SparklyUnicorn Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 He asked me today if he is old enough to donate plasma. LOL No sorry you are not.  He is 14. There just isn't anything I can come up with. I do give him money, but he'd like to earn some. Only ideas that came to mind just aren't really options. No farm work around here, no lawn mowing (nobody has yards), babysitting probably not because people often don't want boys to babysit, and no paper routes.  So the usual things are out, and I can't think of anything else.  Starting a business is very iffy because rules and regulations here are pretty hard to navigate for the very small business person let alone a kid.  I'm fine with him not working. This is not me thinking he should. He just would like to earn a few bucks and I can understand that.   1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 (edited) does he have a skill so he can tutor or give lessons? Do computer maintenance? Or do chores and errands for elderly/moms with many littles? Â can you ask around in your circle of acquaintances if anybody has work? Time consuming simple tasks like scanning thousands of slides... Â Oh: ironing is in demand! I taught DS to iron as a preteen and paid him to iron DH's shirts which I hate to do. I had colleagues inquire whether I'd hire him out :) Edited April 26, 2016 by regentrude 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 (edited) We were thinking of hiring my neighbor's 9th grade son to accompany my oldest in cello practice at babysitting rates. How about mother's helper, since a parent would still be around. Also pet shops hire people for part time morning work to restock shelves and bath customer's dogs, short hours but might suit his purpose. Â ETA: My hubby is the laundry expert. Dry cleaners do hire for short hours. Edited April 26, 2016 by Arcadia 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted April 26, 2016 Author Share Posted April 26, 2016 does he have a skill so he can tutor or give lessons? Or do chores and errands for elderly/moms with many littles? Â People are so to themselves around here that I wouldn't know of anyone to ask first of all. Â The schools offer plenty of free tutoring around here so unless he could get hired officially probably not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkacademy Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 This is free and pretty cool http://www.stillsmiling.net/blog--journal/free-activity-book-for-all-ages-how-to-make-money 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted April 26, 2016 Author Share Posted April 26, 2016 We were thinking of hiring my neighbor's 9th grade son to accompany my oldest in cello practice at babysitting rates. How about mother's helper, since a parent would still be around. Also pet shops hire people for part time morning work to restock shelves and bath customer's dogs, short hours but might suit his purpose. Â I doubt pet shops around here could hire 14 year olds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 Dog walking? We have elderly people around here that can no longer keep up with their beloved pets and pay responsible individuals now and again to walk them. Â Window washing? Help with spring cleaning? Maybe you can ask around and see if someone would like to hire him for something like that. Â One thing that some of the teens do here in the summer is pick blueberries at the U pick farm, then bundle them up in quarts, and turn around and sell them door to door. It is usually pretty popular. They undercut the grocery store price, not a lot, but a little, and having them fresh delivered makes the neighbors happy. I am sure if we had a U pick cherry farm or strawberry farm, that would be equally as popular as well. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted April 26, 2016 Author Share Posted April 26, 2016 This is free and pretty cool http://www.stillsmiling.net/blog--journal/free-activity-book-for-all-ages-how-to-make-money  Strikes me as a future career planning sort of guide rather than a how can I make a bit of money now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 People are so to themselves around here that I wouldn't know of anyone to ask first of all. Look for the job wanted/needed notice boards at the community college he is attending for his math class. The ones around here would have people advertise their services, as well as people looking to hire college students for part time work. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted April 26, 2016 Author Share Posted April 26, 2016 Dog walking? We have elderly people around here that can no longer keep up with their beloved pets and pay responsible individuals now and again to walk them.  Window washing? Help with spring cleaning? Maybe you can ask around and see if someone would like to hire him for something like that.  One thing that some of the teens do here in the summer is pick blueberries at the U pick farm, then bundle them up in quarts, and turn around and sell them door to door. It is usually pretty popular. They undercut the grocery store price, not a lot, but a little, and having them fresh delivered makes the neighbors happy. I am sure if we had a U pick cherry farm or strawberry farm, that would be equally as popular as well.  