This can be a difficult subject. Should your teenager have a job or not? In
my opinion, yes. Not only yes, but YES! I was a dance teacher to 3 and 4
year old girls when I was in high school and also babysat. My husband was a
lifeguard at White Water Bay. I know of many people that had jobs in their
high school years. So what has changed between our generation and the
current generation of teens? Here are some arguments for each side.
*Why they SHOULD work:*
My husband and I have talked about this topic at length. We both are of the
opinion that having a job taught us responsibility and discipline. We had to
be accountable and we had to follow rules. Your teenage years are the years
you start feeling like you know it all and you can do anything you want. A
job works against both of those feelings.
Here is a great article about the reasons why your teenagers should work in
high school. 5 Reasons Why Teenagers Should Have an After School
Job<http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/235676/5_reasons_why_teenagers_should_have.html>
.
Remember - an after school job doesn't have to mean that you work for
someone. It could mean that you mow lawns or wash windows for the people in
your neighborhood. Or, you could work for an established company and only
work on weekends or two evenings after school. Having a job in high school
doesn't mean that you need to work 40 hours.
*Why they SHOULDN'T work:*
If your teen is having trouble keeping their grades up, a job may not be the
best thing for them. They might need to focus on school. However, if they
need to focus on school, I think that you need to keep them at home and not
let them do a lot of things with their friends. Every once and a while,
sure. Just not all the time.
Your teen might also be heavily involved with cheerleading, sports or music
(or in my case - ballet). If they are very involved in certain activities,
it doesn't mean they can't work. For instance, during our snow storms a few
weeks ago, I was surprised I didn't have one knock on my door from teenage
boys wanting to shovel my driveway for money. I would have GLADLY paid them!
If the opportunity presents itself (as in a snow storm when they are out of
school), your teen can still capitalize on making some money.
Here's an article talking about why your teen shouldn't work. Teens who work
fall behind at school <http://advance.uconn.edu/1997/970929/09299710.htm>.
One last thought. Think about teaching your teens to volunteer. Volunteering
is a very important lesson to learn for teenagers for two reasons: 1) Let's
face it. As teens, we want the coolest, most expensive toys and clothes. 2)
Volunteering is important for adults to understand. If we don't expose our
children to volunteering, they are less likely to pick it up in their adult
life.
When my children are a few years older, we will be taking them down to the City
Rescue Mission <http://www.cityrescue.org/> to volunteer throughout the year
but especially during Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Volunteering is an extremely important lesson for them to learn. It's good
to give back to those who are less fortunate than us because you never know
when you might also need help.
Here is an article <http://www.bygpub.com/books/tg2rw/volunteer.htm> that
talks about the different ways teens can volunteer.
What are your thoughts about your teenager working and/or volunteering? We
would love to hear from you!
