I know several local families that have created successful businesses. The mom/dad build a company and then give the kids “jobs” within the company. Do you feel this helps or hinders a young adult’s ability to stand on their own? What are the pros/cons of giving your kid a job? I know where I stand, I want to hear some other opinions.

I think it depends on the family and on the kids.

IF the family treats their kids with the same expectations, rules and consequences they follow with the other employees, it can work just fine.
IF the kids respect their parents in their "boss" role, it can work just fine.

Having been the daughter of parents who owned a business and 'hired' my two step-brothers and my natural sister, I have seen both; how it works and how it doesn't.
In my case, I feel my step-Dad did *not* treat his sons the same as his other employees. He regularly fired/rehired his sons all the time. Both boys didn't turn out to be much of anything, more's the pity. I feel they never did learn to be responsible about their jobs, simply expecting to have one 'just because Dad was the owner' was enough for them. They showed no interest in improving their skills or learning all aspects of the business to be able to take the business over one day. My sister did very well, though she worked much closer with our Mother in the office than the boys, who worked out on the jobs doing the estimates, labor and driving.
Ultimately, I think the difference for us lay in the different ways each set of children were raised within their homes before we became a 'blended family' and those lessons, values and work ethics were already formed and set.

I preferred more space away from my family and sought jobs outside the home so I could avoid, or at least not be drawn into as a participant, family-business drama at home.

I feel like I can't really give a good opinion on this but I will say stuff anyway. My dad created a "successful" business and I've worked there a little bit. Mostly just filing things, organizing things, copying, whatever the office people need me to do. Not much interaction with my dad in all of that. My dad has also hired several of my cousins. One thing good about my dad is that he doesn't treat family like family when they are working for him. He has fired one of my cousins. He laid off another one this past summer. He treats them like all of the other employees and while he's a very patient person, he only takes so much from anybody. I know that working for him is better than working for some stranger, but for some reason I'd like to have a job that is somewhere else to at least gain that experience (and appreciate working for my dad more).

That said, my dad has told me that if I get a business degree, I can be the "general manager" of his company right out of college. He has seriously offered me this and told me to think it over. This is a small business I'm talking about, btw. He has about 30-40 employees depending on the time of year. Sort of scary for me, at age 17 (but I was 16 when he first brought this up) to be considering such a huge responsibility. It would be great and a well-paying job, and he wouldn't just throw me right into it. I would definitely need some training and experience. It would be a great opportunity. That said, his business is in an area that I am not very enthusiastic about. I think I would be fine at the business part but as far as knowledge on the actual subject goes... well, that would be tough.

So I guess I am one of those kids who has worked for their parents. I know I'm lucky but I definitely want to experience what it is like working for a stranger. It may not be a fun thing but at least I would appreciate my dad a little more!

I work for 2 partners, one of which hired his son 17 years ago to be the driver/shipper, he's now 39. Both the partners retired a few years back and I run the company for them. I have given them 5-6 years notice then I plan to retire. When that day finally comes they will close the business.

The partner that's the father and I had a long talk a couple of months ago about his son. The father has tried to get it into his son's head that he needs to look at new career options as this job isn't going to be forever.

I should add this isn't a news flash to the son or anyone else here, the partners have been very open about when the company will close.

The father has offered to pay for any education costs and the son would even most likely still get a salary, but he isn't taking the offer. This isn't the first time the father has offered to pay for school, but the son can't be bothered.

At one time we entertained the idea of him being given more responsibility when his dad retired, but that didn't go well. He has no ambition to be anything more than what he is. He dogs it at work, god forbid you ask him to do something "extra".
So......

For a person who is an underachiever working for family is not helping them at all. If the person is highly motivated it could take that family business to new heights.

I would say that it depends so much on the business and family involved as not to be able to say, without knowing what the circumstances are.

I know many farm families where the kids work right in and all goes very well, because everyone is on the same page and help each other and have the same passion for the work at hand.

I also know about other families with a dead beat kid that just would not make a good employee, much less a successful businessman, if you gave him the reins.

Each family has to play with the cards given.

I have seen families where the kid did go work for someone else for a while and it was a great experience, gave the kid so much more to go by when later it came back to the family operation and worked right in seamlessly.

As long as they have to meet appropriate expectations, no problem. If they are lazy, it could hinder them unless they are held accountable.

I feel it could be a good thing for the kid if the parents step up and treat them like an adult.
I am dealing right now with an "adult" that has never worked for anyone other than his father. Daddy gave him a job right out of high school yet has never seen fit to teach his son the ins and outs of the business. The physical grunt work, yeah no problem, but if it came down to giving a quote or applying for permits, the kid would be lost. If something happens to dad, kid will be unemployed and unemployable. It's so very frustrating trying to get the "adult" in question to spread his wings.

As long as it's really a job that the individual is qualified for and not just a free ride, it's a good thing.

My brother will be working with/for my dad once he graduates law school and passes the bar. It wouldn't make sense for him to work with my dad if he hadn't gone to law school (that was never offered), and it doesn't really make sense for him not to go in with the family once he's accomplished that.

I've seen it go badly for many others- from kids exploiting it to make money doing nothing to parents using it to keep control over their kid (man, and in one case close to me, the "kid" is in his late 40's). That's twisted.