I really don't live near farms.  dogs...no I wouldn't even let him do that (what would happen if a dog ran off or bit him?)  he's very short so anything requiring height is probably not going to work out so well  See it's so limited around here. I delivered newspapers at that age and that worked out well. Sort of...I did get stopped by a guy naked in his car and quit after that. But before that it was great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted April 26, 2016 Author Share Posted April 26, 2016 Look for the job wanted/needed notice boards at the community college he is attending for his math class. The ones around here would have people advertise their services, as well as people looking to hire college students for part time work. Â yeah but he is 14, I doubt people would be expecting or asking for a 14 year old...that could be problematic for a variety of reasons...the biggest one being legally there aren't a lot of jobs he can do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 Pet sitting and/or dog walking, perhaps? I tried to get my son to start a dog wash when he was a bit younger than your ds, but he never would go for it.   2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamiof5 Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 We went to the Catholic homeschooling conference a few weeks ago. One of the speakers touched on this. I had never heard that reasoning, but sort of made sense. She mentioned a few things a teen must have: a good friend, good communication with parents, something else that I can't remember, and a job. I was surprised at the job thing. But, she explained that at around 14 (depends on the child of course) they get anxiety, as they realize more and more how much they depend on their parents and they are still not capable of taking care of themselves. Not sure if it's true or not, but she gave 2 different talks and both were great...so I thought I could share. Lol on the plasma donating! Very creative :) Anyway he could help you with some extra jobs around the house (not the usual every day chores) and get paid a little? That's all I have :P 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted April 26, 2016 Author Share Posted April 26, 2016 Dogs are out of the question. Really he's afraid of dogs. So....  He loves cats.  And he is very short and not strong. So anything requiring strength or height...forget it.  He has made a bit of money helping set up computers. But I only have allowed this with people I trusted. People are so sue happy I'd hate to have problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto3innc Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 Could be make something cool and sell on etsy or the like? My daughter has thought of doing this for doll clothes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted April 26, 2016 Author Share Posted April 26, 2016 We went to the Catholic homeschooling conference a few weeks ago. One of the speakers touched on this. I had never heard that reasoning, but sort of made sense. She mentioned a few things a teen must have: a good friend, good communication with parents, something else that I can't remember, and a job. I was surprised at the job thing. But, she explained that at around 14 (depends on the child of course) they get anxiety, as they realize more and more how much they depend on their parents and they are still not capable of taking care of themselves. Not sure if it's true or not, but she gave 2 different talks and both were great...so I thought I could share. Lol on the plasma donating! Very creative :) Anyway he could help you with some extra jobs around the house (not the usual every day chores) and get paid a little? That's all I have :p  I do give him money and jobs. Because I know it sucks to have no money and to feel that way.  This won't be an issue much longer. Once he's 16 (about a year and a half away) he can work in a store or other similar business and we have tons and tons of options for that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted April 26, 2016 Author Share Posted April 26, 2016 Could be make something cool and sell on etsy or the like? My daughter has thought of doing this for doll clothes.  This is something that he would probably like.  I don't have any specific ideas, but yes he'd probably like to make stuff and I'd be willing to help get him started. Maybe he can come up with something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 He may be able to find a job at 14, the problem is labor laws prevent the number of hours per week and how late he could work. I worked in a grocery store and they still hire high schoolers to help bag groceries. Not many places are willing to deal with kids only available 3 hours a day though. Â I worked in a bakery more recently and the dishwasher was a 15 year old. He only worked Saturdays. Â For my own kids, our neighborhood requires a certain mailbox and they are solid black. Many of them need painting right now so I'm thinking of having my son ask neighbors if he can paint them. I plan to have him do ours first for practice. Â A 14 or 15 year old cleaned my husband's previous office building once a week. He was the son of an employee which is how he got the job, but really his company just cared that the trash was taken out and the floors vacuumed on occasion. Â A family we knew bought a couple vending machines their kids maintained. Â I made a ton of money babysitting. I know not everyone would hire a boy to babysit but maybe they just haven't thought of it. Â One more idea, my friend is the director of a summer camp. He has high school freshmen and sophomores that work for him, I'm not sure if they are paid or volunteer labor though. It would be worth checking into if there are camps around. