Growing up I knew a lot of families whose children worked in their restaurants. While — kids being kids — I'm sure that they would have told you that they were miserable, I don't think that they actually were.

Honestly, is a kid who must work any more miserable than an adult who must work? The entire idea of childhood is a very recent invention, after all.

>> is a kid who must work any more miserable than an adult who must work?

Yes, if that working deprives them of an education. Or if they work in conditions that an adult would not tolerate. Or if their pay is paid to someone else (ie parents renting out children). Or if their status as "children" or "wards" of their employers results in them having fewer rights than adults in the same employ.

"yes, if" doesn't really make any sense to this type of question.

Is it really better to be a man than a woman? Yes, if you're rich.

Are dogs really worse than cats? Yes, if they have rabies.

I think decent working conditions was more than implied by parent.

I grew up on a farm in Iowa, spent much of my youth working, and wouldn't describe it as misery.

I think you need to look at more historical precedent. And the fact that our culture considers 13 year-olds children and ancient cultures considered them adults.

I was reading this the other day:

http://www.widmerscheese.com/the-story-of-wisconsin-brick-ch...

Jossi came to the states in 1857 from Switzerland with his parents at the age of 12. The family settled first in upstate New York, but two years later young Jossi was running a small Limburger factory in the town of Richwood, in southwest Wisconsin.

A 14 year old managing a factory was probably somewhat remarkable. A 14 year old in the US working certainly wasn't.