Do your teens work? Did you work as a teen? what do they do? what did you do?

[Prairie~Phlox]

First, my children have been working since they were young.  They used to help my dh in his painting business during apartment rush, probably started painting when they were 9, 11 & 12.  Currently my dd is 17 & she's worked in the greenhouse for the last 2 years and will be a supervisor there last summer.  It's seasonal work, but they like her so well that she's there until December 20th (it's just part time, but last year she only worked until the end of June) She also babysits on the side and before working at the GH, she worked at a daycare at 15 years old.

 

Our ds who will be 16 this month has also worked at the greenhouse, still paints some and has done odd jobs for the neighbor and still works some with my dh, even though he's no longer self-employed. 

Our ds who was 14 this summer, spent about 6-7 weeks working on my dad's farm this summer I'm sure if we lived closer, he would have spent more time there, but he basically would keep him for a week at a time. He learned to drive a tractor and did all kinds of stuff, climbed a silo, some things I would rather not have known.  Anyway, it was really good for him.

 

I think having teens work is important, I think it teaches them to work harder.

 

When I was a teen, I worked on our farm, babysat and at 16, started working for a larger company in the printing room and worked until I graduated.  When I left for college, I went to school and worked part time as well.

 

So what do your teens do and what did you do as a teen?

[Joker]

My only job was babysitting. I was kept very busy but I grew up in the same town as my parents and grandparents so we knew everyone.

 

My dds do not have that same opportunity. Oldest could work but here the only places would be fast good or grocery stores. Instead she spends her time volunteering. I'm good with that and don't see it changing anytime soon.

[bettyandbob]

I read last year that working as a teen is a big factor in future financial stability/success. I wouldn't be able to find the article now, but the gist was getting those basic life skills of how to get and keep a job, how to be a decent employee and how to manage money.

 

My dd started a pet sitting/ dog walking business at 8 (the two years was just our next door neighbor). At 15 she added lifeguarding. At 16 she started teaching swimming. Teaching is all she does now at 17. She does work a lot. During the school year she only works Saturday morning. However, I think she's learned and continues to build these related life skills. I don't believe she will ever have trouble supporting herself.

 

In contrast, my 2E ds did not land a job until he was 20 a few months ago. There are a lot of reasons for this, but its very clear that this delay in worknlife will hold him back (along with a few other things). He had some busy summers so he de didn't start really looking until he was 18. It was hard and it seemed the older he got the more difficult it was for anyone to consider him for a job. Anyway there are a lot of things going on for him.

 

I started babysitting at 11 and got my first real job at 16. Through college and grad school and adult life I have worked at least part time all but 3 years after my youngest was born. I am not working in well paying fields I started in for various reasons, but I am helping my family.

 

I do not think I am above certain work. I think it's important to understand that. My sister's family went through a very difficult financial time years ago. My brother and I both suggested a few jobs for a stay afloat period. She kept saying "I have an MBA". My parents gave her money. I don't have a lot of respect for that.

[J-rap]

I worked at Baskin Robbins Ice Cream as soon as I could, which was 16 at the time.  That was in the 70's.  Everyone I knew in high school also had some kind of a part-time job.  I can't recall a single person who didn't.

 

My kids all worked in high school too.  They were baristas at our local coffee shop.  My two oldest could hardly wait to work, and they were hired when they were 14.  (I think they had to start out as busboys.)  The others started at 15 or 16.  They always really enjoyed working and having their own spending money.  Plus, it was a fun job.  They almost always had off when they needed to.  The owner was great that way.  Sometimes, if my kids were involved in a sport, they would take off the whole season, but then would always have their job back once the season was over. 

 

I'm glad they worked.  I do think it helped them learn responsibility, and also to take responsibility for some of their own spending.  They learned how to deal with people.  My shyer ones learned how to talk to people.  All around it was always a good experience for them.

[Prairie~Phlox]

I do not think I am above certain work. I think it's important to understand that. My sister's family went through a very difficult financial time years ago. My brother and I both suggested a few jobs for a stay afloat period. She kept saying "I have an MBA". My parents gave her money. I don't have a lot of respect for that.

 

I feel the same, I have worked part time off and on through the years of raising children and have worked along side my dh in his painting business for the last 20 years.  I recently started a part time job with TNG merchandising and will work there until I am ready to go full-time. (3-4 years)  I have a BS, and know I'm worth more, but for the time in my life, this works.  It's above minimum wage and I can make my own hours on the days I am scheduled and it's only 10-15/week, just what I wanted. 

