Quick Poll-Yes or No - Page 4

momofthreeboys · 07-12-2008, 04:12 PM

Yes starting at age 16. Oldest did not work during school year until senior year when he did continue into the school year. Second son is 16 and this summer is his first "work summer". We don't give allowances so if they want to drive, they have to buy gas. If they have to buy gas, they need a job. We keep it simple in our family LOL. My H and I grew up in financially comfortable families, but we both had our first jobs at 13 (it was easier back then) and believe strongly in kids holding down real jobs. We give them money if they need it for legitimate reasons, but not for tooling around or the latest greatest gadget that they can't wait for a birthday or Christmas for. In our paret social group we're considered the "strict" parents LOL.

chris07 · 07-12-2008, 04:18 PM

When you ask people to voluntarily respond to a poll, especially for a question that can be sensitive (no one wants their child looked on as lazy), you're going to get lots of one answer.

Just didn't want you to think that every teenager in the world has a summer job. A lot of people I know did summer academic programs, like college for high schoolers.

Quote:

Our oldest is only 14, but just finished her freshman year. I told her before summer started that I wanted to know 3 things she was going to do over the summer to 'expand her horizons' and sort out things she was interested in. I also wanted to know 5 books she planned on reading. She actually is volunteering at a local science museum, and has already looked at a bunch of colleges online. She also goes away for a few weeks to tennis camps.

In the fall, she is going to actually 'work' at our local country club and help instruct tennis to the younger kids, and manage the courts, etc...pretty typical for our local high school players.

I do worry, however, that this is not going to be overwhelming when it comes time to apply to any selective schools...she certainly will have the academics, and plays 2 sports (making varsity tennis as a freshman, which is a little unusual here), but is certainly not saving the world or finding a cure for cancer each summer......

Well other kids aren't curing cancer. This is where parents can get too controlling. If you force your daughter to get involved (moreover, when you do it mainly with top colleges in mind) she's not going to develop the kind of personality that top colleges like in their students. The activities I'm most proud of and passionate about are the ones I find on my own. And the first career I ever ruled out was the one that both of my parents do. Let your kid be herself and, if she can handle a top college and wants to go to one, she'll become a good candidate.

Shrinkrap · 07-12-2008, 04:23 PM

^I wondered about that as well. I also wondered if the HS forum, or the College forum world generate a different set of response. I think it would be especially interesting to hear from the college students ( how many of you worked "jobs" in HS), since that reflects the concerns of the OP in the other thread. It also acknowledges that what us CC parents, and cc kids (my kid is NOT a cc kid and I had to stop comparing her and her friends many months ago ) are probably not "average" either.

munchkin · 07-12-2008, 05:23 PM

Strongly encouraged but not required to work. They took summer courses or went away on foreign language immersion programs.

chintzy · 07-12-2008, 05:31 PM

I think working at a real job with a boss and dealing with the public is great experience This is D's second summer lifeguarding and she loves it. We didn't want her working during the school year, but she ended up doing 4-6 hrs/ week anyway. It should be interesting next summer when S is 16. He's already started telling us he doesn't think he'll have time to work while playing baseball. Hmmmm, his sister managed to work, travel, and swim.....

PackMom · 07-12-2008, 06:23 PM

chintzy, it can be done if your S has a flexible employer. Both my boys work for a large grocery chain. S2 played football all four years of high school and still kept his job. The grocery store was very flexible in scheduling his work hours around his athletic schedule. During football season, he worked one shift per week (usually Sunday afternoons) so he could have one day on the weekends to recover from the weeklong practices and Friday night football games. In addition, he also took a night class at our local CC during football season. I will say that he didn't take any AP's senior yr, just a couple of honors classes, a few regular elective classes and one class at the CC each semester.

nysmile · 07-12-2008, 06:34 PM

As suggested, I posted a similar "summer employment poll" on the high school forum. It'll interesting to see how it compares to the responses on the parent's forum.

Shrinkrap · 07-12-2008, 06:37 PM

Thanks!...

ellemenope · 07-12-2008, 06:48 PM

no--kid too busy

JustAMomOf4 · 07-12-2008, 07:04 PM

PackMom - you are right about the flexible employer.
My kids were pretty lucky in that department. One of my girls had a paper route, worked as a lifeguard, played field hockey and volunteered at a camp for a week.
Working doesn't have to be full time by any means. My oldest worked for a big box retailer in hs and college and this store was very flexible with her schedule and needing time off.
My girls never missed a family vacation or an important event - like sports camp - because of a job.

Shrinkrap - you may be correct, perhaps kids who spend time on the high school forum are "too busy" to hold down a job.

Texasmama · 07-12-2008, 07:05 PM

Yes. D is a cashier at a restaurant. I didn't want her to work during the school year, but she didn't find a summer job until last August. Now she's been there almost a year. I told her to quit a couple of times when she was stressed out with finals right after Christmas. But she wouldn't. Finally I told her that unless she told them she was going to not be able to work until finals were over, I was taking the car keys. They were able to work around her exams. She's a good employee.

Shrinkrap · 07-12-2008, 07:10 PM

"Shrinkrap - you may be correct, perhaps kids who spend time on the high school forum are "too busy" to hold down a job."

Yes... of course "too busy" on the internet, is not what us ( CC) parents want, but I bet even the "high school forum" kids are a better than average representation of high schoolers today.

Shrinkrap · 07-12-2008, 07:52 PM

^ That's what I meant by BETTER than average. But I agree. It is hard to know who and how to sample, regarding the concerns from a poster on a completely different thread! I try not to compare my kid to kids who hang out here, but she is considered a superstar among her peers. I worry the some might be true if the mom on the other thread is comparing her kid (and how be spends his summers) to the kids, or kids of parents who frequent here. I think the parents-who-come-here but-their-kids-don't are their own subgroup!

deb922 · 07-12-2008, 08:17 PM

Yes, both work in the summers. They do not work during the school year but my D has work study and since she likes to spend money, I'm sure she'll be able to work it out.

My S, a rising college junior found a summer co-op. Unfortunately, he will not be able to spend the whole week with us "up north" but he is joining us on the weekend.

momofthreeboys · 07-12-2008, 08:17 PM

Shrinkrap, of course you are right and I don't always agree with nysmile, but we do also have a subgroup of parents who are wringing their hands about their unmotivated kids who are perfectly capable of getting decent grades and perfectly capable of getting through college who are driving their parents crazy because they are laying around doing absolutely nothing of value. We also get parents who are whining about their kids who have an entitlement mentality who are scaping the financial barrel to put together an A+ college education. What you are seeing on this informal poll is a subgroup of parents who are saying to those parents "duh...." which is it's own subgroup.