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewber Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 Etsy is what my almost 14 year old said he'd do at this point. You might be able to find cheaper craft shows in your area too. When DS was younger he had a pretty good duct tape wallet business going on. Around here we pay kids this age for picking weeds, mulching, helping clean out garages, but you'd have to know people to ask. These are usually word of mouth jobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 This is something that he would probably like. Â I don't have any specific ideas, but yes he'd probably like to make stuff and I'd be willing to help get him started. Maybe he can come up with something. What about painting barn quilts? They are really popular around my area and sell for $150+. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsBasil Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 I have looked to hire a male teen to play with things like soccer, catch, running games, and the like with kids. They need a lot of activity. I am doing part time care giving for my father, I would love to pay someone to do that for me.  My son cleans up dog poop a few times a week for a few families and gets paid to do that. Start up was low and I've had several people ask about him. :)  Another girl I know makes easy to do craft kits aimed at preschool age kids. Her hook is that these are easy to put together little things that can be done while a parent is making dinner or helping an older kid with homework.  On our local FB pages, I see kids or parents of those kids advertising baby sitting or lawn services. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 Power washing. Â He can say he won't do roofs and so on. Â Â It's generally something people need every once in awhile, not every week, but it's very slow work (!!!) and he could charge a reasonable amount of money per hour. Â We got an inexpensive power-washer for a couple hundred bucks. Â It is so slow and messy that I pay my son to do the actual work. Â We need our sidewalks and poolside done every year. Â Decks and patios also are a lot nicer after a power-washing. Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisIsTheDay Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 I always figured my kid would start a worm farm and end up selling worms. (He did not.)  Is there a sport your son enjoys and knows a little bit about?  When my son was 14, he began doing sideline reffing for our local homeschool league.  He started out making $12 per game. Now he's a USSF certified ref and gets paid $35 per game, sideline reffing just middle school games. He gets paid ~$24 for rec league games. When he's out of high school, he'll be able to ref high school games and his pay will increase significantly. I wish I had the focus to do this, it really is a sweet job.  Does your CC hold any summer camps for younger kids that your ds could get paid to work?  He doesn't like dogs, but perhaps you have a wider circle of friends and neighbors who would like, or could refer, catsitting jobs during the summer when folks go on vacation? We were desperate a few years ago and got recommendations from friends. It's not like our cats needed much attention, just someone to come by 2x a day and through some food in their bowls, check their water, and bring in our mail. It was a lot cheaper than paying boarding.  Is there any yard work that he can do for elderly neighbors? Mowing might be a bit much, but perhaps planting or weedeating? Laying down mulch?  I don't know much about this, but if he's a Minecraft kid, can he start up his own server, and have people pay to play on it? (I may have some of these words wrong--but I knew someone who was doing this, and it was passive income once everything was set up.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 Power washing.  He can say he won't do roofs and so on.   It's generally something people need every once in awhile, not every week, but it's very slow work (!!!) and he could charge a reasonable amount of money per hour.  We got an inexpensive power-washer for a couple hundred bucks.  It is so slow and messy that I pay my son to do the actual work.  We need our sidewalks and poolside done every year.  Decks and patios also are a lot nicer after a power-washing.   If he does this, I think he should charge by the job, not the hour. Service charges in our area are by the job. That way, no one is paying extra for an inexperienced or unusually slow service provider. We had our driveway and sidewalk power washed last spring. If I remember correctly - it was $70 for the driveway and $25 for the sidewalk. