WritingThoughts

11 responses so far ↓

• 1 Michi // Jul 11, 2007 at

  I worked when I was 17, but I had already graduated high school by then. My daughter works with me some, but she doesn’t work outside the house. I’d let her work somewhere if she wanted to, though, because she’s a very grounded and intelligent individual…wise beyond her years. I think whether a teen should work really depends on the responsibility and maturity levels of the teen in question. Age and wisdom are not always synonymous.

• 2 Laura // Jul 11, 2007 at

  Hi Michi! You graduated from high school before you were 17? I’m impressed!!! What kind of job did you do?

  You bring up an interesting point about your daughter working with you. I had thought about the idea of kids helping work at home parents as a job, but forgot to include it in the post.

• 3 Dave // Jul 12, 2007 at

  I started working when I was 15. I think it helps teach kids responsibility. I think the kids that don’t work have more time to get into trouble.

• 4 Mihaela Lica // Jul 12, 2007 at

  Yes, I worked and yes I will allow my teens to work. You are right: working does teach responsibility. And my work completed my study… so it was a good thing. (I worked as a freelance reporter).

• 5 Laura // Jul 12, 2007 at

  Hi Dave and Mihaela!!!

  My teens actually don’t have a choice. They are expected to work when they reach a certain age.

  I brought the subject up because my husband was listening to the radio and heard of a new trend of teens who spend all their free time sleeping, watching TV, and spending money. One girl even got her parents credit card, was dropped off at the mall, and told to spend it on whatever she wanted.

  I thought that was very crippling for the kids and tried to think of reasons why a parent would do that.

• 6 Phil // Jul 12, 2007 at

  Hi Laura,

  I worked as a paperboy from the age of 13 and have always had a job since, except term time at university.

  I think it teaches an awful lot of good things to teens, giving them the chance to learn the value of money most importantly. The girl with the parents’ credit card will never know until she finds that she no longer has that endless bucket of money to dip into and by then it may be too late.

  Apart from that, I’m not sure how you could end up in a dangerous work environment, all the jobs I could have done seemed pretty safe! And kids can get into trouble without any money! 😛

  Finally, having worked for quite a long while in market research over the telephone (please don’t hate me, I needed money) I gained a lot of experience in using the phone professionally, speaking to people and getting them on your side and mostly customer service. All of those attributes helped me get my first real job, even though I had done it only part time.

  Working as a teenager can only help in my opinion. On the other hand, sleeping, watching TV and spending other people’s money does have its attractions.

• 7 Tammi // Jul 12, 2007 at

  Yes!

  I had my very first “job” when I was eight. We lived in an apartment above a hair salon. The owner paid me two dollars a night to sweep up the hair. I was hooked.

  Employment is a great idea for teens if it’s approached well:
  1. Choose an employer that sticks to your state’s child labor laws.
  2. Keep work schedules light; two or three short shifts each week. For example, I worked on Wednesdays and Fridays when I was in high school, totaling 9 hours each week.
  3. Make sure to help your teen create a schedule.

  I do think that this can go too far. For example, if the student has to get up at 3am to deliver papers but he doesn’t fall asleep until 11pm because he has to finish homework after football practice, then something has to give.

• 8 Laura // Jul 12, 2007 at

  Hi Phil!

  I definitely support kids working. I myself worked on a family-owned farm at the age of 13, then as a camp counselor at the age of 15, and finally in the fast found industry.

  Some of what I found involving the dangers of working included kids who got burns from working in kitchens and sexual harassment of kids.

  Personally, I think that if the kids is careful the first won’t happen. If the second were to happen I would hope that the kid has a good enough relationship with the parent to let them know what is going on. There are steps that can be taken to stop that …

• 9 Matt Keegan // Jul 12, 2007 at

  I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, an outside job can be beneficial as it teaches your child how to work with others, handle money, be disciplined, etc. On the other hand, I have seen it abused where stores have kept teens working too late and have allowed them to work more hours then they should.

  As a parent, if my children wanted to work 15-20 hours per week, no later than 10 p.m., I would consider it provided their grades did not suffer. Otherwise, it is hit the books and concentrate on studying above all else.

• 10 Laura // Jul 12, 2007 at

  Matt,

  You’re right that grades should come first. Some states have laws protecting the number of hours a child works. If there aren’t any laws in place, the parent should help the child discuss this issue with the employer.

  Good feedback!

• 11 WritingThoughts » Blog Archive » WAHM Wednesday: Helping Our Kids Find Their First Job // Aug 8, 2007 at

  […] Earlier I posted on whether or not teenagers should work. […]