Neighbor lady asked me to cut her lawn as her knee is messed up again. She normally pays the kid across from her to do it. I like cash so I agreed to do that and detail her van for a tidy sum.
My son was home so I suggested he come with me and earn some money. I let him mow whilst I did the trimming. I was proud to see him working hard and tried not to micro-manage too bad. I gotta work on that...
He has never shown any interest in helping with yard work. I think I saw a light bulb over his head when I told him I would split the cash with him.
Now he is all interested in helping with the van job. I didn't tell him about the "Dad" tax yet.
When I was 11/12 I was cutting grass for quite a few of our neighbors. I only quit when I got my first real job.