Going the extra mile

I was in my not-so-friendly Wal-Mart yesterday buying a new wireless router so I could access the Internet again (grrrr!!!) when I encountered a sales clerk with a 'tude.  When I approached with two brands and asked to consult about which was better for my needs, she told me that wasn't her job and called for Russell.  Russell was very nice, but simply told me that the Netgear was better than the Belkin but offered no reason.  Whatever!  By the time I got back to Ms. 'Tude's register, someone else was checking out.  He had an old credit card with a worn magnetic strip that wouldn't work.  When he asked if she could punch in the numbers (obviously he had done this before), she said she didn't know how to do that.  (Uh-huh!)  In the midst of this, I asked if I could check out my electronics up front.  She told me I had to check out the electronics with the spider bands in this section.  (Whatever!) So credit card man left very disgruntled without his purchase and I finally got to buy my router, but by this time, her register had locked up on her.  She called over to Russell, who told her to go find a CSR.  As she was leaving, she mumbled something about "ain't doin' nuthin' more than I have to."  Russell checked me out on a different register and told me that yes, I could have gone up front and apologized for the delay.  Arghhh!

So where am I going with all this?  To remind you to help your children understand the value of going the extra mile.  Even an extra yard would be preferable to not taking the initiative to help someone else at all.  When your kids learn this work ethic early, they'll be better employees and will find success in their chosen careers and won't end up in a job they don't like, don't want, and will likely lose due to a poor performance review!