S/O of 1800s......did you have to work as a young teen?

[Ottakee]

I grew up in a rural area and basically everyone was expected to work for pay starting by age 10-12. We picked blueberries in the summer, did a lot of babysitting, worked in the fields picking veggies, etc. Many kids also worked gathering eggs, catching chickens, baling hay, etc.

 

The money we earned wasn't "taken" away from us but most of us bought a significant amount of our own clothing, shoes, etc and paid for any entertainment we wanted, our bikes, etc.

 

By 12 I was saving for a car, buying almost all of my own clothing and shoes, my own HBA, etc. There was no such thing as an allowance at those ages. I was certainly more of the norm than not in our area.

 

Even a "rich" girl I knew back then (and was jealous of her new bike") worked cleaning new construction houses, ate rabbits they raised as their meat, and got government cheese. We are great friends now and really don't regret those days or feel like we were abused, cheated, etc....that was just the way life was....and this was in the early 1980s so not that long ago.

 

Did anyone else work a significant part of their young teen years?

Edited October 27, 2016 by Ottakee

[DawnM]

I had no opportunity to work.  I was overseas.  I did some babysitting, but that is about all I could do.

 

When I went to college, I was so excited to work that I worked too many hours for a while, I had to figure out the balance.  

[Pawz4me]

Yes and no.

 

Our parents owned their own business, so my brother and I were expected to help out with that. We never got paid or even set allowances, but our parents were always generous in providing us with whatever we needed and most of what we wanted (including cars when we got our drivers licenses and ample spending money).

 

But back then (late 70's) most kids around here earned spending money by working in tobacco fields in the summer. It's a nasty, nasty job but I always felt kind of left out not getting to do it. Our parents said "no way" even though my brother and I had plenty of time to do that and help with the business. They just didn't want us doing it.

Edited October 27, 2016 by Pawz4me

[Rosie_0801]

I was a professional loo cleaner at aged 8  :laugh:

 

My father cleaned a child care centre as a second job and I often had to help. He did not pay me enough that I could take responsibility for buying my own clothes or anything. Pretty much all that got saved to buy Christmas presents.

In grade 6 my parents sent me on a girl guide camp to central Australia and I had to do odd jobs to earn pocket money to take.

I had to earn half the costs for weekend camps too. Mostly that was Mum paying me to do the ironing.

I cleaned a different child care centre for a few months as a teen, but they lost numbers when a new centre opened so I was laid off.

[Carrie12345]

I worked for my own spending money.  Mostly babysitting at 12/13.  Retail and food jobs by 14 or 15.  It wasn't for family use, but I did buy my own "special" soaps and hair care products, some clothes, school supplies, etc.  In my later teens I saved for books and spending money for college.

[littlebug42]

I did a little babysitting but my first job was a work study job when I went to college.  My mother would not let me get a job because she told me I had limited time to be a kid and she wanted me to take advantage of it.  I was very active in marching band and had AP classes and the like in high school so I was already busy.  I don't think it had any adverse affect on me.  With the exception of brief unemployment periods and maternity leaves, I have not stopped working since.

[kiwik]

I did seasonal orchard work from 10.

[creekland]

My dad had beehives (up to 500 pending year).  This was mainly his summer job, but of course, it started around April and went well into the fall - the rest of the year he was a teacher.

 

He started me on the payroll (paying SS and all) when I was 8.  I earned $2/hour.  I even had my own beekeeping suit.  We (sister and I) helped him create the hives (the actual wooden hives), manage the bees, and extract/bottle the honey.  There were some long hours involved.

 

The bulk of my money went into my savings account and was later used for my horses/ponies - or buying model horses and Black Stallion or Dick Francis books (mystery writer with topics involving horses).  My sister and I got our first two ponies that year (when I was 8) partially because my dad wanted to reward us for the work we did.  We didn't start riding lessons until three years later when he saw that we were serious about riding.  We were already pretty darn good at staying on at that point, but of course, in teaching ourselves, we didn't know the "proper" way for showing and such things.  That, and jumping fences, we still had to learn (were already good at jumping ditches).   :coolgleamA:

 

We also did all sorts of "living on a farm" things like working in our garden, but we didn't get paid for that.

