic can pay dividends in the future. And it must be, as these children are already doing it for others in their neighborhood!
