Laurence started a similar thread a while back, but in this one I'd like to hear from other [-]combat veterans[/-] parents of working teens. Should they keep going after the novelty wears off?
Parents of teenagers will understand my being surprised when (very occasionally) my kid proves that she really does "get it". I can't help being perpetually amazed by seeing the world through her eyes and watching her flail her way toward independence. It's almost been worth a decade of sleep deprivation.
She's been attending Kumon math tutoring since second grade-- her idea, not ours-- and she's about to start 10th grade. It's not only paid off in her math skills but it's totally eliminated test anxiety, given her several role models to emulate (plus a few not to), and helped her learn how to manage her time. All this for only $85/month, and it seemed that this great deal couldn't possibly get any better.
Last fall she started working at the Kumon center and has just been raised to $7.25/hour for 6-10 hours/week. She basically sits on her butt in a well-ventilated room, shuffling/filing papers and tutoring 4-year-olds*. She's had her eyes opened wide by the concept of being expected to show up for work 2-3 times/week (whether she feels like it or not) and it's "painfully" cut into her basketball & socializing. She loves the money and immediately treated herself to a Netflix subscription but otherwise her earnings have been going into her Roth IRA. However, perhaps since her parents are ER or because she's a teen, the novelty has worn thin. She's been quick to identify all the workplace's flaws and to complain about its quality of life.
But not any more. Her friends have been picking up summer jobs (or trying to) and she's just beginning to realize how good she has it. The latest example was her friend Amy whose SubWay job has her standing on her feet 3-4 hours/day. Amy can now whip up lunch for her friends in 90 seconds but she's perpetually tired & sore and dozes off during summer school. Another friend is applying for a part-time custodial job at the high school. He spent a week interning at this occupation during 8th grade ("in-school suspension") so perhaps he feels it's a match for his skill set. Other 14-year-olds, especially those whose spending outstrips their income, are finding out that their job market has been flooded with recent high-school graduates who are more available at all hours.
Our kid has attacked her job with renewed vigor, especially when I pointed out that Kumon is a franchise she could one day purchase for her very own. But I'll give her a few years to enjoy that fantasy before we dump cold financial-analysis water on it.
Life is good, but it's especially sweet when to hear your teen tell you that you're right. A little of that goes a long way, and it'll probably have to.
*She says that she's never having babies, either, but we'll see how that pans out...
Parents of teenagers will understand my being surprised when (very occasionally) my kid proves that she really does "get it". I can't help being perpetually amazed by seeing the world through her eyes and watching her flail her way toward independence. It's almost been worth a decade of sleep deprivation.
She's been attending Kumon math tutoring since second grade-- her idea, not ours-- and she's about to start 10th grade. It's not only paid off in her math skills but it's totally eliminated test anxiety, given her several role models to emulate (plus a few not to), and helped her learn how to manage her time. All this for only $85/month, and it seemed that this great deal couldn't possibly get any better.
Last fall she started working at the Kumon center and has just been raised to $7.25/hour for 6-10 hours/week. She basically sits on her butt in a well-ventilated room, shuffling/filing papers and tutoring 4-year-olds*. She's had her eyes opened wide by the concept of being expected to show up for work 2-3 times/week (whether she feels like it or not) and it's "painfully" cut into her basketball & socializing. She loves the money and immediately treated herself to a Netflix subscription but otherwise her earnings have been going into her Roth IRA. However, perhaps since her parents are ER or because she's a teen, the novelty has worn thin. She's been quick to identify all the workplace's flaws and to complain about its quality of life.
But not any more. Her friends have been picking up summer jobs (or trying to) and she's just beginning to realize how good she has it. The latest example was her friend Amy whose SubWay job has her standing on her feet 3-4 hours/day. Amy can now whip up lunch for her friends in 90 seconds but she's perpetually tired & sore and dozes off during summer school. Another friend is applying for a part-time custodial job at the high school. He spent a week interning at this occupation during 8th grade ("in-school suspension") so perhaps he feels it's a match for his skill set. Other 14-year-olds, especially those whose spending outstrips their income, are finding out that their job market has been flooded with recent high-school graduates who are more available at all hours.
Our kid has attacked her job with renewed vigor, especially when I pointed out that Kumon is a franchise she could one day purchase for her very own. But I'll give her a few years to enjoy that fantasy before we dump cold financial-analysis water on it.
Life is good, but it's especially sweet when to hear your teen tell you that you're right. A little of that goes a long way, and it'll probably have to.
*She says that she's never having babies, either, but we'll see how that pans out...
