Shaketha Marion McGregor means business. Instead of arbitrarily giving her children an allowance, the single mom from Georgia created a hiring event complete with job applications and interviews.
McGregor shared the idea with her Facebook friends Tuesday and it went viral with more than 99,000 shares.
The corrections officer said the wheels in her brain began turning after a recent shopping excursion with her kids Jahkeem, 13, Takeia, 10, and Serinity, 6.
“I gave each of them a few bucks and said, ‘Spend it any way you want,’” McGregor told TODAY Parents. “It was different than me buying them something — they were suddenly checking prices. I noticed they were more cautious because it was their money. They wanted to save.”
McGregor saw a “fire” in the youngsters for money management and it got her excited. "I started to think of ways I could teach them about credit and how to budget their time," she said.
That's when she had her aha moment.
McGregor sat down at her computer and began drafting help wanted ads for kitchen manager, lead housekeeper and laundry supervisor. Both Jahkeem and Serinity applied for lead housekeeper. Ultimately, Serinity was the more qualified candidate and just signed her new hire packet.
“One of the things I asked was, ‘When can you start?’” McGregor said. “Serinity said she could start right away and my 13-year-old needed a few days because he wanted to hang out with his friends. She was far more professional.”
But Jahkeem had some good questions. “He wanted to know if I was taking out taxes and how much,” McGregor quipped.
Takeia, meanwhile, spoke with an exaggerated British accent during her interview. “I think she thought it made her sound more polished and desirable,” McGregor said. “She really thought it would help her.”
Takeia will be on laundry duty, which, according to McGregor’s job description, includes tasks such as ensuring that the bathroom is always stocked with clean towels and washcloths.
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Praise continues to pour in for McGregor on Facebook. “Parenting Win!!!” wrote one person. Added another, “I love this. Not only are you teaching them responsibility and money management, but you are giving them an awesome memory!”