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Our kids are in school from 8-3 and then participate in leadership and play volleyball, basketball or soccer (depending on the season) for on average (including tournaments) 2 hours a day.
While they're doing that, we don't require them to get a job as they're already putting a longer day in than many adults. We do expect them to pitch in around the house and the older is expected to drive the younger around in exchange for the use of a car for school/sports.
We also live out of town a few miles so there is no bus they could take to a part time job so their part time job would mean more work for us
During the summer they do coach at sports camps to make money.
If our kids weren't in extracurricular activities I would probably expect them to work but to date that hasn't been the case.
In what career paths is working as a teen a disadvantage?
A career path which values education more than job experience at the beginning. The classic examples being medicine and law, and some newer examples being engineering and genetics.
Basically, if you have a really bright and motivated kid who looks like they may want to go to a top notch university and would probably be successful, you should not be pushing that kid to go work at McDonalds in the evenings in high school. That kid should either be studying, doing an extracurricular, or volunteering for some humanitarian cause. That's what the university admissions office is looking for. They want experiences, they don't really care if you got paid.
A career path which values education more than job experience at the beginning. The classic examples being medicine and law, and some newer examples being engineering and genetics.
Basically, if you have a really bright and motivated kid who looks like they may want to go to a top notch university and would probably be successful, you should not be pushing that kid to go work at McDonalds in the evenings in high school. That kid should either be studying, doing an extracurricular, or volunteering for some humanitarian cause. That's what the university admissions office is looking for. They want experiences, they don't really care if you got paid.
Strange. I've known successful folks in all those fields. None were penalized for having a job as a teen.
Did you happen to read the research I posted a few comments above this? Some work has a positive effect on grades...
I certainly agree it should be taught from day one. But: “Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.â€
I agree that there is something to learning to treat others with respect by having been disrespected yourself... But I think there's better ways to teach your child this than throwing them to the masses at the age of 15 or 16.
How about when they come home complaining about bullies at school? Help them understand why it's important for them not to become a bully or to mistreat others, because they wouldn't want to make someone else feel the way that bully made them feel.
I'm not a parent, yet. But I'm constantly observing parents in public, both good in bad. The good parents are the ones who are constantly communicating with their children ie, someone hands your child something, and the parent says, "What do you say?" "Thank you."... It's good to communicate to your child lessons that will help them throughout life, and some of this will come from experience(s) no doubt. But a child will have the rest of his life to work a normal job. In my opinion choirs, schoolwork, extracurricular activities is enough until the age of 18. If they're in college and I could afford it, I would have no problem supporting them while they work as an apprentice in their field of study.
I agree that there is something to learning to treat others with respect by having been disrespected yourself... But I think there's better ways to teach your child this than throwing them to the masses at the age of 15 or 16.
How about when they come home complaining about bullies at school? Help them understand why it's important for them not to become a bully or to mistreat others, because they wouldn't want to make someone else feel the way that bully made them feel.
I'm not a parent, yet. But I'm constantly observing parents in public, both good in bad. The good parents are the ones who are constantly communicating with their children ie, someone hands your child something, and the parent says, "What do you say?" "Thank you."... It's good to communicate to your child lessons that will help them throughout life, and some of this will come from experience(s) no doubt. But a child will have the rest of his life to work a normal job. In my opinion choirs, schoolwork, extracurricular activities is enough until the age of 18. If they're in college and I could afford it, I would have no problem supporting them while they work as an apprentice in their field of study.
Work teaches a lot more than just that.
I teach at a college. I can usually tell which of my students have work experience. Their work product is better, and they are better able to juggle the multiple demands of college. They frequently seem more confident.
Sounds like you will make a good parent at some point.
Well said. If you want your children to start having a general disdain for the human race at an early age, make them get a job in the service sector dealing with the entitled general public on a regular basis.... I'm not sure if forcing children to work while they're still in high school teaches them anything that they can't learn later in life or when they finish college.
Exactly. I worked at a local convenience store/deli. People can be difficult, co-workers can be ornery and bitter. Not bad to learn to deal with that, but if it's dominating you AND you're still developing mentally yourself, it's not good for confidence. That doesn't mean I wouldn't shun this type of work. I'm just saying it was too many hours during school and the summer factory job could really make you hate life.
Are we talking college grad or HS drop out? I mean the question is too cut and dry. My child's only job is to be a student until she graduates COLLEGE. That being said, if she thinks she needs extra income for her girly stuff, that is fine. I want her to be able to focus on her studies.
Are we talking college grad or HS drop out? I mean the question is too cut and dry. My child's only job is to be a student until she graduates COLLEGE. That being said, if she thinks she needs extra income for her girly stuff, that is fine. I want her to be able to focus on her studies.
Strange. I've known successful folks in all those fields. None were penalized for having a job as a teen.
Did you happen to read the research I posted a few comments above this? Some work has a positive effect on grades...
Yes I read it. There was one sentence with a positive effect of a very limited hour teen job, and then several paragraphs of negative effects of teen jobs.
Two questions about the successful people you know: were their teen jobs a limited hour job chosen to give them real world experience in a potential field of study? Like an engineering internship? Or were their jobs more of a work as many hours as you can get at wherever pays well because you need some money to support yourself type jobs? Like a bagboy at the local grocery? And if it was the second, are you SURE they weren't penalized for it?
I know some successful folks in these fields who were forced by circumstance to have the second type of job as a teen. They assure me that they would have been MORE successful in school had they been allowed to just go home and study, or participate in a non-paying (or barely-paying) activity related to their career interests. They worked because they had to, and did the best they could in spite of that, and succeeded. And they are very proud of their accomplishments. But by and large they do feel they would have had even more opportunities had they not had to work in high school and college. And are striving to provide that circumstance for their own children.
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Exactly. I worked at a local convenience store/deli. People can be difficult, co-workers can be ornery and bitter. Not bad to learn to deal with that, but if it's dominating you AND you're still developing mentally yourself, it's not good for confidence. That doesn't mean I wouldn't shun this type of work. I'm just saying it was too many hours during school and the summer factory job could really make you hate life.