 

ETA:  Our kids also worked for their dad (for pay) for most of their lives helping him with engineering field work (engineering surveying and similar).

 

No regrets.  Family businesses are family businesses.  However, I have no desire to work with bees ever again and none of our boys opted to go into engineering...

Edited October 27, 2016 by creekland

[Lang Syne Boardie]

We did. We worked, and contributed at home, at very young ages and in rather extreme circumstances. We all left home by 18 (some of us much earlier), and became responsible adults whose children are provided for. My sons, and all my nieces and nephews, work as minors BUT unlike our generation, they work legally, with work permits and reasonable hours. They get to finish school. They work for their nonessential expenses, to pay for drivers Ed, to save for a car...in other words, they're working toward their own future and not for their siblings' rent and groceries!

 

Some of that thread, people talking about how "I'm glad it's not like that anymore,"...there are still different kinds of poverty and family disaster, and there are many children who are hungry or food-insecure, homeless, working under the table for survival, taking care of siblings to the detriment of their own development, leaving home while still minors and not quite able to fend for themselves -- but they reason that they will be better off only having to deal with their own mess, and the family will be better off without them as a burden. (Obviously, this last group is at risk for drugs, gangs, human trafficking.)

 

The thing that's different is that we know better now. Unfortunately, knowing it doesn't mean we can correct it for all children suffering from parents' disorders or choices, whose families can't or won't take advantage of the help that our society tries to provide.

[TammyS]

Hm.  Not expected to, exactly, but the response to "I want ___" was pretty much always "get a job".  And by the time I was an older teen (16) I always had a job.

 

In our home, kids are expected to contribute substantial amounts of labor to the family and get a job when feasible, and pretty much pull as much of their own weight as possible, depending on circumstances.

[bettyandbob]

I worked for spending money and later bought clothes. I started babysitting at 11 for $1/hour. Even in the 1970s it took a long time to save at that rate. Then at 16 I got a job for my town planting trees and picking up trash. They paid less than minimum wage because the job was under some program that was educational. When I was still 16 I started lifeguarding for minimum wage.

 

No allowance. We were expected to save for college. We were not permitted to have cars (my parents' goal was education not things. If someone lived at home and commuted to school my parents made a car available for that.

 

No one said you have to go get a job. But it was clear you didn't ask for stuff. I paid to attend field hockey camp with my high school team. We were also expected to figure out some transportation on our own. From an early age I rode my bike miles a day. I learned the local bus routes (this was not easy in our suburb which had two vans on routes that changed throughout the day. I never saw kids on it except my sister and I). My parents were at work or commuting 7-7. We had to take care of anything we wanted to do and have all household chores done.

 

I think my parents approach taught me to be independent and develop a decent work ethic.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Yes I did.  I worked starting at 12.  I too had to buy my own clothing, pay for school related expenses, and some HBA stuff.  I always wondered why I never saved any of the money, but yeah there wasn't anything left to save after that.

 

I did not get the impression that kids in general were expected to work though.  Most of my friends didn't beyond occasional babysitting for some extra fun money.

 

Oh and you know, one year my dad was in the hospital for three months.  My parents were too proud to ask for help of any kind, but it was starting to get to the point where we didn't have much to eat so my mother broke down and applied for aid.  They came to the house and saw my paper route bag on the door handle.  I had a little paper route at 12 and make a few bucks.  The social worker said they'd have to count that money towards the aid.  I only have expletives to say about that. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I've gone the opposite direction.  My 14 year old constantly talks about trying to get a job and I have been very discouraging.  I think it's kind of cool that he is so into it, but I don't think all the working I had to do was so positive.  I don't want him to have to work that much as a teen. 

