<p>My HS senior son wants to work this summer, to save some extra $$ for college this fall. There’s a couple of wrinkles though:
we are moving from NYS to Texas (Austin/San Marcos area) at the end of June, right after he graduates. He does not know anyone out there. Texas kids graduate in May, so most of the seasonal jobs will be filled, and it’s likely he’ll have to attend a college orientation at some point during the summer. He also hates the fact that he will have zero social life due to not knowing anyone his age.</p>
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<li>He suffers from psoiraisis on his nails and body, and needs to have daily showers and clean surroundings to keep this at bay. This makes a camp job problematic, since he knows from his years as a Boy Scout that a summer camp is a somewhat dirtier environment than normal, and tends to cause flareups. Same for a Youth Conservation Corps type job. Also, the college orientation factor is problematic.</li>
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<p>What these two things mean is that his prospects for summer employment are limited. I’ve come up with a couple ideas but would welcome more. My ideas:</p>
<p>1) Stay with us in Texas, and work for his dad as his dad finishes construction on our new home’s garage/apartment addition, and the house’s deck. We would pay him minimum wage, and put part of it into his college account. I could ask the folks we already know out there to help him meet some kids his age, so he has a few social options.
2) Stay with us in Texas, and try to find work locally at the kind of jobs that have high turnover and wouldn’t mind hiring him for two months. We would also ask our contacts out there (lawyer, realtor, our tenant who runs a grant-writing business) for any job leads.
3) Stay here in NY with either my sister or a family friend and continue to work at his local job during the summer, and see his friends before they all disperse to college. Drawbacks to this are: he’ll be far away from us, I don’t want to impose on others, and I don’t like the idea of him being on his own so soon. </p>
<p>We don’t have the money for a summer college program. I would hate for the summer situation to degrade into him not working, spending too much time on playing video games, being a slob and having friction between him and his dad. I’ll be working. We have two others at home, ages 11 and 13, but they’ll be at day camp part of the summer.</p>
<p>He’s smart, has a driver’s license and has been working p/t in a local supermarket for the past year.</p>
<p>The move will be a really big adjustment and if it were me I’d ask him to come and explore the new area together and work on the house. I know how it is when the kids want to be employed and you want them to be employed but due to circumstances they can’t be.Where is he going to college? Same or different state? Another way to meet folks is to join and attend some religious organizations in your new area.Try them out, meet some folks, maybe he go to the youth group. It helps.</p>
<p>He could talk to the managers at some of the food markets near your new house now. Let them know who he works for now and that he’s looking for a job as soon as he rolls into town. He can explain about orientation later if he gets any responses. Shows initiative. He can get a letter from his current supervisor about his work ethic. The job should help him meet kids his age and keep him busy. I’d hire a kid that went to this trouble.</p>
<p>I vote for # 3 too. Before my son went off to college he wanted to spend as much time as possible with his HS friends, when he wasn’t working that summer.</p>
<h1>3 vote as well. My D was horrid the summer before college (“pooping in the nest” syndrome, we called it). I wish she’d been staying with her aunt for the summer!</h1>
<p>I’ll offer what occur to me as points to consider about staying in New York, FWIW:</p>
<p>If you are comfortable that he will be properly supervised in NY, then he really isn’t “on his own” there.</p>
<p>Even if he works normal hours in TX, he is likely to have a lot of time on his hands. And, of course, there is a big downside if, despite all best efforts, he doesn’t find a satisfactory outside job and doesn’t really want to work for his dad.</p>
<p>Some/many people would actually like to have a friend/relative around for the summer (we would, and so would my wife’s sister :)). In that case, his presence isn’t an imposition.</p>
<p>He will, of course, be away. But weighing against that are the social benefits of NY as opposed to the relative social isolation of TX. (I wonder how easy/realistic it will be to comfortably meet new kids his age during the summer between high school and college.) Those social benefits will likely be very important to someone his age. </p>
<p>So, I would not rule out the NY option. What does he want to do?</p>
I think option 3 would be the best solution as well. He already has a job that suits his medical condition. Construction with his dad would probably be very dusty and dirty. He sounds like a very good kid, so I wouldn’t worry about him being an imposition to either your sister or family friend. Possibly you could plan for him to spend the last two weeks with you in Texas before he leaves for college. Also, if this plan didn’t work out, it would be easier for him to change his mind and come to TX then for him to leave TX and return to NY.</p>
<p>Thanks for your input so far. You are all a very smart bunch! ;D</p>
<p>I think I will talk with my two sisters and his best friend’s parents (they are our best friends in town as well). I think if he rotated between the three, he could put in a period of work, then join us before he starts school.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the feedback, I really do appreciate it!</p>
<p>p.s. “pooping in the nest” - lol! That’s how it is when you’re 17, isn’t it?</p>
<p>I also vote for option #3. The last hurrah with high school friends before they all go off to college is a very treasured time for kids. And he’ll be much more comfortable continuing to work at a job he knows and where people know him. Personally, I’d love to have a nephew stay with me for a few weeks before he leaves for college. You can work out all the agreements about curfews and such in advance and he can know that a major screw up will mean he’ll be hammering boards in the Texas heat instead of hanging out with friends. Should be a good incentive for best behavior.</p>
<p>Agree with jazzymom that the final summer with high school friends is a very, very treasured time. It’s possible that he’d meet kids in Texas with the right job, but if he didn’t it could be very difficult for him.</p>
<p>If he can stay in NY with the folks you mention, I don’t think you need to worry too much about the imposition or him being on his own.</p>
<p>One thing I’ve learned (and this is from a <em>non-worrying</em> mom), there is something to worry about no matter what choice you make: there are worries to each scenario. All you get to do is pick which worry it will be ;).</p>
<p>If he does go to Texas, I think applying for jobs there, where other teens would be, is somewhat preferable to the job with dad for social reasons only.</p>
<h1>3 as well…if people are willing to take him and he isn’t going to take advatnage of them…let him stay…</h1>
<p>my Mom moved when I was a senior in HS…I stayed at my HS, across the country for 4 months with family…my mom paid some $$ for my upkeep etc., I worked, etc…it was a win win…</p>
That’s how it is when you’re 17, isn’t it?</p>