Kids and jobs
Do they go together?
Do they benefit anyone?
These are the questions plaguing my mind today.
I have a son who is a senior in high school.
His dad wants him to get a job, in fact is pushing him to fill out applications; he has to get a job.
My son is beginning to show a great resistance to the pushing part of the whole process.
It’s affecting his school work, social life, and family life, as he begins to shut down and not care about anything.
I’m of a different frame of mind about the entire thing.
On the one hand, yes, I believe kids need to learn responsibility, the value of a dollar, and to learn how the ‘real’ world works.
Having said that, I’m also of the mind that these same kids we are wanting to force into the work world will have their whole lives to be ‘grown-ups’, so why not let them have a childhood.
I’m not saying they shouldn’t be taught responsibility, or the value of the all mighty dollar, or that they shouldn’t be taught some cold hard facts about how to handle that money, but is making them get part-time jobs while attending high school the way to do those things?
I’m a believer of teaching my son how to become a responsible, well adjusted, capable, caring individual through teaching him the many ways he can be those things.
Learning to cook is important and yet we don’t push our children to go to chef school.
Learning to do laundry is important and yet we don’t push our children off to a clothier.
Learning to deal with money is important and yet we don’t push our children off to an accountant.
So why do we push them out into the grown-up workforce world before they really need to be?
And that’s my one minute mind
Just Bits and Pieces 
I guess each parent has a way of teaching their children values and stuff, not every parent is correct in how they do it for their kids, but if it works I guess that is good, right?!
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This is true. We, as parents, do the best we can do in any given moment! Thanks for sharing; glad you stopped in!
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I really love this one minute mind! What I like about it is how my own mind takes over the issue where your writing stops. My feeling is that school IS their job and I’m not even that sure that the school holidays should be taken up with work. Imagine if, as adults, we were continually under pressure to go off to a school to study after work. I know people do go to night classes and that’s fine, if it is a choice. But if there was always pressure to do it when you didn’t want to, it would be awful.
Likewise, if you were always looking forward to your holidays and weekends away from work but were told you had to go to school to study something, it would be horrible. Childhood is gone too soon and the pressures on children are worse than ever now. The best way to instil a good work ethic is by example. If they see their parents working hard to pay the bills, then they know that is what they will need to do when they grow up. Just one opinion of course and I respect other viewpoints.
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I have to agree with you! I can’t imagine someone always pressuring me to DO something. I also agree that childhood is gone too soon; kids are ‘growing’ up so fast as it is, why force them too! Thanks so much for your love of ‘my one minute mind’ posts and for chiming in here!! xx
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I had my 1st job when I was 15.I worked during the school holidays at a clothing store.I leant alot about being an adult and these lessons have set a good foundation for me.
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What a great first job! I think working during school holidays is a great idea!! Thanks for sharing!!
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I think I have to agree with you! I can’t imagine having had to work during school term – there was such a lot going on in school! But holiday work is different and this is enough to teach a sense of responsibility and to understand a little about earning money and getting satisfaction out of doing a good day’s work. As you say, there’s plenty of time later in life to get bogged down with work – let them enjoy their youth as long as possible 🙂
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That seems to be the general consensus Nicole! Thanks so much for chiming in here!
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We stress that school IS their job during the school year. Summers are a different story.
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I love that! I tell my boys all the time that school is their first job which will prepare them for their first REAL WORLD job! I think summer working is fine! Thanks for chiming in and for stopping by!
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