[lynn]

yes.  In my family everyone got jobs at 14/15 it's just what we did.   I had a paper route at 10, baby sitting at 12,  mowed lawns at 13 started at McDonalds (back when it was a fun part time high school job to have) at 14  We bought our own cars, paid for our own insurance, clothes etc.  It wasn't a requirement it's just the work ethic we had.    

 

My boys followed right into that work ethic and although they did not have to work for we provided cars, computers, phones, clothes and most everything else they just wanted to get part time jobs at 16.  When they did work they paid for their own phones and their own portion of insurance for their cars.  

Edited October 27, 2016 by lynn

[Prairie~Phlox]

I grew up on a farm, so yes, I worked early on.  I was also babysitting by the time I was 12.  My teens all have gotten a job around 14 and it's been great for them, and I encouraged it.  I really think the earlier kids work, the better work ethic they have.  They realize what is hard work is and we discuss what's needed in life to actually support a person and they realize that just working a minimum wage job does not cut it.  They all enjoy working and have met some great people at the jobs that they are at.  It's mostly seasonal work (2 work at a local greenhouse) & my youngest has been farming for my dad.  Seasonal work is much more manageable, because we know there will eventually be a break, yet they work full time in the summer.

 

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Despite always having jobs, I never had enough to buy a car. 

[mom@shiloh]

I grew up on a farm, so there was always work to be done, although we did not get paid to work at home.  By the time I was 12, I was babysitting and doing seasonal farm work for 2-3 weeks every summer.  I got a job in a restaurant at 15 and continued to work part-time through high school and college.  

 

My kids haven't had too many options for jobs until they were 16, and then we require them to get some kind of part time work.  We think it's good for them to understand the world of minimum wage jobs, learn how to deal with people -- both co-workers and customers, and earn their own spending money.  It's part of their education.

[creekland]

I grew up on a farm, so yes, I worked early on.  I was also babysitting by the time I was 12.  My teens all have gotten a job around 14 and it's been great for them, and I encouraged it.  I really think the earlier kids work, the better work ethic they have.  They realize what is hard work is and we discuss what's needed in life to actually support a person and they realize that just working a minimum wage job does not cut it.  They all enjoy working and have met some great people at the jobs that they are at.  It's mostly seasonal work (2 work at a local greenhouse) & my youngest has been farming for my dad.  Seasonal work is much more manageable, because we know there will eventually be a break, yet they work full time in the summer.

 

Same here.  Since we have a family business, my kids all started working earlier than yours, then of course, they've been helping on the farm since a super early age.

 

They developed a nice work ethic and have done very well in their lives.  Youngest (junior in college) called us last night and part of what he relayed was his getting to spend a day out on a large sailboat - courtesy of one of his (older adult) tutoring clients (Arabic) who not only pays him well, but also gives him extra perks like that - great networking as well as friendships.  He's actually doing three jobs while at college - was four, but he found he had to cut back, so kept his favorite three.  

 

My kids enjoy working (whether for pay or not), and enjoy a variety of jobs too.  Their "get-it-done" attitude helps with so many aspects of life.

[Ausmumof3]

Not for pay. I did help with canning sauce making etc spasmodically but didn't really have the opportunity to work for pay as we were semi rural and I wouldn't have had transport. Plus there was a lot of other stuff going on. I did do some work experience at around 14 and one place run by an old guy insisted on paying me although it wasn't really legal with the insurance so it just came as a cash gift. I don't feel too bad about that as I think I did quite a bit of useful work there. However by 16 I was working around four to six hours after studying each day and transitioned to buying my own clothes etc. I've still never bought my own car. While I think work is useful I definitely noticed that those working during the last year of high school all struggled to maintain grades as I think the study load was already high and they burned out.

[The Girls' Mom]

Not paying jobs..lol.