[73349]

I was required to babysit siblings (unpaid). I started doing minimum-wage jobs when I left for college at 17. Given what was available in my town, I don't think I missed anything.

[Joanne]

Oldest ds worked retail as a teen. DD worked providing afterschool care for kids and last summer as a nanny. Youngest DS works at a restaurant.

 

I worked from 13 on, in a restaurant and also a pharmacy. I worked before that as a baby sitter.

 

I've struggled to be open to a different perspective regarding teens working. The sentiment seems to have changed significantly in the decades between my own teen years and the teen years of my kids. I also am aware that it is much, much more difficult for teens today to GET a job.

 

At this moment, I believe that teens working for pay is beneficial and desirable.

[Carrie12345]

My 17yo is a cashier in a grocery store.

 

When I was a teenager, I babysat regularly, was a cook at Pizza Hut at 15/16, and worked at a nursery/craft store for several years.  Between 18 and 20, I worked in a deli, a dollar store, a restaurant, and 2 photo labs.  There was a lot of overlap and I moved around a few times, I wasn't just fickle, lol.

[The Girls' Mom]

Mine do.  

 

My oldest was a part time nanny one summer.  Then the next summer she worked in an after school program that taught circus skills to underprivileged kids, and she began her current job at the library.  She still works part time at the library and has been promoted from page to a desk position.   She's now a freshman in college.  She has also volunteered in some fashion or another since 6th grade.

 

My younger two have mostly done baby-sitting jobs and a lot of volunteering as well.  As soon as they get their license in May, they plan on getting jobs.  I hope they have an easier time finding something than my oldest did (although she was VERY picky!)  They are chomping at the bit to earn some extra money and have a little more freedom to do things that having that money will allow.  (An expensive robotics club, mission trips, etc.)

My husband and I both worked as teens and feel it was very beneficial to us.  (Although I was married at 16, and we were dirt poor, so I really HAD to work..lol)

[fairfarmhand]

My dd works as an assistant to my friend who is a real estate agent. She does filing, phone calls, marketing... She's been doing this since she was 15. It's a great skill set she's picked up and she's thinking of maybe going into real estate at some point. It'll actually look good on a resume.

 

She also works around the farm, haying, feeding animals, etc. She'd rather work at the real estate office. :)

[SKL]

Yes, I did babysitting (age 10-20), had paper routes (age 13-15), and did odd jobs (starting before age 10).  At 16 (last year of high school) my mom hired me at her place of work to do some clerical stuff after school.  At 18 I worked at food trailers for a carney.  At 19 I did brief stints at a grocery store and a nursing home, then took a factory job which I had until I went to law school at 21.  Also at 19 I opened a used-book store.  I also did a lot of volunteer work beginning at age 16.  I probably would have done more, but I also had two much younger siblings, so I took care of them while my mom worked.

[Sarah CB]

I'd rather not have my teens work.  

 

Dd (now 19) was very competitive with Taekwon-do as a teen.  Between all the training she did and her school work she didn't have any time for working.  It has not had an impact on her work ethic.  The summer before she started university she worked for College Pro Painters painting house exteriors.  It was long, hot, hard work.  She did that the next summer as well.  While in university the first year, she also worked at Tim Horton's.  Over last summer, she worked long hours as a waitress and saved enough money for her rent and utilities for the year.  She is now working as a home care worker in homes where children are placed by social services.  She does twelve hour shifts and the work is very draining - this is on top of her university courses in social work.  Besides having some extra money, I don't see how paid work any earlier would have helped her.  She used her time wisely and she achieved some pretty important goals for herself as a teen. I'm glad she didn't have to make compromises to her school or Taekwon-do because of a work schedule.

 

Ds (15) is very committed to violin.  He spends about 25 hours per week on music - between lessons, rehearsals, and practice.  Lately, he's taken up composing as well and spends a number of hours (it varies) working on that.  He also has two volunteer positions - he volunteers in a program that teaches violin and cello to disadvantaged kids and he also volunteers as a class assistant in our Suzuki program.  He's all set up to start volunteering at the hospital as well, we're just trying to find the right role.  His schedule is very full and it's very tricky to find room for other things in it while still giving him enough downtime.  I'm not sure that paid work would offer more benefits than what he's already doing.  There's no way a job would fit into his schedule without giving up other pursuits.  

