‘Heartbreaking’: Alabama mom’s attempt to teach kids business at lemonade stand ends with Labor Dept. report

An Alabama mother said she is heartbroken after her plans to teach two local children how to run a business were thwarted due to someone calling the U.S. Department of Labor on her.

The caller claimed she was hiring children but it’s simply not true, said mom Cristal Johnson.

Johnson made a social media post last Thursday promoting an apprenticeship program where two kids could learn more about her son’s lemonade stand business and serve as greeters and smilers.

“You can drop them off with us at the truck for a 2 hr shift, and pick them up at the end of their shift,” she wrote in her post.

The post also asked for little ones who apply to submit resumes. She was planning to pay the kids $20, but Johnson said her main goal was to teach them math skills, customer service skills and build their self-esteem.

The next day, she received a call from the U.S. Department of Labor that someone had  formally complained saying she was hiring minors and that the event had to be canceled.

“My feelings were hurt,” said Johnson. “I was shocked. There’s no way a decent person would gather that I was trying to hire minors to do any type of work for me.”

Johnson said the U.S. Department of Labor representative she spoke to understood what she was trying to do but the event needed to be nixed because she could’ve profited from a child working for her if lemonade was sold.

Now, Johnson said she’s planning another event and will check with her contact in the department first. They’ll have a similar event but no lemonade will be sold to customers that day, she said.