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momacacia Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 (edited) Cleaning houses. Or just offer to deep clean bathrooms and kitchens and floors (keep away from dusting where things can get broken) $20-40/he around here. Â Eta: if he does powerwashing be sure he's aware of the actual siding. Fil,almost got sued when BIL as a teen started this as a business and damaged a guy's siding. Edited April 26, 2016 by momacacia 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 There is a pizza shop here that has a number of homeschoolers as young as 14 for over the lunch hour week day shifts. I could personally not make that commitment for my kids, but if your kid doesn't have evening activities and schools flexibly something like that could be an option. One of my son's best friends gets about four 3 hour shifts a week and he started right after he turned 14. There are laws about how long his shifts can be and how many hours he can work.  Has he done a babysitting training class/CPR? I know male babysitters have been a hot commodity for families with boys ages about 4-10.  Also locally to us, county, state, and Renaissance fairs will give seasonal short term work to 14/15 year olds. We're looking into that for the kid here this summer/fall. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 If he does this, I think he should charge by the job, not the hour. Service charges in our area are by the job. That way, no one is paying extra for an inexperienced or unusually slow service provider. We had our driveway and sidewalk power washed last spring. If I remember correctly - it was $70 for the driveway and $25 for the sidewalk.  Good point.   I was surprised at how long it takes to power-wash...but a 14 yo kid's got nothing but time, so the per-hour rate isn't that important anyway.  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 I ditto the cat sitting. I know lots of people always looking for pet sitters.  Also, does he volunteer anywhere? It often happens that long time volunteers find out about paid positions at the organization.... Or if he volunteers for ex at the animal shelter in the cat socialization room, that would bolster his credentials for cat sitting. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyS Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 If you have some space, he can grow birdhouse gourds to dry out and sell later. If there is a local group of primitive drummers, he might inquire as to whether they would be interested in drum gourds.  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 I was also going to suggest umping or being a ref. My son is 12 and Little League allows them to ump at 12. He did play baseball for a few years when he was younger but it's not required. They had to do some minimal training and they get a handbook with the rules. Since they are umping for young kids it's not high pressure if they are somewhat learning as they go. Our LL pays pretty well, $30 behind the plate and $18 in the field. I know kids who ref for soccer and I think make slightly more.  Around here a lot of kids do camps in the summer to make money. The camps are always cheaper than official offerings so are very popular but usually kids like them. I know kids who have done soccer camps, ballet camps, science camps, cooking camps, book/literature camps, art camps etc. All sorts of ways too. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 Hmm. I would welcome an attentive, responsible, energetic teenage boy babysitter - particularly for Marco (DS3). Honestly, if he would enjoy babysitting, I would tell him to put it out there. I think he might have a better response than you think. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tita Gidge Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 My teens found the best money to be seasonal money. They lifeguard in the summer, ump baseball and ref soccer during fall and spring, and pet-sit over the winter holidays. Two of my boys also worked (first year for free, second year and beyond for pay) at camps held by their clubs or leagues. This paved the way for them to hold private individual and group lessons for their respective sports at double what their friends made bussing tables and sacking groceries - with much more flexibility, too. But not everyone is an athlete, right?  I live in the Bible Belt, and we haven't had any problems with people hiring my boys to babysit. The opposite seems, true, and they each got their start through solicitation - not through hustle of their own. People wanted a boy sitter that would engage their own boys, especially in the summer and over longer school breaks. What a "kid walker" -? Do you live in an urban area where people might like someone to walk their kids to/from school or activities?  Is there a golf course nearby? My pre-teens would collect golf balls, wash them, then re-sell them. No start-up other than a bottle of Dawn and an old toothbrush, and they made bank on the higher end brands that they prioritized. They also got a lot of unsolicited donations and business cards that have led to down line opportunities.  