 

I always thought I'd encourage my kids to work and save for university, however, now I think that as long as they're pursuing something passionately and are contributing to the community through some form of volunteer work I will actually discourage paid employment.

[SKL]

The opportunities for youngsters nowadays aren't what they used to be.  But I think they do exist for those who are seriously looking.  I know a girl who at 14 was working at a stable to pay for riding lessons.  There are jobs related to sports, e.g., lifeguard, assistant coach/teacher.  A lot of youths get a job working with their parents.

[SparklyUnicorn]

They aren't quite there yet, but I hope they don't have to work as much as I did. 

 

 

[marbel]

My daughter started working in August, at a cafe.  Prior to that she babysat, but she was getting tired of that.  She loves her job.  I love that she can walk to work!  She doesn't work too many hours.

 

My son has not worked much, but he is applying for seasonal work today.  He had a short-term job last summer, helping a friend do some remodeling work on his house.  He was paid minimum wage, though, and he learned a good bit about construction.  He's also had some casual mowing jobs for various friends.

 

I didn't work in high school but I'm happy for my kids to have some opportunities.

 

 

 

 

[SKL]

I do think there are benefits to having paid jobs before college.  There are things we learn as employees and members of work teams that are different from volunteering or sports or pursuing individual goals.  These realities inform our school work and social interactions as well as prepare us for future work.  Of course it is just one of many good things kids can choose to do, and nobody can do it all.  I probably would not discourage it if my kid wanted to do it, though.

[LisaKinVA]

My oldest gives private swim lessons.

 

My oldest daughter bakes.

[Lawana]

I started babysitting for pay at 11, and had my first on-the-books job at 14. Worked mostly in restaurants, first busing, then waiting tables. Saved enough money to pay for my first year at college, including tuition and living expenses. Hey, it was cheap then!

 

My step-children worked as teens starting as soon as they could drive, mostly in food service. Both of them struggled a lot with learning and establishing good financial habits, tending to be overspenders, and running up lots of overdraft fees. Now in their 30's, they are solvent, but live paycheck to paycheck.

 

Dd 19 has been a seasonal nanny for the past 3 years, and has recently added another part time gig that is a combination of transporting teens from school to after school activities, and office assistant for her employer, an attorney. She also has had a few piano students.

 

Ds 16 worked part time this past summer at a fast food place, and will resume after football season ends.

 

Around here, teens need to drive to jobs, or have parents that are available and willing to drive them. I would say about half of ds's friends have jobs.

[SKL]

As for my own kids, they are 8/9.  They occasionally get paid to do odd jobs, either at home or in our business.  I'm pretty sure they will work as teens.  There are part-time opportunities for committed young people in the activities they participate in.  And they hang around our business enough that they are sure to be able to make a basic contribution by their mid-teens, if not sooner.  Readiness for work is one thing I consider in making decisions for them even as pre-teens.  Maybe it's cultural, as I come from a blue-collar family where there's a lot of value placed on workin' for a living.

[Scarlett]

I worked a lot as a teen. Babysitting, cleaning houses, a friend's restaurant when I was 14 ( just a few months) mowing lawns with my best friend when she was 16 and I was still 15.....then when I was 16 I got a job at a Dairy Queen type place and worked there my entire junior year. My senior year I had school half days and worked half day at the court house and then two evenings a week at the nursing home. I was exhausted. Lol......it did keep me out of most trouble.

 

My son hasn't worked much. Some for a friend who has a construction business...he was 14 but the work wasn't dangerous. Lots of moving dirt in a wheelbarrow.

 

For the past year and a half he cleans an office once a week. He only makes $20 and I have to take him and stay there bcause it is a government building, but it does give him spending money. We live 10 miles from town and there is a dollar store about half way to town that ds hopes will hire him when he is 16 in a few months. He has to work to pay for his car insurance $150 a month, and he needs some spending money. I plan to have him keep his hours at around 15.

 

I feel some dread about it, but I do think it will be good for him. Part of being a SAHM and homeschooling is that he naturally hasn't been exposed to a lot of different kinds of people. But the foundation I have given him has either taken in 16 years or it hasn't so I know it is time to let him go on his way and begin to make his own choices in a few areas. It was his idea to get a job there and I was proud of him for thinking of it.

