Jo Anna: You might be surprised at the amount of work 14 and 15 year olds did 60 or 70 years ago. My Mom, who will soon be 86, started to work in the Cotton Mills in Gibson County, Tn., before her 15th birthday. She was doing a full days work same as the adults. They worked 10 hour days, 5 and 1/2 days a week,,,their pay was 13.00 per week. " The good old days," that's what some people called them.