Search Results for: blog should teens receive an allowance if they are working

Should the Kids Get a Job?

Last summer, my daughter got a job. She’s five. Now granted, this job was selling lemonade and homemade crafts on the front porch, but she did it for long, grueling hours in the sun every day. She also washed cars with her friends. After a month of this on and off work, she’d made enough money to purchase a Playmobil camper. Then she quit. Poor child. If I hadn’t refused to buy her a camper, she would have spent her summer hours engaged in other endeavors. Or would she? I think that even small children get great satisfaction out of … Continue reading →

“Mom, I Need Money!”

What parent hasn’t heard that phrase a billion times? Or at least some version of the “Will you give me?” or “How can I earn?” or just “Do you have any money?” While I have gotten pretty numb to it, there are times when it can grate on my last nerve. The thing is, my kids are quite old enough to earn their own money and they did all three get quite a bit of money from different sources for the holidays. However, all three of them have different levels of money-management skills and different personalities when it comes to … Continue reading →

Should Kids Help With Their Own Living Expenses?

Some friends and I were talking recently about how different we thought things were for us when we were growing up. One friend confessed that while she had gone to a private, parochial school, she had to help pay for her own tuition when it became too expensive. Her parents said that she could go to public school, but if she stayed in the private school, she was going to have to contribute to the tuition from her own earnings. As for myself, I know that I had to pay for my own gas, oil, and car repairs once I … Continue reading →

Kids Might Not Know What Jobs and Careers are Out There

You might think that your kids are getting good guidance and exposure to career choices in school. After all, isn’t that part of what the school years are all about? But the fact is, kids may be getting a very limited exposure to what is actually out there in terms of job and career choices, and a parent can be a big help in opening up the big wide world of jobs and careers as kids are growing up. Not every child is cut out to be a doctor, lawyer, teacher or nurse. Kids may see the high profile and … Continue reading →

Teens Can Coach and Teach

In addition to driving and getting a job, there are other ways that teenagers can experience some “rights of passage” to help them move into being an adult, or at least, an older teenager. There are still plenty of opportunities for teens to serve as camp counselors, youth sports coaches and teach classes (art, activities, Sunday school) that will help them develop maturity and learn all sorts of responsibility and other skills. Since the part-time job seems to be getting harder and harder for teenagers to find, parents might be wondering what their kids CAN do to move toward independence … Continue reading →

Job Fairs: Appropriate Attire for Teens

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I was in the mall the other day while a summer job fair for teens was being held. To say that I was shocked by the way some of these teens presented themselves to future employers would be an understatement. From well-worn flip-flops to boys with baggy pants and girls with jeans so low I could see their panties, let me tell you I saw it all (and a good bit of it I wished I had not seen). In my day, I would not have been allowed to wear some of the clothes that youths today wear. I keep … Continue reading →

Encouraging Teens to Attend Job Fairs

Even if a teenager isn’t convinced he or she is ready for a job (or Mom and/or Dad isn’t entirely convinced that the teen is ready for a job), local job fairs can be a great way to introduce your teen to the job opportunities available, give them practice talking with potential employers, and get the ball rolling in terms of employment and job realities. Job fairs have become increasingly popular and available, even in smaller areas. Community colleges, universities, chambers of commerce and other entities often sponsor job fairs throughout the year so employers can expose themselves to potential … Continue reading →

Should You Make Kids Save for College?

When my kids were younger, we had a rule that a percentage of their money needed to go into savings–this went for earned money, birthday and gift money and other money that came their way. Over the years, with two households and two separate sets of rules, that “savings plan” has come under attack and while saving is still stressed at Mom’s house–it isn’t necessarily the rule of the family any longer. I always admired families who had a “college fund” that the kids contributed to, and I’m definitely on board with teaching kids how to tithe and save. As … Continue reading →

How Well Are Your Kids Coping With Life?

Have you ever wondered how well your kids are coping with life? In a poll by Harris Interactive, for Family Circle, teens, tweens and mothers of tweens and teens were surveyed, with some interesting answers. Here are some highlights of the survey: (1) 91% of kids would rather talk face-to-face with their parents. (2) 34% of kids wish their parents wouldn’t get mad at them as much. (3) 70% of those surveyed said they are happy with how much attention parents give them. (4) 9% of kids said they spent too much time with their parents. (5) 92% of mothers … Continue reading →

Should Teens Receive An Allowance If They Are Working?

Should a teen’s allowance end once they start working? I was surprised to find that 45% of respondents in a recent poll by the Family Education Network felt that teens should continue to receive an allowance once they start working. 47% voted “no” and just 8% had “no opinion”. I found this kind of odd. I’ve never known a teen that worked and received an allowance. That seems to defeat the purpose of working. When teens work, it’s a step toward independence. It’s also a good way for them to learn the value of money and how to budget. If … Continue reading →