 

Both of my parents worked, so I had to do the childcare for my little brother (from about age 9 or 10) and housekeeping/cooking.  I also worked the property with everyone else.  We had 7 acres and horses, a garden, etc.

[Prairie~Phlox]

Same here.  Since we have a family business, my kids all started working earlier than yours, then of course, they've been helping on the farm since a super early age.

 

They developed a nice work ethic and have done very well in their lives.  Youngest (junior in college) called us last night and part of what he relayed was his getting to spend a day out on a large sailboat - courtesy of one of his (older adult) tutoring clients (Arabic) who not only pays him well, but also gives him extra perks like that - great networking as well as friendships.  He's actually doing three jobs while at college - was four, but he found he had to cut back, so kept his favorite three.  

 

My kids enjoy working (whether for pay or not), and enjoy a variety of jobs too.  Their "get-it-done" attitude helps with so many aspects of life.

 

I should have added my kids actually started painting by the time they were 10.  My husband was a contractor for 20 years and around 10-11, they started helping at least for the apartment turnover, so they did actually work earlier than 14, but at 14, it was more of something that "they" wanted to do, vs. what we made them do.  My husband is no longer a contractor, and they are all thankful for that.

[BooksandBoys]

I started working as a mother's helper when I was 9 to earn money to pay for flute lessons. I was babysitting multiple times a week by age 11. At that point, my parents handed me responsibility for purchasing all my clothes and toiletries. Eventually, I paid for all my activities and my vehicle/insurance/gas and, later, college.

 

In contrast, my husband got his first job the summer after he graduated high school. We have very different work ethics. Whether this is related to personality or work expectations in our childhoods cannot be determined.

[73349]

I was required to work at home, a baby-sitter on call at all times, for three siblings who are 8.5-12 years younger than I am. No pay, no allowance.

 

I didn't live within walking distance of anywhere I could've worked, and there were no buses except school buses; I was not given rides places and there was not a spare vehicle to lend me. (Until 14 I lived in a suburb, and 14-17 in an economically depressed little city.) I didn't get a paid job until I went to college and worked on campus.

Edited October 27, 2016 by whitehawk

[Prairie~Phlox]

I started working as a mother's helper when I was 9 to earn money to pay for flute lessons. I was babysitting multiple times a week by age 11. At that point, my parents handed me responsibility for purchasing all my clothes and toiletries. Eventually, I paid for all my activities and my vehicle/insurance/gas and, later, college.

 

In contrast, my husband got his first job the summer after he graduated high school. We have very different work ethics. Whether this is related to personality or work expectations in our childhoods cannot be determined.

 

My husband did not have to work hard as a young child or even a teen, and I have a different work ethic as well, I think some of it does have to do with this fact.

[Okra]

I worked from the time I was 14.

[umsami]

I did a lot of babysitting, starting around age 12.  In the summer, I was basically a full-time nanny for the same family...working 50 hours/week at $1/hr.  I didn't have to work, and the money was mine to do as I wanted with.  At 14, I started working at Fast Food restaurants in addition.

 

I actually wish there were more opportunities for work for younger kids these days.

[Selkie]

I grew up on a farm, too, and we all were expected to do farm chores from the time we were very young.  When I was 12, I started babysitting and cleaning the office where my mom worked.  I also weeded the neighbor's flower beds each week for $5 (I considered that to be big bucks, because the flower beds were pretty small and I could be done in less than an hour).  At 15, I started working at a local history museum, and after that came a long string of food service and cleaning jobs.

[Lizzie in Ma]

Yes.  Started washing dishes as a little Finnish restaurant nearby then on to a bakery clerk throughout high school at a local supermarket.  Bought my own car and eventually got enough for college at 22.

[RoughCollie]

I started babysitting when I was 12. I made up flyers and advertised my services. I was in demand because I played with the kids and taught them to read and to do simple math. When I was 16, I added working at various jobs -- fast food, waitress, retail salesclerk. 

