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Is it possible that some child-rearing methods from the past have contributed to the problem? In our attempts to spare our children from many of the hardships we have experienced, have we failed to instill the principles of commitment and responsibility in them?

I believe part of the problem is that we鈥檝e allowed smartphones and other electronics to become babysitters, which doesn鈥檛 teach kids the interpersonal skills they need to function in the workplace. The result is a vanishing work ethic and a lack of customer service, even as businesses offer higher wages, flexible hours, and more benefits. It鈥檚 disheartening.

Next to the 鈥淗elp Wanted鈥� sign on the door of a Red Lobster recently was another sign that read 鈥淒ue to staff shortages we are currently unable to accommodate parties greater than 4鈥�. This is counterproductive as graduation season approaches for a restaurant that has been the favorite destination for scores of students before school celebrations.

I am not complaining about, nor have I had bad service at, any local restaurant recently, although there are frequently long waits. But often entire sections of the restaurants are closed, with the wait staff still struggling to serve more tables than they can manage. Additionally, many local restaurants that have been mainstays in the community have closed, while others have had to cut their operating hours or change their menus due to staff shortages.

Of course, restaurants don鈥檛 have a monopoly on staffing problems.

Normally I use the drive-through lane at my local Walgreens for prescriptions. But venturing inside last week, I noticed that although the pharmacy seemed to be fully staffed, the only other employees who were visible were the cashiers, both of whom I recognized as the store鈥檚 managers.

Even while checking customers out, I overheard one of them on the phone with the store owner requesting authority to close the store early, because none of the other scheduled employees had come in. The other manager said it had been like this all year 鈥� they hired staff who never showed up, often without notification.

A woman in the line behind me, who said she was a teacher, remarked that the same thing happened at her school: They鈥檇 not been fully staffed any day since the first of the year.

This is hardly the sort of 鈥淗elp鈥� these places 鈥淲anted.鈥�

It can be quite enlightening to observe people today, as I frequently do. Many toddlers (some still in diapers) seem to have their own electronic gadgets. Young folks in restaurants appear glued to their phones watching movies, sometimes even texting with their tablemates instead of talking directly to them.

Even more astonishing can be watching people walking on sidewalks, totally oblivious to uneven pavement or even oncoming traffic. Parents who鈥檝e allowed their children to spend most of their waking hours attached to their devices, particularly children of elementary school age or younger, have contributed to this problem.

Certainly, we want tech-savvy kids. And there are definitely valid reasons for parents to give their children something to occupy themselves with when the parents are working or attending to other pressing needs. It even makes sense to give a child a phone for emergencies 鈥� although a flip phone would suffice for preteens.

But how can we cultivate good social skills and employment reliability, much less empathy or compassion, in kids who are sequestered in their rooms for hours, alone, communicating only with virtual friends?

To foster a good work ethic in our kids, we need to be better role models by disengaging from our own gadgets in their presence. We need to go back to a time when we interacted more personally with our youth, starting well before they are teenagers.

There are many things we can do, starting with giving them chores and responsibilities. Even more than that we can impress upon them that it鈥檚 unacceptable to stay up all night on their gadgets and then to decide they are too tired to go to work 鈥� particularly those living in our homes. Explain to them that committing to an employer is not like switching from a sport or changing instruments in their youth.

Lastly, they must learn basic financial skills, including how to support themselves. Tell them that their first time answering a 鈥淗elp Wanted鈥� sign might lead to a job or career they really want, but only if they are diligent and conscientious about the one they have.

They have to start somewhere. The time for mooching is over.