IME, many adults like to see a kid who hustles - who isn't afraid of hard work. Many adults, even ones who keep to themselves in the neighborly sense, want to reward or acknowledge a kid who's out there trying. So the suggestion for him to make something to sell is a great one - especially if he advertises and sells locally where people can see that he's a kid out there trying to earn money. All the better if he's shorter in stature and looks younger.  But in that vein, is that even short people can stock shelves. A hard worker is a hard worker and people value effort. So he partners with someone taller, and they take the shelves within their easiest reach. Don't write off certain jobs just because he's not the ideal candidate!  Is he sociable? My 14 year old buys bulk candy at Costco and sells it out of his backpack at practice and his siblings' games. He's really not supposed to but he reached a "gentleman's agreement" with the VP of Concessions that he won't sell anything they do. He negotiated that himself, btw. She liked his hustle.  This same son gathers a handful of friends during rainy season and holds donation-only car washes during March and April. People still want clean cars but with it raining half of the week, they're more willing to give him $5 than to pay quadruple that at the pro place down the road (even though the pro place offers free re-washes if it rains within 24 hours of your most recent wash). It's not a huge cash flow, but enough for them to hit up the water park and a few movies.  Last summer he borrowed his brother (who has a truck) and collected trash cans from the neighborhood. He brought them home and power-washed them all out. It was gross and I'm not sure he'd do it again (or that I'd let him, it stunk to high hell) but he cleared almost $800. It was 30-something trash cans at $25/each. He spent about 10 minutes per can, not including pick-up and drop-off. It was great money for the time invested.  Another son holds a garage sale every spring. He solicits friends, family and neighbors who have done spring cleaning and would otherwise donate their stuff to box thrift stores. Since he does this annually and we have the space, he actually takes 'donations' year-round but even if you don't have the space - a two week lead should be sufficient and not too inconveniencing to have 'stuff' around the home/garage. He's always brought in $600-1000 for 1-2 days of prep/pricing and 1-2 days of selling. It's not worth it to me, but I have more earning potential than he does. It's definitely worth it to him.  The minecraft server idea is a brilliant one, if that is up his alley. My now 16 year old had one from age 11-14, and it netted him a bit of income. But the whole process required more involvement from me than any of their other jobs have because he took paypal and used my paypal to pay for hosting expenses, etc.  This summer two of my sons plan to go door-to-door offering to spray paint addresses onto curbs for a donation. They've been practicing with spray paint and stencils. People here like the state flag, their alma maters, and our local sports teams so those are the stencils they'll offer. I doubt it'll be a huge money maker, but it's an easy job, flexible hours, and neighborhoods all around us.  Good luck to your son. Where there's a will, there's a way. If he doesn't have any skills that are in-demand, he should create demand for the skills he does have. Does he have any musical talent? artistic talent? baking talent? sewing? bike repairs? cleaning? planning? organizing? How does he spend his free time?  7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirstenhill Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 I really wouldn't dismiss the babysitter ideas. I love male babysitters for my boys. When DD can be at a friend's house or with us, I much prefer male sitters when I can find them. Â Also, household "odd jobs" - for example, at times where my DH was pretty unavailable, I hired a teen boy to do things like help me bring in the yard furniture/equipment at the end of the summer. Even if there aren't lawns to mow, there may be other seasonal odd jobs people would want help with. A teen boy we know in the neighborhood made a little flyer of suggested odd jobs he could do with an hourly rate, and distributed it to people in the neighborhood. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 (edited) A painting service, powerwashing service, handyman service, lifeguarding at the local pool/lake, gardening/lawn care maintenance that is not mowing, pet sitting/dog walking, messenger/errand service for the elderly. Don't discount babysitting; there are open-minded people around.l Edited April 27, 2016 by reefgazer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 ^ Tita Gidge, Props for one of the awesomest posts I've read in a while! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 If he has a shop vac maybe he could vacuum out cars for people. I hate that job and would pay to have a kid do that for me a couple times a month. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 A friend's son did cat sitting; it was a great business for him. Â BTW, when we hired a someone to look after our cats, she brought her laptop over and sat around with the cats doing other work for about an hour each day. Â She took selfies with the cats and emailed them to us every day. Â Another friend's son just set up an Etsy shop. Â Â Dh umpired Little League. