Do you let your child do "muktza stuff" for you on

Please vote
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Not until they're old enough to understand the concept of Shabbos, but until they're old enough to know what they're doing. For example, as long as a kid has no idea that flipping a light switch turns on the light, I'll let him do it, but as soon as he makes the connection, even if he doesn't know what Shabbos is, I won't have him do it for me. (But I have no idea if he himself does muktza, until he's old enough to know what Shabbos is.)
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Gold Member Joined: Nov 01 2009 Posts: 1537

I generally don't. The only thing I'll let my toddler do is turn on the mobile for the baby. I won't ask him, he likes to do it himself. we are nearing the point of starting to think a bout saying no though.
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Platinum Member Joined: Mar 29 2005 Posts: 10910

The halachos of amira l'akum also apply to ketanim. If a goy can't do it, a Jewish child cannot either.

When amira l'akum is permitted, I still do not have my children do melachos as it's bad chinuch.

Posted: Mon, Jun 07 2010, 11:48 am Post subject:

Platinum Member Joined: Mar 29 2005 Posts: 10910

It's still a bad idea to get in the habit of it.

Posted: Mon, Jun 07 2010, 11:57 am Post subject:

Platinum Member Joined: Sep 11 2004 Posts: 16077

Only a child who is too young to know the difference and only in an emergency.
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"If the Arabs put down their guns there would be no more fighting. If the Israelis put down theirs there would be no more Israel."
attributed to Golda Meir

No! We are very machbid about this. Even when our son did something rather embarrassing (he either unplugged a light or messed up the timer) at someone else's house on Shabbos we did not encourage him to fix it and made him leave it alone.
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Diamond Member Joined: Sep 19 2004 Posts: 3045

I'll admit to doing it occasionally, in a pinch, but generally I don't think it's a good idea. Especially not in sight of the slightly older siblings, who will not understand why I'm telling the younger one to do something they know is forbidden.
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Beginner Joined: Jun 07 2010 Age: 26 Posts: 14

AC is sometimes needed and its convinient if you havea toddler
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Think good, it has to be good!!

A baby girl has a kiddush, making her jewish. A baby boy has a bris to make him a jew. Would you feed your baby, ang age, pig? But he is so young and wouldnt know the differance! Thats exactly my point. They have a yiddishe neshama. And on shabbos an added neshama yesaira, no matter what age.

Posted: Thu, Jun 10 2010, 9:45 pm Post subject:

Amother-I wouldn't compare having a one year old touch the light switch to eating chazer. A kid is techniqly allowed to touch these things until age three-which is the age of chinuch where they should understand.

I do not allow my toddlers to turn on/off things for me and touch mukza stuff. I try to avoid it if I can.
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Chocolate heals everything!

Flower, the question is do you allow them to do it for you. Would you allow them to eat pig for you??????

Posted: Thu, Jun 10 2010, 9:52 pm Post subject:

It's different. You are allowed to let them turn on the light for you until a certain age-let dh ask a rav this shaila and you will see the response.

Once on yt it was sooooooo hot and mine and my neighbors ac were not turned on. The rav of the shul paskened that the kids were allowed to turn it on-mine in their house and their kid in my house. I wasn't happy and never encourage such behavior.

Gold Member Joined: Nov 22 2006 Posts: 1513

yes we do now, but only things for their own benefit. and iy'h will stop when they turn 3
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Diamond Member Joined: Sep 19 2004 Posts: 3045

I really don't let them do anything muktza, however, one time I realized the light was still on in the fridge, and my daughter held down the button while I put a bandaid on it...I didn't know what else to do, it was Friday night and everyone would be opening and closing the fridge all of Shabbos!