The Grass Doctor

How old should children be before they are allowed to mow lawns?

My daughter is 11 and weighs 80 pounds. I'm wondering if it would be safe for her to use our gas lawn mower to mow the neighbor's lawn in order to earn a little extra money. I am also concerned that she will have trouble using the cord to start the mower.

Public Comments

1. That's too small - especially if they have a lot of hills in their yard.
2. Depends on how responsible the child is since the mower can be dangerous. She should be taught how to safely use the mower. I used to mow lawns at that age.
3. it'll be good for her good excercise, it'll give her character and it'll teach her the value of a dollar.
4. around 13.My son was 13 when allowed him to mow the lawn.
5. u should wait until she is 17 and weigh a little more
6. 11 seems quite fine.
7. thats 2 small, i'ld say 13 before you even think about it
8. old enough to be able to drive the lawnmower some kids are stronger earlier than others,so from 8 onwards
9. I've been mowing lawns since I was 10. Get her out there earning her keep!
10. IMHO: she's borderline, and you as her parent would know best. The only thing I can stress is to teach her to use it safely! Teach her that she should NEVER pull the lawnmower.
11. Make sure she's tall enough to SEE over it and smart enough to not do anything stupid.
12. my bro did that at 10 and he wasn't very big..prob. 4'9...go for it. watch her..and there you have it. teach the kid the importance of earning $
13. 11 is to young I think ,personally. There are so many accidents now a days. I would wait until she is older
14. when she is strong enough. That gas mower would pwn her.
15. wait untill your comfertable with her mowing
16. no wait till shes 13 because then u know she can hold on to the lawn mower better! hope this helps!
17. try an aluminum push lawn mower for 60$ bucks, theres no motor and all you have to do is change the basket, she doesnt have to worry about the motor blowing up, its light, and doesnt need to be started
18. well if you fell safe with her mowing then yes, i have a neighbor who is 8 or 9 and he mows lawns
19. I would wait for her to gain some more weight. It's important that she be able to maintain control over the lawn mower or she could hurt herself or someone else.
20. She should be able to mow your neighbors lawn but someone should be out there with her to help her get the lawn mower started.
21. If she thinks she can do it, I'd let her practice at home first. Lower the handle. You need to be right with her.
22. I was mowing the lawn at 10, and I was a little kid then, maybe 70 pounds. I wouldn't worry, just teach her how to use the lawn mower and she can mow your lawn and the neighbor's lawn for extra money. If only I got payed for it.
23. I would say age 13 to be on the safe side.
24. it matters on the maturity of the child. between ages 12-14 sound right. if your child is 11, and you think its OK .. then just check it out, help her out, show her how to do it, be with her a few times, then when she looks like she can handle it , leave her on her own.
25. she probably needs to mow your lawn first with you supervising her to see if she can handle it and can finish the job without giving up and to see if she would do a good job.she would need to not only need to know how to start it but be able to put gas and oil in it and to be able to watch for rocks as to not get hurt or hurt someone else and not to hit a car with a flying rock.
26. If YOU have concerns then she's not ready-why not have her earn extra money from you by doing extra chores around the house for you-that's usually how children start earning and learning responsibility. She's also too young legally to work and if you allow her to work around the neighborhood someone can contact DFCS and then you'd have a mess on your hands to deal with. You could have a Chore Jar and you rite the chores on slips on paper and place inside with he amount she can earn when she completes chore-brings the slip to you. This teaches her not only some homemaking skills(being only 11 she'd need your guidance initially) but she'd also feel good about herself earning some extra money by doing a job well-verbal praise also good.
27. i am 12 and i am not allowed to mow the lawn. however, i pretty much hate that, and hate double standards. if your kid is responsible, and you feel is ok for her to mow the lawn, let her. your kids will always have a chance to hurt themselves, no matter what they're doing, and what age. i think a good age is 10-11 based on ur kids clumnsiness and responsiblity level.
28. Age doesn't matter. When the child has shown you under supervision that he or she can handle it then they are ready.