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 This wouldn't be an ongoing thing, but have you heard of Lemonade day? It is a national day where cities agree to waive permits and fees to set up a 'stand' (doesn't have to be lemonade/just lemonade) and local businesses agree to host the kids! It is designed to teach business and entrepreunurial skills. This year it is being held on May 1st. The pink has all sorts of teaching materials, and has links to cities and businesses participating: Â https://lemonadeday.org 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momacacia Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 I like the car cleaning idea, too. I wouldn't call it detailing, but a deep clean, offer waxing, conditining leather, etc. Gee, I'd love a car cleaner. Can't wait til my kids are motivated by money!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 My boys will be 15 this summer and I'm making them get Volunteer jobs that will give them some experience on future job applications. Â So they won't get paid now but in a year when looking for a paying job they'll be more likely to get it. Â Plus if you find the right volunteer position it could turn into a paid position later. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 I like the car cleaning idea, too. I wouldn't call it detailing, but a deep clean, offer waxing, conditining leather, etc. Gee, I'd love a car cleaner. Can't wait til my kids are motivated by money!!  I know a family whose boys started helping their dad with cleaning/detailing, and then took on jobs of their own. They did really well with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fdrinca Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 My daughter is getting into succulent propagation. She sets up a little table on our street about once a month. She doesn't net that much, but it's whatever the modern equivalent of pin money is. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 I often think that I'd love to hire a boy as a mother's helper to play ride a bike / skateboard / hit a ball around with my son for an hour or so once a week. Dh doesn't usually have time except at the weekend and even then he has work and family commitments. I feel bad about it but I'd rather visit the dentist than throw a ball or ride a bike... I'd be happy to sit at the park and drink coffee / read a book so any traditional concerns about boys babysitting wouldn't apply (not that I'd worry about that anyway). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 My dd makes and decorates cupcakes. Â She sells them at a stand by the school rarely enough to not irritate people re: permits. Â From that, she has been hired by a couple of moms to make 2 dozen for birthday parties. Â Â When she is a bit older, I expect she will be ready to plan/prep/host children's birthday parties: Â plan games, favors, cake/cupcakes, decorate, aid the parent with the actual hosting of the party, and then help with cleanup. Â I hire a friend's homeschool daughter every time I have a party, and I pay her 25/hr. Â If she were actually doing the planning and prepping, I'd probably do a flat rate of some kind. Â 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 p.s. Â If he wants to get into party hosting, he should start learning some balloon animal tying skills and similar. Â :-D 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linders Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 Pet sitting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 I'd love to find a responsible 14 yo cat sitter.  Would I hire the most responsible 14 yo ever to walk or bathe the dog? Absolutely no freaking way. There's too much risk of liability involved, and too much chance of the much beloved dog escaping. I lurk on a professional groomers board, and I can't imagine any of them hiring a 14 yo bather. No way.  Sorry -- my pet (pun!) peeve is kids walking dogs that they don't have the skill/knowledge/maturity to handle. Note I didn't say strength or size -- I'm very small and have no issues walking dogs that outweigh me by a lot. It's all about dog handling skills and knowledge.  Good luck. It's difficult for older teenagers to find jobs, so I'm sure it's going to be challenging for a 14 year old. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah CB Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 My teens found the best money to be seasonal money. They lifeguard in the summer, ump baseball and ref soccer during fall and spring, and pet-sit over the winter holidays. Two of my boys also worked (first year for free, second year and beyond for pay) at camps held by their clubs or leagues. This paved the way for them to hold private individual and group lessons for their respective sports at double what their friends made bussing tables and sacking groceries - with much more flexibility, too. But not everyone is an athlete, right?  I live in the Bible Belt, and we haven't had any problems with people hiring my boys to babysit. The opposite seems, true, and they each got their start through solicitation - not through hustle of their own. People wanted a boy sitter that would engage their own boys, especially in the summer and over longer school breaks. What a "kid walker" -? Do you live in an urban area where people might like someone to walk their kids to/from school or activities?  