Kids and Work

[Pro31:28]

I was in a discussion recently about kids and working.
As many of you know my (almost 15 year-old) son is on a mission trip to Romania and he will be back August 2. We have told him that when he gets home he will have to get a job a couple evenings a week or on Saturdays.
This other parent stated that it is wrong to make a "child" work, because thier job is to go to school. My son also plays year-round sports, and this other parent said that making Cody work will take away his childhood.
The other parent has a son going to college who has never held a job, and he will not have to work as long as he is in college...

Thoughts?

[Baron1710]

Originally Posted by Pro31:28

I was in a discussion recently about kids and working.
As many of you know my (almost 15 year-old) son is on a mission trip to Romania and he will be back August 2. We have told him that when he gets home he will have to get a job a couple evenings a week or on Saturdays.
This other parent stated that it is wrong to make a "child" work, because thier job is to go to school. My son also plays year-round sports, and this other parent said that making Cody work will take away his childhood.
The other parent has a son going to college who has never held a job, and he will not have to work as long as he is in college...

Thoughts?

I say make him pay rent too.

[MamaHen]

You are his parent, and it is up to you to decide what is best. I honestly don't see anything wrong with teaching them responsibility and a work ethic. I got a "job" when I was 12, helping clean a music shop where I took guitar lessons. Then I worked every summer as a teacher's assistant in summer school, and then had a waitressing job as well.

I know of a family that had the teens pay "rent" once they got a job, a percentage of their paycheck. What the kids didn't know, was that the "rent money" was going into a savings account, and when they moved out on their own, that money was given back to them as a "start up" gift for their new home, with interest!

As long as he can hold the job and not suffer in his schooling, I don't see the problem. It is your family, your son, the decision is yours.

[Pro31:28]

Originally Posted by Baron1710

I say make him pay rent too.

Don't need the rent money, but it would be nice if he paid for some of his food!

[MissBrattified]

Originally Posted by Pro31:28

I was in a discussion recently about kids and working.
As many of you know my (almost 15 year-old) son is on a mission trip to Romania and he will be back August 2. We have told him that when he gets home he will have to get a job a couple evenings a week or on Saturdays.
This other parent stated that it is wrong to make a "child" work, because thier job is to go to school. My son also plays year-round sports, and this other parent said that making Cody work will take away his childhood.
The other parent has a son going to college who has never held a job, and he will not have to work as long as he is in college...

Thoughts?

I would say the other parent doesn't have it quite right. Children need to learn to work, and they need to learn good work ethics. However, I do agree that a child's primary goal should be education, so any jobs (or extra-curricular activities) they have should not interfere with their education.

I wouldn't allow my child to work a job, for instance, that required them to only get 4-5 hours sleep per night, because they have school and other activities to tend to as well. A good compromise is to just hold down summer jobs, and or just work a couple of evenings a week.

So I do agree that education is the priority, but I think a job is fine as long as it doesn't interfere with that priority.

[rapunzelgirl]

I don't have any kids of my own yet, so I'll just relate what my parents expected of me. Once I turned 16 and could drive, I worked only during the summer. I used the money I earned for youth trips, gas, going out to eat, etc.

My dad didn't want us working during the school year as he saw school as our "job," and anyway, with the extracurriculars and youth activities on top of school, I don't know when I would have had time for work anyway.

Once I was in college, even though I lived at home, I had a job year-round.

[Baron1710]

Originally Posted by MissBrattified

I would say the other parent doesn't have it quite right. Children need to learn to work, and they need to learn good work ethics. However, I do agree that a child's primary goal should be education, so any jobs (or extra-curricular activities) they have should not interfere with their education.

I wouldn't allow my child to work a job, for instance, that required them to only get 4-5 hours sleep per night, because they have school and other activities to tend to as well. A good compromise is to just hold down summer jobs, and or just work a couple of evenings a week.

So I do agree that education is the priority, but I think a job is fine as long as it doesn't interfere with that priority.

One of my teachers complained to my dad one time that I worked too much. My dad asked about my grades, which were fine. My dad's response, "As long as he lives under my roof he is going to work."

[Pro31:28]

Originally Posted by MamaHen

You are his parent, and it is up to you to decide what is best. I honestly don't see anything wrong with teaching them responsibility and a work ethic. I got a "job" when I was 12, helping clean a music shop where I took guitar lessons. Then I worked every summer as a teacher's assistant in summer school, and then had a waitressing job as well.

I know of a family that had the teens pay "rent" once they got a job, a percentage of their paycheck. What the kids didn't know, was that the "rent money" was going into a savings account, and when they moved out on their own, that money was given back to them as a "start up" gift for their new home, with interest!

As long as he can hold the job and not suffer in his schooling, I don't see the problem. It is your family, your son, the decision is yours.

Wow, I wonder if someone is holding all of my rent money as a retirement startup fund! LOL