 

My sister did the same, only she saved every dime she ever made. I remember thinking she was a miser, especially when she charged huge interest rates if I borrowed money from her, which I only did one time because of the interest she charged.

 

My brother started doing yard work for people at age 10. He made a lot of money that way -- it paid far better than babysitting or minimum wage work. I figured my sister and I could do that, too, but our dad said no. Ladies do not do any work like that, period. I was in my early 20s before Dad let me mow one strip of lawn just to see what it was like, and I had to talk him into it!

 

So there I was, age 14, and my little brother was making more money than I was!

 

 

 

 

Edited October 27, 2016 by RoughCollie

[creekland]

My husband did not have to work hard as a young child or even a teen, and I have a different work ethic as well, I think some of it does have to do with this fact.

 

My hubby worked just as much - or probably more - than I did.  He still does.

 

I think there could very easily be a connection to what one considers "normal" based upon how one is raised.

 

Add me to those who wish there were more jobs open for kids, and at a younger age.  We certainly don't need to return to the work houses, but I think kids thrive upon feeling truly useful by doing something "worth" something.

 

We also never did allowances - nor did I have one in my youth.  Family chores were just that - something the whole family pitched in to get done.  It didn't matter if it was work in our garden, house, or with our ponies.  It was just our life.  Our kids have always been part of that - and they get to indulge when we do - with regular meals, clothes, our house, and all the extras like travel.

 

If they wanted money of their own, they had to do extra work for it - working for hubby, picking strawberries at a nearby farm, odd jobs for others, etc.  When they went to college we still paid for all the basics (room & board), etc, but anything else they wanted, their on campus jobs paid for (aside from an occasional care package we send them - generally food treats I know they won't buy themselves).  I had an on campus job doing the same for me.  Hubby did not - his aunt/uncle sent him regular spending money.  Our kids also have basic student loans - federal - as their contribution to their educational costs.  It adds up to approx what a new car costs - mid 20 thousands. This is what hubby and I started off with (more or less) and it was no problem to pay off.

 

I think if one is satisfied with aspects of how they were brought up it tends to get repeated. 

[Night Elf]

I didn't have to work. I got my first very part-time job at age 15 so I could afford to buy cigarettes without my mom knowing. I don't remember many of friends having jobs either. I wouldn't say we were poor but we may have been lower middle class in a suburban setting. All our parents worked and we all hung out together after school in the apartment complex getting into trouble. I didn't work steady from that point. I don't remember that job lasting long and my next job was at the beginning of my senior year to make pocket money.

[Soror]

excuse the million typos- running too tight on time to edit- 

I lived in the country so not as many opportunities because my parents were working themselves. I did manage to get a job cleaning offices that I went to with a friend. Once I got my driver's license(IIRC at 17) I got jobs I could drive to at restaurants. My parents didn't force me to work but I wanted to. It was required that we helped and worked at home. I have very fond memories of us all working together outside. My own kids work around the house and do odd jobs for the grandparents. I won't force my kids to work to pay for basic necessities but I consider some work a very good thing. I'm proud already to see their work ethic and have no regrets that we require more than most families. As with my own family of origin it is generally a positive thing- we work together and they are proud of what they are able to do (my 6&9 yo were just bragging about how they made breakfast themselves today- sunny-side up eggs, toast and sausage). Along with higher expectations is also more privileges and a lot more independence than many. My husband grew up similarly, he didn't have to work to survive but worked to earn his own money and did a good amount of stuff around the house- his only complaint was there was a disparity in expectations for him and his sister. In my house growing up there was not much of a difference in the expectations for my brother and I as with my dad being in the military my mom frequently had to take care of things on her own, besides the fact that she grew up in a line of women that just got things done. So, my son has to learn to cook(and clean- tasks which my husband didn't learn much about) and my daughters does outside work too.

Edited October 27, 2016 by soror

[SKL]

I wasn't technically "required" to work before age 16, but like many kids, I chose to work when I could find a gig.  I did odd jobs for pocket change before age 10, babysat beginning at age 10, had paper routes from age 13.