Is there a golf course nearby? My pre-teens would collect golf balls, wash them, then re-sell them. No start-up other than a bottle of Dawn and an old toothbrush, and they made bank on the higher end brands that they prioritized. They also got a lot of unsolicited donations and business cards that have led to down line opportunities.  IME, many adults like to see a kid who hustles - who isn't afraid of hard work. Many adults, even ones who keep to themselves in the neighborly sense, want to reward or acknowledge a kid who's out there trying. So the suggestion for him to make something to sell is a great one - especially if he advertises and sells locally where people can see that he's a kid out there trying to earn money. All the better if he's shorter in stature and looks younger.  But in that vein, is that even short people can stock shelves. A hard worker is a hard worker and people value effort. So he partners with someone taller, and they take the shelves within their easiest reach. Don't write off certain jobs just because he's not the ideal candidate!  Is he sociable? My 14 year old buys bulk candy at Costco and sells it out of his backpack at practice and his siblings' games. He's really not supposed to but he reached a "gentleman's agreement" with the VP of Concessions that he won't sell anything they do. He negotiated that himself, btw. She liked his hustle.  This same son gathers a handful of friends during rainy season and holds donation-only car washes during March and April. People still want clean cars but with it raining half of the week, they're more willing to give him $5 than to pay quadruple that at the pro place down the road (even though the pro place offers free re-washes if it rains within 24 hours of your most recent wash). It's not a huge cash flow, but enough for them to hit up the water park and a few movies.  Last summer he borrowed his brother (who has a truck) and collected trash cans from the neighborhood. He brought them home and power-washed them all out. It was gross and I'm not sure he'd do it again (or that I'd let him, it stunk to high hell) but he cleared almost $800. It was 30-something trash cans at $25/each. He spent about 10 minutes per can, not including pick-up and drop-off. It was great money for the time invested.  Another son holds a garage sale every spring. He solicits friends, family and neighbors who have done spring cleaning and would otherwise donate their stuff to box thrift stores. Since he does this annually and we have the space, he actually takes 'donations' year-round but even if you don't have the space - a two week lead should be sufficient and not too inconveniencing to have 'stuff' around the home/garage. He's always brought in $600-1000 for 1-2 days of prep/pricing and 1-2 days of selling. It's not worth it to me, but I have more earning potential than he does. It's definitely worth it to him.  The minecraft server idea is a brilliant one, if that is up his alley. My now 16 year old had one from age 11-14, and it netted him a bit of income. But the whole process required more involvement from me than any of their other jobs have because he took paypal and used my paypal to pay for hosting expenses, etc.  This summer two of my sons plan to go door-to-door offering to spray paint addresses onto curbs for a donation. They've been practicing with spray paint and stencils. People here like the state flag, their alma maters, and our local sports teams so those are the stencils they'll offer. I doubt it'll be a huge money maker, but it's an easy job, flexible hours, and neighborhoods all around us.  Good luck to your son. Where there's a will, there's a way. If he doesn't have any skills that are in-demand, he should create demand for the skills he does have. Does he have any musical talent? artistic talent? baking talent? sewing? bike repairs? cleaning? planning? organizing? How does he spend his free time?  Wow! What industrious kids you have!  That's impressive. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 Dd has pocketmoney, dd has certain chores as member of our household She can earn extra money with doing / helping bigger cleaning chores Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted April 27, 2016 Author Share Posted April 27, 2016 I'd love to find a responsible 14 yo cat sitter.  Would I hire the most responsible 14 yo ever to walk or bathe the dog? Absolutely no freaking way. There's too much risk of liability involved, and too much chance of the much beloved dog escaping. I lurk on a professional groomers board, and I can't imagine any of them hiring a 14 yo bather. No way.  Sorry -- my pet (pun!) peeve is kids walking dogs that they don't have the skill/knowledge/maturity to handle. Note I didn't say strength or size -- I'm very small and have no issues walking dogs that outweigh me by a lot. It's all about dog handling skills and knowledge.  Good luck. It's difficult for older teenagers to find jobs, so I'm sure it's going to be challenging for a 14 year old.  Yeah that's how I see it with dogs. And he has no experience with dogs so I have no idea how well he'd handle a dog. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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