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Ideally teens should focus on school and extracurricular activities. Sure, a minimum wage job can give them a little bit of spending money, and lessons on responsibility, dealing with customers, etc.
But I encouraged my kids to spend their high school years getting the best grades they could, being involved in things they enjoyed that would also look good good on scholarship applications, and studying for the PSAT and SAT. By focusing on those things, they all earned full to nearly full scholarships to college. For example, there are numerous colleges that automatically offer a full ride to any student scoring high enough on the PSAT to achieve National Merit designation. So say, if your teen spends 100 hours with PSAT practice test books, then achieves National Merit level scores, and receives $150K college scholarship, that is pretty good earning!! A minimum wage job would have barely made a dent in the cost of college.
I realize that not all teens will (or should) be going to college, or would be able to test high enough for academic scholarships, but I toss this out there as food for thought for parents of college bound kids. Find what your teen CAN do that would lead to scholarships, and devote time to that rather than flipping burgers.
Ideally teens should focus on school and extracurricular activities. Sure, a minimum wage job can give them a little bit of spending money, and lessons on responsibility, dealing with customers, etc.
But I encouraged my kids to spend their high school years getting the best grades they could, being involved in things they enjoyed that would also look good good on scholarship applications, and studying for the PSAT and SAT. By focusing on those things, they all earned full to nearly full scholarships to college. For example, there are numerous colleges that automatically offer a full ride to any student scoring high enough on the PSAT to achieve National Merit designation. So say, if your teen spends 100 hours with PSAT practice test books, then achieves National Merit level scores, and receives $150K college scholarship, that is pretty good earning!! A minimum wage job would have barely made a dent in the cost of college.
I realize that not all teens will (or should) be going to college, or would be able to test high enough for academic scholarships, but I toss this out there as food for thought for parents of college bound kids. Find what your teen CAN do that would lead to scholarships, and devote time to that rather than flipping burgers.
I'd agree in many cases, but just because "X" behavior is in the best interest of "Y" person(s) doesn't mean it should be legislated - what happened to rights and freedom?
Nope, sorry! I disagree with the premise of this thread. The last thing in the world I want my kids to do is sit around on their behinds all summer, playing video games or hanging out at the local coffee shop with their friends (unless they've got an apron on). There simply aren't enough chores around our house to keep them occupied, and, anyway, my kids already live in a bubble. They need more exposure to the world outside the affluent suburbs. Get thee to work, kid.
I have hired teens in summer vacation to work around the nursery. Many others in this area hire illegals instead, because they work under the table and can be treated like crap. The teens I hired are the children of friends, and actually needed the money and appreciated the experience. To be able to teach them how to install a fence, run a tractor or skid steer safely was not that difficult and they did fine. So far I have been unable to get the larger corporations to be held responsible for hiring the illegals. Not everyone is cut out for college, and it is too bad that the FIRE economy has shrunk the need for labor while increasing the labor pool.
In high school I had straight A grades and entered college on a scholarship based on merit. However, my first job was working for a plant nursery which had nothing to do with electrical engineering. Thankfully, back then the brown people were not common and illegals were not an issue.
I believe that it disadvantages the millions of people who actually have bills to pay.
I understand that kids benefit from holding a job early. I want my children to be responsible and.competent when they get older.
However employment is not.a teaching tool-it is a necessity. As parents we are required to meet our childrens' needs until the ahe of 18. Basically the earnings go toward leisure.
Think about it-there are people facing eviction and without food. And it's hard for them to find work. So why should we hire someone who doesn't need the money?
There's another way to teach responsibility. It's called chores.
There may be exceptions- If the family's income is below a certain level, and of course any emancipated teens.
As an assistant manager I cannot discriminate based on need. But I do think if this was considered, it would help a llot of needy americans find work.
We've flooded the US with cheap labor (intentionally) by turning a blind eye to illegal immigration and your take-away is that the problem is kids working part-time jobs whom have parents that are doing ok financially?
Chores don't teach you how to interact with people from different backgrounds and walks of life nor do they expose you socially to lots of new situations or allow for growth. It also doesn't help you when you try to get an internship etc. and you've never worked anywhere before....they generally don't like that.
So, complain all you want and despite my making a very comfortable living I will still have my kids working 8 hours a week or so at a restaurant or whatnot as it has many benefits for them and they already are highly responsible and do chores etc.
P.S. Around where I live there are plenty of jobs to be had. All you have to do is show up and pass the drug test....two apparantly major hurdles according to my friend whom fills those jobs.
So your american-bred child is more worthy of a job than someone else, all because of birthplace?
A person can control what they're born into, apparently.
I find it funny how some people have sympathy for people with disabilities but being from another country or not born with a silver spoon in your mouth makes you unworthy.
You are answering a comment about taking jobs from illegal immigrants. The teens are not the one's breaking the law.
The blame should be directed to Washington. Your Republican Congress doesn't care about you. This wasn't an issue when manufacturing was running hot back in the. Ship the jobs out of the country and adults are fighting over fast food jobs.
Now also consider companies did away with pensions which mean those fighting for low wages will work to the grave if their health holds out or work to become homeless at later age.
Your blaming the Republicans in Congress for sending manufacturing jobs out of the nation? In California people are blaming Democrats for running business out of the state because of red tape, taxation, legislation that makes it hard to run a business. Democrats are the reason that business has it bad. Republicans have traditionally been pro business. Republican have traditionally allowed the market to work out its own problems. The big manufacturing states are they not traditionally Democratic controlled? We see more anti business legislation from Democrats than we do from Republicans.
I have 6 kids, 5 of them still at home. between my wife and I, we make over $100,000 a year. We have a beautiful home and enjoy a nice life. We are not in a position to buy our kids cars, or many of the things that similar families with 1 or 2 kids can do. We offer the basics and if they want something else then they can work for it. Still our kids are not hurting for the things in life. Still, the plan for any parent is to teach their kids the value of a dollar and what it takes to make money. When I was growing up life was the same for me. I wanted more out of life and did anything I could to get what I wanted. When I was 12 I started babysitting, washing cars, mowing lawns, delivering the paper. If I could make a buck I was there. I cleaned homes, washed windows, cleared out yards or garages. That lead me to other things as well. Kids need to have a place to start that can show them how to work.
The blame should be directed to Washington. Your Republican Congress doesn't care about you. This wasn't an issue when manufacturing was running hot back in the. Ship the jobs out of the country and adults are fighting over fast food jobs.
How about all the jobs that have been shipped to the U.S. from other countries. Example there are 11 foreign owned auto manufacturing companies in the U.S. and only 2 American Owned GM and Ford. Foreign owned companies are selling about 2/3 of all U.S. built cars at the present time. And this just includes auto companies. There are many fields, where a lot of jobs in this country are foreign owned companies.
Computers and automation, have eliminated many more jobs than exporting jobs.
Honestly, if you can't compete with someone who hasn't graduated high school for a job that requires no training at all, you don't deserve the job over them.
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