 

At 16 I was expected to at least try to get a job and pay part of my earnings to my parents.

 

I also did a lot of volunteer work, house chores, and helped raise my younger siblings.  I was expected to do well in school on an accelerated college prep track.  I still took time for hobbies and hanging out, though that often meant doing homework until the wee hours.

 

While we did have to do some work, it wasn't anything like the slave labor we hear about from earlier days.

 

I really want my kids to be able to work as teens.  It seems harder nowadays to find opportunities for that.  But I think if you want it badly enough, where I live, you can find it.

[rainbowmama]

Not really. I had the occasional odd job, but I wouldn't say I really worked before 16.

[wendyroo]

Yes, I worked a lot as a pre-teen.  My parents had worked as pre-teens, so that was the expectation.  Plus, my father was out of work for 18 months when I was 12 and 13, and while we always had enough to get by, money-stress was high and it felt reassuring to be saving my own nest egg in case of emergency.

 

I started as a mother's helper at 10 working a couple afternoons a week.  By 12 I was a highly sought after babysitter who worked 10-15 hours a week during the school year and 20-30 during the summer.  The hourly rate was ridiculously low, but it got better when I got the reputation of being able to handle anything and it became common for several families to meet up at one house to leave all the kids with me while all the parents went out together.  At that point I could earn $10-15 an hour for watching 6-8 kids.

 

I got my work permit at 15, but did not have transportation to take any jobs too far from home.  I did start working for minimum wage at a church nursery within walking distance.  I was able to save most of what I made, because all I was required to pay for were school lunches which were cheap and entertainment which I mostly chose to skip.

 

I bought a used car a couple months before I turned 16, which meant maintaining steady employment so I was able to pay for gas and insurance.  At that point, the world opened up to me and I was always juggling a couple jobs and a couple dual enrollment classes during my teenage years.  I took metal shop during high school and the training and connections I got there enabled me to get full time skilled manufacturing jobs during the summers that paid better than minimum wage.  By the time I went to MIT at 18, I had substantial saving which, combined with the earnings from my work study and full time summer jobs, allowed me to pay my half of the tuition, room and board.

 

There is no way my parents could have paid my way through MIT, so I am forever grateful that I had so many opportunities to work as a kid in order to make that dream possible.

 

Wendy

 

 

[Arcadia]

I didn't have to work, no chores and no babysitting. My only sibling is 8.5 years younger though, everyone public schooled and my mom worked on and off because she gets antsy staying home. My cousins and age peer nephews whose parents run family business do help out their parents.

My extended family is latchkey/free range style so no babysitting required from a young age. It wasn't uncommon in my time 70s/80s and neighborhood for kids to be home alone while parents run errands, and apartment neighbors doors are open anyway so easy to yell for help. There were WAHDs, WAHMs,and grandparents around in my block. So adults are nearby.

I did work on and off for fun after college entrance exams ended in December and college starts in July. They paid me high school graduate rate until I got my college acceptance letter, than paid me undergraduate rate.

 

ETA:

We are downtown metropolitan city folks. Near banks and manufacturing plants (hard disk, wafer fab) but nowhere near agriculture. Manufacturing has plenty of moms working the night shifts. McDonald's and other fast food chains has many young adults and seniors working.

A 14 year old teen who is hearing impaired had a job after school at a retail chain under a work scheme for the hearing impaired. He replenished stocks and helped bag goods at the cashier counters. He could lip read.

Edited October 27, 2016 by Arcadia

[linders]

Babysat starting at 11, worked in my dad's store from 12-17, tutored in high school. Bought all my own "wants," many of my needs, and saved for college.

[alisoncooks]

Never worked for pay, but I lived on a grain farm and was expected to help when needed (mostly things like pick people up and drive them to other fields or work over spring break clearing land). My brother worked much harder, much younger.

