A mother and her eight-year-old son have been reported to the Department of Labor after trying to recruit children in their neighborhood to be “smilers” or “greeters” at their lemonade stand.
Cristal Johnson and her son Cam were surprised when Alabama officials contacted them about the booth they set up in their driveway last year to support the boy’s dream of going to Disney World.
The complaint was reportedly filed after the mother-son duo posted a flyer at Cam’s Lemonade on July 9 announcing a now-canceled “one-day training.”
The flyer said they were looking for two children, ages 6 to 10, to work at the booth and that the child would be paid $20 after a two-hour shift helping sell soda pop.
“The child needs to give me their own resume and tell me what they want to be when they grow up and why,” reads the CAM IS HIRING poster.
Cristal Johnson and her son Cam (pictured) were shocked to learn they were reported to the Department of Labor for trying to recruit children to work at their Alabama lemonade stand
The flyer said they were looking for two children, ages 6 to 10, to work at the booth and that the child would be paid $20 after a two-hour shift helping sell soda pop
“The child needs to give me their own resume and tell me what they want to be when they grow up and why,” reads the CAM IS HIRING poster.
“We are open from 2pm to 6pm, you can drop them off at our truck for a 2 hour shift and pick them up again at the end of your shift,” the mother wrote on social media.
“I’ll have them work with Cam on communicating with clients, giving and receiving payments, and good manners.” I hope to help them boost their self-esteem, help them count like a big kid too talk, follow instructions and have some fun!”
Eelier told Cristal on Facebook this month that despite her good intentions, the Department of Labor informed her that someone had reported the position for violating child labor laws.
“Even though my heart was in the right place, someone else’s wasn’t.” I was reported to the Department of Labor for underage hiring!!! Some unfortunate soul thought it would be a good idea to shut it down and having said that the children’s event I was planning to host has been cancelled!!’ wrote the mother.
“I find it disgusting, hateful and downright sad when someone sees what I was trying to achieve as negative!”
“That person is undoubtedly reading this message, and this is for you: you CANNOT stop what is about to happen!” You didn’t win! You just made me find another way!’
Cristal told the Washington Post that Cam became less shy and came out of her shell thanks to the booth, which became so successful that her product was even sold in grocery stores.
The respiratory therapist constructed the booth out of wooden crates painted blue and decorated it with lemons and flowers and a sign advertising the drink for $2 a cup.
When the mother saw how good working at the stand was for Cam, she decided it would be a good idea to teach other children the same hard work skills.
“I was trying to do something good, giving back to my community, and finding out that someone was accusing me of trying to give birth to minors, that was … it was pretty sad,” the mother told Fox & Friends on Thursday.
Cristal said that thanks to the booth, which was so successful his product was even sold in grocery stores, Cam became less shy and came out of his shell
Cam’s Lemonade Stand consists of Cristal, who prepares the lemonade batches in a rented commercial kitchen and transports the bottles by car
Cam added that he was “sad” after learning they had been reported.
It is unclear who reported the mother and son to the authorities.
The Department of Labor has not sanctioned the mother and son in any way, according to a spokesman, who explained that while lemonade stands are perfectly legal, Cam’s Lemonade is subject to state labor laws because it engages in “professional transportation and distribution.”
Cam’s Lemonade Stand consists of Cristal, who prepares the lemonade batches in a rented commercial kitchen and transports the bottles by car.
Alabama labor laws dictate that businesses may not hire children under the age of 14.
However, spokeswoman Hutchison told The Post that Cristal, the sole owner of the company, could employ her own child as long as it was “under her supervision and not doing dangerous tasks”.
The Biden administration announced earlier this year that it would crack down on child labor after a damning report said it had risen nearly 70 percent over the past five years.
Since 2018, the number of children working illegally in US factories has increased from 2,299 to 3,876.
Between 2021 and 2022, the number of minors in these jobs increased by over 1,000.