[wendy not in HI]

My oldest dd had a job at the cutest ice cream shop from the age of 16 until we moved after her freshman year of college.  It was a great kid job.  Evening hours, just a couple days a week, they would work around concerts and other things.  The shop closed on Halloween and reopened the first of March - which was great - no conflict with holiday plans.  It did make it more difficult to plan summer vacations.  

 

If we hadn't moved, I'm sure our 2nd dd would be working there this year.  But we moved... So dd 17 just babysits.  She is a great babysitter and really popular with my mom friends.  She babysits at least once a week and has babysat for whole weekends.  She is able to earn enough money to pay for fun stuff, but not enough to save well for college.  She would love to work at a clothing store in the mall, but she is busy with sports, especially in the winter during indoor track (which is a bummer, because she could probably get a holiday retail job)  On the other hand, I cannot imagine her having time for a job this fall.  She is so busy.  Conditioning for track.  homework.  college applications. etc.  She is a senior in public school, and I think one more thing would put her over the top.

 

Our 3rd dd is 14.  She is really artistic and has run small art camps for kids in the summer to earn money for camps that she wanted to go to.  She is really good at that, and I hope she is able to continue that and maybe figure out how to offer it during other school breaks.  Unfortunately, we move every few years and that is the kind of thing that works best by word of mouth.  It takes a little time to get that word of mouth thing going, you know?  She does some babysitting, now. 

 

I'm not convinced jobs are necessary in high school, so I won't push it, but if one of the kids really wants to work, then I will encourage that and help make it work for them.

 

[catz]

I did work some as a teen.  Even in the 80's it was difficult to balance during the school year with the most academic path I could take and graduating in the top 10 in my class and wanting to do extra curricular.  I still did seasonal work, and that worked really well for me.  I did a bunch of babysitting starting at about 11 too, but that was harder in high school.  I did work fast food my junior year and had to quit eventually.

 

I think it depends on the kid.  If I had a teen with lots of free time and not much focus, I would definitely encourage a part time job.  If I had a kid who was very focused and busy with academics, sports, extra curriculars, etc I would worry less about that kid needing a job.  I think next summer I might look at options for my 15 year old to work at our state or Renaissance fair.    Lots of hours in a short period and won't interfere with most of the school year.

 

Like my 15 year old right now is on a youth council at a theater.  They plan their own season of shows including fund raising, directing, costuming, choreography, casting, etc.  They volunteer in the community, etc.  He probably puts 8-10 hours into that a month.  That is an invaluable "work" experience he is not getting paid for.   I think learning time management, work ethic, and budgeting are good high school skills to be exposed to.  I wouldn't say there is only one way to learn these things.   My 11 year just this week started assissting at her dance studio with a preschool class.  Already, such a great opportunity to practice leadership and work ethic.

[Lizzie in Ma]

I started working at 13, hand-washing dishes at a little Finnish restaurant a few miles down the road.  Through high school I worked in a supermarket bakery.  Worked 3 jobs putting myself through college.

 

Oldest had always done odd jobs and before she got too ill, worked for a year at a local garden center.

 

Youngest has also always done odd jobs.  Last winter she worked doing snow removal and painting with dh.  She worked as a chambermaid this summer, her first real job and now, though she is in ps now, a local tech school she loves, she works weekends at The Spice Merchants opening and working through til closing by herself.  She is 15.  They trained her for 3 days and then gave her the keys to the store! 

[Bambam]

I worked as a teen. Got a job at a candy store in the mall at 16. I only had to attend half-time my senior year, so I had a co-op job with a government entity. I worked both jobs my entire senior year. 

 

My oldest (17) has done some commission jobs (all art) for various folks on her schedule. She also volunteers weekly at the local historical museum. Based on her dual credit classes, leadership commitments (president of two clubs, secretary in another), school for me, publishing an e-magazine, band, and more, I really don't see how she could hold a job too. I do see the benefits of a job, but it just doesn't work for her. She is getting some of the benefits from the volunteer position - but the big plus is she can set her own schedule with that!

 

I'm not sure what my youngest (14) will do. She wants a job and isn't as involved in other activities so it may work out for her. 

