A couple weeks ago, I was at my wit's end handwriting thank you cards for my husband's work. My handwriting isn't pretty yet I didn't want to use an automated system that electronically "handwrites" cards because I felt it lost the personal touch. Then, I remembered that my 12-year-old niece had amazing handwriting. 🤔

Omi: My New "Assistant"

Offer Accepted

She was so excited! She said that it was going to be more money than she's ever made.

First Meeting

I offered my niece 50 cents per completed envelope and note. I shared the note's objective and message to Omi and her mom. The note got longer and longer as we compiled it. Much to Omi's relief, as a team, we shortened it, keeping the spirit of the message intact.

Checking In

Project Completed

We went to pick up the completed project and pay my niece in cash. She completed 55 sets and earned $27.50. Since we only had $28.00, we let her know that we advanced her 50 cents for the next batch. The next batch only had 10 notes to complete.

Interview with Omi

I love the way kids process the world around them so I interviewed Omi about her experience working on this project.

Me: How many jobs have you had before this one?
Omi: None! This was my first job. I was really excited and told all my friends. They thought it was really cool because they don't have jobs.

Me: Really?! First job ever? What about babysitting?
Omi: I never babysat because you have to have a license. One of my friends had to take an 8-hour class.

Me: 8 hours?
Omi: Yea, you know. She needed to learn how to do baby CPR.

Me: Wow. Okay. So, what have you got planned for all the money you'll make?
Omi: I'm going to save it for college.

Me: Great! I'm curious. This was a lot of work. When did you find time to do it with your crazy schedule?
Omi: I wrote some in the morning and also late at night. And, one day, I really spent a lot of time on it. Since I love to write, this was a really good job for me.

Me: I know you help your mom with Christmas cards. What was different about this?
Omi: Well, these letters are a big deal. I know how important it is to do it right. I had to keep checking my work to make sure that I was following the sheet you gave me so everyone would get their letters.

Me: I'm really impressed that you maintained amazing handwriting for all the letters.
Omi: That's because if it wasn't right, I would redo it.

Me: Great job! I'm so proud of you. I will teach you later how to create an invoice for me.
Omi: What's an invoice?
Me: It's just a piece of paper saying how much you charged us to do the work.
Omi: Oh! Okay!

Me: Well, this next batch is only 10 notes. Will you be able to get them done by Friday? That gives you 5 days.
Omi: Of course, Auntie Karen!
Me: Since you're not going to have as much to do this week, do you want to help me with some computer work?
Omi: Yes!
Me: Great. How's your typing?
Omi: Really good! I took typing in 6th grade.

Me: I think it's cool that you found a way to earn income part-time before you turned 13! Aren't you going to be a teenager soon?!
Omi: Yes, tomorrow's my birthday!
Me: Well, Happy Early Birthday!

Birthday Text

Finally, a teenager!

Introducing Steem to the Next Generation

My niece knows I blog but she's clueless about the mechanics behind the Steem platform. I thought, why not start her off with some stake in this post. It may make spark an interest in blogging when she's ready to join!

Me: You know what? I'm going to set aside SBD from this blog since you helped me.
Omi: Really?! Thank you! What does that mean?
Me: For now, just know you're earning. It's something you can spend now or save for school.
Omi: I want to save it.
Me: Good. Let me know if you ever want to help me with another blog post too!

Final Thoughts

• When is someone old enough to post on Steem? I guess it depends on the child and their parents. So many kids are using social media already but with the permanence of the blockchain and the attached wallets, I believe it's important to let young bloggers understand how the impact of these and other factors may have on them.
• It was so great to see my niece's enthusiasm for getting paid for a job well done. I'd love to hear what went through your mind with your first job.

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