'These kids are being used as a cute front to fund luxuries that parents should be paying for': 5 and 6 year-old kids run lemonade stand every day into the school year, sparking neighbor's concern and suspicion

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Oct 8, 2025 10:00 PM EDT

Running a "business" when you're a kid is a rite of passage. For some reason, all of us want to grow up way too fast and thus want to role-play all the parts of being an adult. We want to pretend to have weddings, have kids, and have jobs. I remember playing "teacher" with my friends on the weekends, making up worksheets and curriculum ideas. It's a natural thing for kids to be curious about, and that curiosity should be encouraged. 

But where is the line between kid business and real business? What makes something tip over that line? I'm sure we could all agree that while letting kids explore their entrepreneurial spirit is good, they shouldn't actually be working. We would hate for our kids to be saddled with unnecessary responsibility too soon. But usually lemonade stands never teeter over that line. It's probably the kid's idea to set up, they man it for an afternoon or two during the summer, and then abandon the idea after a while. This is what we expect to see. But what if that turned into a job?

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  • Two young kids run a lemonade stand in their front yard.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • That's what one neighbor witnessed in her area, when a lemonade stand seemed to be outstaying its welcome. Instead of fading away when the school year started, it kept on going strong. Was this turning into a job for these extremely young kids? Neighbors started to wonder. Read on for the story. 

  • Kids in the neighborhood are selling lemonade.... Everyday? I'm starting to worry.

    I don't even know what flair to put this under? Legal? Local? Anyways, There are some kids in my neighbourhood -they look about 5&6, who have been selling lemonade this summer. They have a snazzy sign (probably from temu) and it seems like they're getting some good foot
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  • traffic. I've seen the local police even stop by to support them! It's very cute and I must admit I did the same thing at their age! But something about it seems to be rubbing me the wrong way.... The kids seemed to be out there almost daily during the summer- and now with school starting... I sometimes see them at the
    via u/Limp-Juggernaut-6936
  • lemonade stand during school hours. The kids have also suddenly propped up a sign reading "fund our trip to BC!" (Across the country?). The sign seems to imply the funds are going to pay for a family trip? Not for hockey, not for dance or cheer or some sort of extracurricular activity but just
    via u/Limp-Juggernaut-6936
  • for a family vacation... I'm starting to worry that these kids are being used as a cute front to fund luxuries that parents should be paying for. I think the kids should be able to use their money however they want to and I also think there should be time set aside to encourage these kids to
    via u/Limp-Juggernaut-6936
  • ...play? Mom posts on Facebook every night "we'll be out till 7pm!" Developmentally is it going to be detrimental for them to be missing out on learning and exploring because they're forced into this structured labour? I feel like such a Karen for being the one to rain on a lemonade stand but I'm starting to worry. What should I do? Mind my business? Am I overreacting? Update!! The mother has started a go fund me for the family trip to BC.
    via u/Limp-Juggernaut-6936

  • Commenters wondered what was actually going on here.

    Fearless_Friend74... 6d ago . I don't know if you're overreacting to be honest. This is a bit strange I've never seen a long-term dedicated lemonade stand sold by children. Usually it's like a one or two day thing and I usually feel bad and go buy one cus I'll drive by several times on commutes to see NO ONE buying.
    via u/Fearless_Friend7447
  • A1sauc3d 6d ago Nah, I was ready to call you an a-he at the start lol, but yeah that's definitely overboard. This is the parents using their kids to make money. Which I agree isn't cool, on multiple levels, but mostly for the kids sake. This isn't a fun short lived
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  • summer project, more like a full time job that thrives on exploiting the kids. And exploiting people's understanding of what a child's lemonade stand is. People spend money on something they wouldn't normally under the assumption it's a fun short lived project for the kids involved. The kids being forced to go out there everyday completely changes the dynamic lol.
    via u/A1sauc3d
  • All that said, idk what you can do about it. If you noticed others will notice. Not really your place to get involved unless you see other signs of ab e. It's messed up, but not call cps messed up as far as I'm concerned. I'm sure other people will end up calling. the mom out at some point. Just let it be I say. Not you job
    via u/A1sauc3d
  • Low-Stick6746 · 5d ago Not knowing what the household situation is like are they homeschooled or not, it's hard to say. But I know a kid who is selling lemonade and cookies because he wants to go to Disneyland. He wants to
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  • earn the money himself so he's got his booth set up pretty regularly. He's about 6 or 7 years old thereabout. His parents aren't making him do any of it.
    via u/Low-Stick6746
  • A suspicious woman looks out a window.
    via Dalton Smith