[AmandaVT]

I was somewhere around 11/12 when I first started babysitting. I babysat through  high school and did some nannying for a couple years in college- I never had a shortage of jobs thankfully! The summer after my sophomore year, I got my first restaurant job bussing tables. Went back the summer after my junior year to be a waitress and the summer after my senior year to hostess. I also worked in a grocery store the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of college. I got a part time job at an ISP during my sophomore year of college that turned into a full time job that summer and through the rest of college. I worked 8am-5pm and went to school nights and saturdays. Thankfully my college had lots of time slots for classes. That job was great - it allowed me to get a big raise when I graduated college and move into a higher paying job within a year of graduation. 

[rieshy]

I worked odd jobs as soon as I could count.  Then babysat, cleaned, bubba-sat.  At 13 I got a job in a flower shop and through h.s. I worked at a shop and babysat.  I also had a bread baking and delivery business of my own from 11 through the end of h.s. where I baked loaves of bread at home and delivered to cutomers on a subscripton basis.

 

My kids have all worked odd jobs since they were old enough to toddle around with the family.  Dog walking, weeding, haying for an elderly hobby farmer, etc. Helping someone shear sheep... I don't do allowance so I actively look for opportunies to help them line their wallets with their "share".  All age appropriate.  We also do a lot of family work for free for any elderly people who need something.  I think work is important!

 

For two years I drove my 12-13 yo to a church 20 minutes away so she could babysit for a biblestudy.  She made $12 each week- not worth my drive- but the experience for her was totally worth it.  It helped her land a nannying job at 15 that lasted 4 years and paid for her to go to school in Europe.

 

Oldest son started working production gigs with his father at 14 and then on his own for other production companies from 16 into college.

Oldest dd got a job as a receptionist at a hair salon and kept it till college.  She also started teaching piano at 16 and still does that part time while in college.

Next up was my babysitter- nanny child.  She also worked part time at a karate studio and is now there full time.

4th child has dog-walked for years and now is a nanny 20-30 hours a week.  She is able to keep "A's" and her work and is saving for a trip to language school in Europe.

5th child is an assistant at a karate studio.  He also dog sits.

 

All my kids snag any house sitting job they can.

 

Working out in the community and getting to know a lot of people has been key for my teens landing their first "real" jobs. 

[Carrie12345]

 

 

I think it depends on the kid.  If I had a teen with lots of free time and not much focus, I would definitely encourage a part time job.  If I had a kid who was very focused and busy with academics, sports, extra curriculars, etc I would worry less about that kid needing a job.

 

 

 

Definitely. Though it may be a little opposite in our house.

I could see my now-13yo balancing school, activities, and work with a little help in another year or three.  My now-12yo will need to become a lot more responsible in the next few years in order to be able to do the same.

[Pink and Green Mom]

I babysat for $1/hour until I was 16 and could get a job at a clothes store.  All of my friends had jobs as well, mostly in retail stores.  I was a cheerleader (daily practice during football season, 3x week otherwise) and had decent grades.  Even our star athletes that went on to play elite college football had jobs.

 

I know maybe two dozen high school kids today.  Not one of them has a job.  The overwhelming majority of them have parents (my friends) who think they are going on to play college sports (so they are busy with games. strength and conditioning coaches, batting coaches, pitching coaches, throwing coaches, putting coaches, etc).  Everywhere I go I see high school kids working (Publix, movies, fast food, some stores) so it isn't that there is a lack of jobs.  This is in Florida.  I used to live in Northern VA.  None of my friends high school children worked either, but it wasn't for sports.  It was so they could concentrate on academics.

[lailasmum]

I had a few jobs. I worked in a greengrocers and I worked in a bakery. I did a few summer jobs later on before uni and worked several jobs whilst doing my degree. I babysat once because my sister was busy, but I'm bad at it mostly because I don't like kids and I have no idea what to do or say to kids that I'm not related to. 

 

I didn't particularly like any of the jobs I had as a younger teen. The bakery was especially hard as I really dislike the smell of bread. The manager in the greengrocers was just strange and If I were my parent I would have been inclined to advise me to leave there are it was an uncomfortable environment a lot of the time.  I don't feel like I gained a lot of skills in the early jobs outside of don't be weird with people and that dropping bread on the floor and putting it back on the shelf was acceptable practice if no one sees you!

 

My best teen job was working for a tourist information office. I was treated as an adult. I fixed computer problems the others couldn't figure out and was challenged but with good support. So I felt useful and mentally engaged. 

 

 I wish I'd worked less whilst just prior to university and at uni. It definitely got in the way of actually getting work done too much.