 

I mostly was a student/athlete; my parents bought my car and paid all my expenses. (And we were not rich by American standards, by any means.)

[Dmmetler]

I babysat and was a mother's helper in the summers/after school starting at about age 11/12 or so-and started working as a child daycare aide at age 16.

[J-rap]

Everyone in my family (and peers of mine) were pretty much expected to work beginning around 16.  We'd work wherever we could; many worked in the farm fields picking celery or whatever since it was a heavily agriculture community.  (I worked in an ice cream shop.  :))

 

Before 16, most of us still did something outside of just "us," like volunteering at the hospital or the SPCA, babysitting, etc.

 

 

[KrissiK]

Yes, I did. All teens worked when I was growing up. Our region is a big ag region, lots of tree fruit to be packed, and that's what I did from 7th grade till I graduated college and got a real job. It was relatively fun. Well, what made it fun was that everyone you knew did it, so you tried to get hired in a packing shed with your friends. We'd have card game tournaments during lunch and one year we worked with a kid who's family had a ski boat, so the days we got off early a bunch of us would go to the lake.

[Rachel]

Yes I worked beginning at a young age babysitting for my cousin (I was 10 or 11). I babysat for one of my mom's coworkers at age 12. My sister and I had a paper route at 9 or 10. I also detassled corn beginning around 12 or 13. At 14 I got a part time job at the local grocery store.

 

My parents didn't require us to work (except in the family business) until we were 16ish but it never occurred to my sisters or me not to work. They did seem to think if we weren't working outside the home we needed to be busy at home so it was a way for us to have more of a social life. Money was tight for my parents as my dad was in grad school full time and there were 6 kids. Us older kids all had a strong work ethic and enjoyed having money for extras. By the time I was a teenager I handled the majority of my clothing needs.

[Lady Florida.]

Outside the home? No. But my single working mother often did double shifts in her waitress job. Or she would work at more than one restaurant (still doing double shifts but at two different places). From the age of nine I was doing housework, cooking for my brother and me, and even ironing my mother's uniform and making her coffee on a percolator on the stove.

 

When I wanted to get a job as a teen however, my mom tried to talk me out of it. She said I'd be working all of my life (that was her experience so far) so I should put it off as long as I could. I finally got her to let me go to work when I was 16 and a senior. When dh and I decided I would stay home with ds (he made more money than I did - I was a teacher) she was really glad. She said she so wished she could have stayed home with my brother and me.

 

ETA - If we're counting babysitting then yes, but I never had enough sitting jobs to count as a regular income. 

Edited October 27, 2016 by Lady Florida.

[Janeway]

Yes, I did. Both parents worked too, as well as grandparents. As in, tweens and tweens work, and the women all worked too. 

Edited October 27, 2016 by Janeway

[FaithManor]

Have to? No. My parents had endured so much responsibility as teens, responsibility and work hours that took its toll on their health and educations, that they were against it. When my brother was old enough to want to earn spending money, my dad let him work in his business sweeping floors, filing, doing oil changes on the shop vehicles, etc. Eventually he learned to do some basic repairs, and sell things like stove pipe. He worked after school when he didn't have much homework - education came first - and Saturday mornings if he didn't have an extra curricular activity conflict. He had regular household chores to help out, but nothing overwhelming.

 

I emptied the dishwasher each night to help, and dusted once per week, did little things here and there that mom wanted help with like setting the table. Nothing overwhelming either. My parents figured my job was my music. I wasn't a prodigy, but definitely gifted so my desire to practice 2-3 hours per day after school, and 4 hours a day in the summers was not interfered with nor was my summers at Interlochen or Blue Lakes Fine Arts camps, summer piano and flute lessons, community band and choir. That said, I did fit in some babysitting in order to have spending money, and by 15, was giving some piano lessons as well.

