In Defense of Child Labor

Strawberry picking season is very short here in New England -- it started about a week ago and will end some time around July 4th, when we'll have to go back to eating those giant, tasteless California strawberries. The picking season is going to seem even shorter this year because of all the rain we've had (and are expected to have in the next week), but this afternoon cleared up beautifully, and we headed straight to a U-pick farm.

Mr. DH, in his infinite wisdom, came up with a great idea tonight after hearing about our afternoon picking berries. He said, "If it's so much cheaper to pick your own, they're local, and they taste so much better, why not just exploit a bunch of little kids. They have fun picking strawberries, and you could sell them (the berries) at the farmers market at a 100% mark-up."

I said, "You know, I think you're onto something. Two is a little young -- they'll pick anything. But by three, they're easily trained and can definitely tell a ripe strawberry from an unripe one. By four, they can work a row of berries in no time at all."

Don't know if I'll find many parents who will lend me their young children, but I know of one hard little worker who's all too happy to help pick strawberries as long as her efforts are remunerated with homemade strawberry shortcake.