[obsidian]

I started pet sitting at 11yo, then at 13yo began working at the barn to pay for shows & riding lessons. At 17yo, I got my first 'official' job working at a math tutoring center. Around that time, I also picked up a job cleaning stalls 4x a week to pay for leasing a horse. I volunteered and had a fairly intense extracurricular schedule as well. 

[Spryte]

I worked.  First, I taught horseback riding.  Then I started doing artist's assistant type work.  I also worked at Express (yes, the retail shop) and a party store planning parties - that was lots of fun.  Those were the middle school - high school jobs.  I'm glad I worked as a teen, though at times I'd have preferred not to do so.  :)

 

DSS did not work, and even for his first year after college grad only worked an internship (which required funding to keep him afloat, as it didn't pay enough).  He's in his first job now, and happy. 

 

Both DS and DD will work, depending on what they can find.  If they can't find a suitable job, we'll work out something else with family and friends.  I think it's important for them to experience.

[MercyA]

I worked as a shelver at the public library for four years. Best high school job EVER!!!

[AngelaNYC]

Dd (almost 22), from ages 15 to 21 worked part-time at various places:  a pizzeria, Bed, Bath & Beyond (registry consultant), laundromat, and as a server in an ale house.  

 

Dd (19) has taught dance from age 14 (for free studio tuition) and now making money teaching every Saturday in a local competition studio and is an assistant to a big choreographer.  From age 16 she has been in several music videos and other video projects.  She's currently in her 2nd year at a dance conservatory in Manhattan.

 

Ds (14) is not working yet, but he's dying to.  So if something comes up he's in.  :)

[DesertBlossom]

I don't have teens. But I worked. At 14 I started in an ice cream store. At 16 I workes in a computer store and then a sub sandwich place. I also worked all through college.

 

DH worked doing grunt labor construction jobs, eventually working up to finish carpentry. I think that's why he's so handy to have around and why he's not afraid to tackle new projects. He's got a wonderful work ethic.

[freesia]

I babysat a lot as a teen- up to 5 nights a week and a regular Thursday afternoon. I also pet sat and I worked summers with my city's program that paid for teens to work. I was an assistant in classes for autistic children.

 

My teens don't have quite the same opportunities b/c we do not live near any public transportation and there is no summer youth employment program here. However, my 15 year old did do lawn work for a neighbor this summer and my nearly 13 year old has done some babysitting.

 

I think working is very important to teens as it gives them another area to develop responsibility that is different from schoolwork and sports.

[Butter]

I baby-sat a lot starting at 11.  At 14 I had a steady 9 hours each Saturday baby-sitting job that I continued for two years (paid $18 a week - I thought that was SO much lol).  I was a nanny two full summers at $100 a week Monday through Friday.  At 16 I got a job as one of those annoying people who does market research surveys in the mall.  I also worked baby-sitting at a Kids Club at a gym.  When I was 17 I got a job as a receptionist at a psychotherapy office.  After a few months they put me in charge of patient and insurance billing as well.  I worked there until I was 20 and got married and moved away.

 

My daughter (15) works at our taekwondo studio as a junior instructor.  She does around 10 hours a week, more if there's a special function on the weekend.  My oldest son (14) has a regular mid-morning dog-sitting job 2-3 days a week.  When he can't do it, his 9 year old brother fills in.

[littlebug42]

I was not allowed to work as a teen.  My mother felt that I had plenty of time to work as an adult and I should be a kid as long as possible. With the exception of short periods of time in between jobs and maternity leaves, I have worked my whole adult life.  I was never impaired by not working as a teen. 

 

I will not force my daughters to work as teens.  My 12 year old recently got an offer to work at the art studio where she takes classes in exchange for extra lessons.  She wants to study art in college so that is right up her alley.  I do encourage volunteer work and need to find something else for my 14 year old to do.  She used to be a junior volunteer at a local historical park but is looking for new opportunities now. I think the value is in making a commitment and following it through, not so much getting paid to do it.  I encounter a lot of young adults that are seriously lacking in this skill.  I think it is a big problem.  

[Tap]

I don't want my young teens working until they can get themselves around to do it. We live in a small neighborhood with lots of teens.  There aren't lawns to mow, or dogs to walk.  It is hard for teens to find work in our area.  I was talking to a 16yo boy yesterday, who said he had put in 30 applications and hadn't received one call.  I work full time and have a special needs daughter.  Getting my kids to sports practice and school is enough extra on my plate.