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • Proverbs21-3 · 6d ago • NORI agree with you, once is cute, once a week is okay, but everyday is a bit much. I wonder if the kids are home schooled and trying to say they will learn so much on this trip to BC? Perhaps what they needed to
    via u/Proverbs21-3
  • elaborate is that the trip to BC is with a sports team, a choir. or to go to a museum? (That might be acceptable, but I'm with you, I am not going to buy lemonade daily from cute kids to fund a family vacation!)
    via u/Proverbs21-3
  • Of course, you are not obligated to buy lemonade. from them, no matter how cute they are or what evil or pleading look they give you. It does get irritating, though, when kid can get away with commerce in a way that an adult cannot! We can all chip in and lend a hand by buying
    via u/Proverbs21-3
  • lemonade or having our car washed occasionally to fund a good cause but if they are out there every day, that is a business: perhaps they are violating a city code such as needing a license? Depending on how much they are making, perhaps they are violating a tax
    via u/Proverbs21-3
  • code? (Don't down vote me, I am responding to OP's questions!) You're free to look it up and take it to the appropriate authorities!
    via u/Proverbs21-3
  • Responsible-Fun4... • 6d ago This is a tough one. Idk about legality but maybe they are homeschooled and want to go somewhere and mom/dad are encouraging them to raise funds or they are using it as a teaching tool? Maybe not for the trip but for souvenirs? Is mom
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  • approachable? Maybe ask her first if she seems the type to take questions good lol. I homeschool my son, so it's not uncommon to see him in our yard during the day, when most kids are in school. He also loves yard work and will take breaks from school outside
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  • choosing to rake, sweep, etc. He constantly talks about wanting to run his own raking/grass cutting/shoveling business and we encourage him to do so (with parental supervision of course)! He loves earning his own money and I do think it's helping him learn hard work and responsibility.
    via u/Responsible-Fun4303
  • However, I would NEVER expect any petty cash he might earn being used to pay for a trip. I would start by asking mom first or if you are not comfortable with that, call anonymously to the city to ask of legality of the
    via u/Responsible-Fun4303
  • constant stand. I don't think you are overreacting though. It is a bit....odd. My son very much has a childhood and he is never under any obligation from my husband or I to do our yard work, he just loves doing it
    via u/Responsible-Fun4303
  • APleasantMartini 5d ago Oh this is exactly why these 18th century scam artists went with a lemonade stand. Innocent enough to skirt past those who care, but the one thing they forgot was to make it a summer-only affair.
    via u/APleasantMartini
  • completelypositive 5d ago Here in Arizona you can home school your kids and teach them anything you want pretty much, and you get a ton of state funds for doing it. And they don't have to learn normal stuff. Might be f ed but the parents probably justified it.
    via u/completelypositive
  • Se... . • 5d ago Edited 5d ago If they are out there because of the parents pushing it at all, that is exploitative of the kids and of the good will of the community. However, it's also possible that this is an interest of homeschooled kids and the parents are supporting and facilitating it as a interest based homeschool project.
    via u/SeveralHoneydew5831
  • My homeschooled daughter did this at that age. Not for a specific goal, but for the love of it. We'd had garage sales in which she sold bottled water. She figured out that she loved having a stand and continued to have them past the garage sales. She proudly called it her
    via u/SeveralHoneydew5831
  • "job". She'd plop herself out there whenever she wanted to with books to read and sell her wares. She also spent hours making things to sell, and updating her stand and poster board signs. Kids seem to be interested in the exchange of goods and making money
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  • at that age, plus they are cute enough to get decent community support in the form of customers. Eventually, she got bored when traffic dried up when she was trying to sell a bunch of rainbow loom bracelets every time, and she moved on to her next interest.
    via u/SeveralHoneydew5831
  • Academically, it reinforced what she was learning in math, spelling, reading (while waiting for customers). It taught and provided a lot of coin counting practice and number sense (she had a lot of fun playing with counting her coins, making up
    via u/SeveralHoneydew5831
  • different configurations of coins, etc.). It helped to solidify a lot of what she needed to learn academically at that age because she was genuinely interested in the project and utilized the knowledge and skills to make it happen.
    via u/SeveralHoneydew5831
  • It also served her socioemotional needs. As a homeschooler, she needed me to support her need for social interaction outside of our home. She had daily contact with other children, teachers, and community through activities, classes, field trips, and play dates. This stand provided an added sense of community for her, I think.
    via u/SeveralHoneydew5831
  • She bought herself toys with the proceeds and, a decade later, still has some of it in. her savings account. She by far did not make enough to fund a family vacation (that part is yikes even if it's solely via the kids' interest, trips are $$$). Maybe patronize the stand and strike up a casual conversation to see what kind of vibes you get from the kids in the situation.
    via u/SeveralHoneydew5831

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neighbors neighborhood drama drama FAIL kids neighborhood neighborhood-drama community drama bad neighbors neighborhood-stories reddit story parenting karen neighbor homeschool story reddit thread Bad Neighbor Reddit lemonade stand karen
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