 

We were not given cars. We were given access to drive family vehicles as needed. I didn't maintain much of a social life, so only drove to and from my music stuff when mom was not attending. She tended to want to see everything, but as she worked doing the accounting in my dad's business, it did happen commonly. My brother eventually saved up enough to buy a car he could fix up and give a cool paint job. LOL. A source of great pride, but I mean...it was a Chevy Nova, not a camero so it seemed like his pride was a little over the top!  :D

 

My sister, almost 14 years younger than I, also was not required to work. She did do a lot of babysitting in order to afford decent clothes. During her teen years, my parents went through a very bad time in the business and were barely keeping their heads above water. She would have had no extra curriculars, had to quit her piano and voice lessons (she has a gorgeous soprano voice with a wide range), and had extremely limited clothing options if she didn't. They did not have medical insurance either but made $50.00 too much to get medicaid. She was sick often. Unless she could afford to pay the doctor's office out of her own pocket, she would not admit to being sick, and kind of hide out from my parents so they wouldn't know because she didn't think they could pay the doctor, the prescriptions, and still buy food or pay the utilities. A couple of time my brother took her to the doc and paid. We lived out of state and sent her money too. Several times my dear grandmother figured it out and since she and grandpa retired pretty well (some savings, good GM pension for him, a reasonable pension in that era for her from the bank, plus social security), she took her to the doctor or hospital and paid. Sis's health took a beating, long term, from the times she didn't get medical care. I would say that she did manage to cultivate enough clientele to make $40.00 a week back in the 90's at babysitting. She once did some nannying in the summer as well. That paid nicely, but again, no ability to take time off work for being sick, so another major blow to her health.

[Janeway]

Also, I did not get to keep anything I earned. My parents did not need it at all. But, I was on my own to pay for shoes, school supplies, school lunches, everything, when I started junior high. If I did not earn the money, I did not eat. I resent it though. I think it was sorely inappropriate. My parents were eating out and everything while I could not even get school lunch. They added in an additional walk in closet to store my mom's clothes, while I had to get handmedown shoes from friends. My mom kept my dad dangling. She would leave him every time he didn't do whatever she wanted. Her world revolved around herself. She worked and earned a good living. But it was just all for her. I could understand working to pay our own bills if they were suffering financially. But they were not.

Edited October 27, 2016 by Janeway

[Anne in CA]

I didn't work for pay but I worked. My parents didn't pay me, or even buy me nice clothes for babysitting my younger siblings. My parents did pay for my extracurricular activities, but always acted like they were doing me a favor. However, since I did learn work ethic that has served me well I shouldn't complain. Lots of people in the hospitality industry are just warm bodies but I have had a good career, thanks to the fact that I actually work without being constantly supervised.

[Crimson Wife]

I didn't have to work but I wanted to do an expensive sport (figure skating) and my parents would only agree to that if I paid for half. I babysat, petsat, washed & vacuumed cars, did seasonal orchard work, and when I was in high school, I did some trade booth girl work (lucrative but skeevy to have all those middle-aged guys hitting on me :ack2: )

 

I was required to give 1/3 of what I earned to my parents to "save for college" but they never actually put it into my college savings account. However, when I went back for my 2nd bachelor's, my dad did give me the amount I'd spent in tuition for my first 3 semesters so that probably evened things out.

[maize]

I was working on the family farm at age 8 weeding, thinning corn, picking vegetables, and manning the produce stand in front of the house. I earned over $100 that summer and was proud of it. My parents paid us kids for the work we put in--I think when manning the produce stand the rate was something like 10% of the earnings we took in.

 

Before I was old enough for farm work I remember being upset that the older kids got to earn money and I didn't.

Edited October 27, 2016 by maize

[mom2scouts]

Yes, I worked as a young teen in the late 70's and early 80's during the summer. I worked in the fields, cleaned shelving and stocked shelves for a store managed by a friend's father, and babysat. I was about 12 or 13 went I started doing this. I was allowed to keep the money and use it for doing stuff with friends (movies, McDonald's, video game centers).