 

Both of my older kids are athletes and having a job around a sports schedule is almost impossible. 

 

Ds got a job as a tutor the week he turned 16yo.  It was a connection he had made through homeschooling.  He still works at the same company at 21yo.  It is under 10 hours a week, but was enough to give him some spending money in his youth.  He now has 3 part time jobs and is in school full time.  There was a point in time that he had to choose sports or work (schedule conflict) and he chose to keep his job since he wasn't planning to go to college as a swimmer.

 

DD17 just got a paid job as a pet sitter.  It was through a connection I had at work, and she couldn't have done it, if she didn't drive.  It will just be an hour or two a week (letting out the dogs while the person is at work), but she will make $30 week for doing it.  She is a cheerleader and has sports practice/games from May through February.  She can't really work during the week, and companies don't just wan't weekend employees. 

 

 

 

I agree that having a job can teach someone lots of great skills, but I think being an athlete teaches the same skills (except money management and that can be learned in other ways).  They learn time management, commitment, priorities, working toward a goal, being on time and considering how your actions affect the rest of the team...etc.  

 

ETA: I did not work growing up aside from occasionally babysitting.  My friends didn't work either. We all started getting jobs after high school. DH has had a job since he was a young teen and supported himself since he was 16yo. 

[Bluegoat]

My sister and I worked picking strawberries when she was 10 and I was 12.  She worked at that job most years after that till she was 17.

 

I worked at a medical clinic in high school.  I files one evening a week, and on Saturdays I would restock exam rooms.  My sister took the same job after me and took it a lot further, and eventually it got her to her current job as a health care exec.

[lexi]

I babysat starting when I was about 12. As I was older I worked as a nanny during the summers. I made pretty good money doing this.

At 16 or 17 I worked part time in a doctor's office filing paperwork and scheduling appointments. I was homeschooled so I could work for a few hours during the day several days per week.

[kroe1]

DD15 has been working off and on since age 10. She has assisted in teaching dance and theater, choreographed, and is now broadcasting video games.

 

DS35 worked in various retail stores owned by one man during his teens. The man taught DS how to do ordering, billing, payroll, and other aspects of running multiple companies. It was a fabulous start to adulthood.

 

Nonetheless, it is not always a good thing for teens to have money. Teens with money are more likely to start smoking, for example. Therefore, we want our kiddos to work, but we keep their money in a bank to be used later. We still show them how to do their own taxes, etc. And our kiddos have always known how to handle family bill paying. We are trying to get the benefits of teen jobs without the negatives.

[FaithManor]

Mine do volunteer work instead of work a regular job. But, they do some mowing for pay as well as farm sitting. It is irregular work for spending money. They love farm sitting!

 

I babysat for a family regularly as well as taught worked as an aide for summer classes at the local elementary school which at the time could not get part-time adults for the summer and was happy with highly recommended older teens.

 

DH worked at a delicatessen but eventually realized that his grades were going to tank if he kept working because they demanded more hours than he could give and still do well in school.

[MrsRobinson]

Starting at 14, I babysat during the summers and after school during the school year. The woman I babysat for hired me at the Dr's office she managed as a file clerk. I drove there after school and closed the office. It was about 10-13 hrs per week, which was perfect for my academic work load. I had evenings and weekends and holidays to study.

 

After high school, I moved to the check in window 3 days per week while attending vocational school in the field. That was about 24 hrs per week. I also nannied for a woman in the office that had multiple birth and needed a 2nd set of hands to help take care if all those babies. I squeezed 5 eight hour shifts in my weekly schedule wherever i could. Sometimes I'd let myself in at 5am or some other crazy time. She didn't care. A baby was always minutes from needing something no matter the hour.

 

Lastly, I house sat for a couple people in the office and word spread. It got to the point where I pretty much house sat for whomever was on vacation in any given week. I was never home. I didn't care though, I was grossing $650 per week most weeks at 19 years old! And that was 15 years ago!

 

I'll let my teens work as long as academics don't suffer. I will be a little more involved in what they are doing with their money than my parents were with me. Oh, lawdy, if they knew...

[Hoot]

*

[Anne in CA]

As a teen myself I worked on the family farm. My father was not a good teacher and I didn't learn anything much of real value. I did easy stuff like pull rye out of my grandfather's wheat so he could sell it for seed, or feed horses and cattle, clean stalls, feed chickens, weed the garden, that sort of thing. But my dad didn't like me or my sister to handle equipment and so neither of us ever cut hay or drove a truck for him. My sister worked for a local haying company in high school she and can operate all kinds of equipment and she married a farmer, but she doesn't farm, she is a nurse.

 

My teen dd works in the restaurant and deals with all sorts of people and it is very good for her. She can wait tables, work in the bakery, wash dishes, and set up food. She is not supposed to handle raw meat or use the grill at her age per CA law, but sometimes she does anyway because she doesn't want to tell me that a customer came and she wants to be by herself so she doesn't call me, she just makes their burger herself.

 

My son worked at a boy scout camp during his teen years, but I don't know that I could ever recommend that to anyone given his two experiences. I hope his experiences were just two very bad isolated incidents, and they both happened in the same council which is known for bad leadership.

[Lolly]

As teens, my kids swam competitively year round. That does not leave time for a job. It does instill an excellent work ethic. Even summers there wasn't time for a job. They had two practices a day, morning and afternoon. An hour drive both directions to the pool between didn't leave time for anything but eating lunch, taking a nap (which was very much needed) and getting a snack. After their senior year of high school, the twins got real jobs as mermaids at a Ripley's Aquarium. They have worked there every summer since. Ds has been a lifeguard summers; he stopped swimming earlier than the girls.

 

I worked from the time I was 12 teaching/coaching gymnastics. From 12 to 15, I taught the younger kids and was paid in lessons. From 15 on I was on the official coaching staff. At 17, I was basically running the entire gym. There was an official adult coach, but she never was there before classes or team practice started and often didn't show at all.

[Guest]

I worked at Baskin Robbins Ice Cream as soon as I could, which was 16 at the time.  That was in the 70's.  Everyone I knew in high school also had some kind of a part-time job.  I can't recall a single person who didn't.

 

...snip...

 

 

With the awful pink tunic uniform?  LOL.  Me too.  

 

And same with the rest.  No one didn't work, at least in the summer, and most, year=round.  AND we all got our driver's licenses the minute we could.  THAT is different today.

[Joker]

With the awful pink tunic uniform?  LOL.  Me too.  

 

And same with the rest.  No one didn't work, at least in the summer, and most, year=round.  AND we all got our driver's licenses the minute we could.  THAT is different today.

 

States are making this harder now, though. We just recently moved and the laws are much different here. Dd has to take a drivers ed course certified by the state to the tune of $355. That's if she wants her license by the time she's 16.5. They have to have the course, hold a permit for 180 days and be at least 16 years and three months. They will not accept her driver's ed done in our old state. So, the soonest she can get hers is 16.5 but if we don't do their approved driver's ed, she has to wait until she's 16 years and 9 months old. We thought she could driving herself by February but now we're looking at October. It's frustrating and makes it very hard shuffling around more than one dc.

[Word Nerd]

I grew up on a farm and rode the bus most of the time, so it wasn't practical to get a job in town and I already had work to do at home. I babysat for several families nearby and did some pet-sitting as well.

[Guest]

States are making this harder now, though. We just recently moved and the laws are much different here. Dd has to take a drivers ed course certified by the state to the tune of $355. That's if she wants her license by the time she's 16.5. They have to have the course, hold a permit for 180 days and be at least 16 years and three months. They will not accept her driver's ed done in our old state. So, the soonest she can get hers is 16.5 but if we don't do their approved driver's ed, she has to wait until she's 16 years and 9 months old. We thought she could driving herself by February but now we're looking at October. It's frustrating and makes it very hard shuffling around more than one dc.

 

Oh, I know the laws have changed.  But so have kids' attitudes.  Many of the parents I know (myself included) had to force their kids to get their licenses at 17 or 18.  It's odd.  And it was *exceedingly* frustrating to me, because I could see the social doors closing on my kid as he delayed getting his license.  :0/  

 

The thing that I thought was most hilarious is that so many of the kids I knew had NO CLUE how to get from point A to point B once they were driving themselves.  They had had their noses in their smartphones while Mom drove for all those years.  One gal (very smart blah blah blah) had gone to the same school every day since Kindergarten but got lost the first day she drove there alone.  I thought I'd never stop laughing.  Well, I will...because I hope she will be able to drive me around when I am old and decrepit and can't find MY way anymore.  LOL