Help, Before I Kill a Teen !!

[Carbo]

Someone, anyone, I need some answers! My daughter will be 14 in June, (God help me). By the second day of summer vacation she is complaining of boredom. I need to begin the process, NOW, of preventing her from making our household a miserable one. THIS KID NEEDS A JOB!! Where? How? And advice? And the first smart ass answer assures the wise guy of an early dirt nap :disgust:

 

[notfred]

I don't even think it's legal for a 14 year old to get a work permit here in California.

 

[iamwiz82]

depends on your state, but i know in michigan you must be at least 15 to work, and they severely limit hours, even in the summer.

 

[Thrillhou]

Paper route and babysitting are about the only jobs you can get at that age.

 

[Platypus]

14? That seems pretty young to get a job don't you think? Plus she cannot drive herself around to a job. Why not have her do some work for neighbours?

 

[MacBaine]

There are several possibilities... My first job was at a pizza shop taking phone calls. Min. wage, but free food Now I work at a little hobby store. Decent pay and it is good experience. Next week I have an interview to begin working at my town's library...which is very good pay and more good experience. Just try to find jobs that won't require much experience, which she can use to get a feel for what life will be like. It'll make her a bit more resonsible in the process, and give her something to do. BTW, I don't know what the laws are where you live, but here it is if you are 15 you need a work permit....don't know about 14.

 

[Hammer]

How about back-breaking yard work?

 

[bjb86s]

<< depends on your state, but i know in michigan you must be at least 15 to work, and they severely limit hours, even in the summer. >>



Ditto in PA - Until I turn 16, in July, I can only work 3 1/2 hours a day. Most places are very reluctant (and some just plain don't) to hire anyone under 16.

 

[mdennison]

As long as she is able to get a work permit: coney island, florist or plant nursery(sp), uhhh...maybe work at a skating rink or bowling ally...

 

[MadRat]

If you don't know that you are the boss of the family then the war is already over. You assign the jobs and should take advantage of the free labour. Too many parents reason with their kids these days, you don't reward them for doing the work. Its not about punishment if she doesn't do your assignments, its going to be done if you want it done. She doesn't have the choice. If they want a reason tell them because you are the boss. Use it repeatedly... not just a few times, I mean literally billions of times. She'll get the idea after awhile.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

I'd concentrate on helping her find a nice quiet hobby. Maybe painting, or a not-so annoying musical instrument. 14 is a little young for a 9-5.

 

[vi edit]

Got a local municipal park district service and/or city pools? If so, try and get her a job hosting or cashieering at the pools.

 

[Azraele]

How about household chores and duties? And a hobby or two?

 

[bjb86s]

<< I'd concentrate on helping her find a nice quiet hobby. Maybe painting, or a not-so annoying musical instrument. 14 is a little young for a 9-5. >>



Probably the best idea; is she into sports? How about some kind of classes (ie art, music, karate)? Swimming lessons?

 

[UltraQuiet]

<< If you don't know that you are the boss of the family then the war is already over. You assign the jobs and should take advantage of the free labour. Too many parents reason with their kids these days, you don't reward them for doing the work. Its not about punishment if she doesn't do your assignments, its going to be done if you want it done. She doesn't have the choice. If they want a reason tell them because you are the boss. Use it repeatedly... not just a few times, I mean literally billions of times. She'll get the idea after awhile. >>



Sounds like the conversation I just had with my two boys. You wanna eat/live here? Then you can start doing some chores. They don't like it but it is getting done.

 

[Alienwho]

I've known kids as young as 13 working at the snow shacks and those little hell holes you see in parking lots selling shaved ice.

 

[Kaieye]

Don't rush your kid to grow up too early. They have plenty of time to work during or after high school/college...

 

[HansHurt]

14 isn't too young to work IMO, but if possible find her a job working for someone in the family. There is always babysitting.

 

[ScottyB]

Get her a babysitting job.

 

[AnitaPeterson]

you Americans... work, work, nothing else exists in your life, then suddenly at 40 you have a personality crisis, when you realize you've wasted your life.

Dude, I'm not sure about your daughter, but when I was 3 and a half years old, my parents taught me how to read. Ever since, I can never get bored - a good book is like a good friend. Give me a nice library, and let me alone. If I want to stretch my legs, eat, or go shopping, I put down the book and it's waiting for me when I return.

The bottom line: there are other values in life that are worth learning. Your daughter has what, 60 years of work ahead of her, before her kids put her in a home? Let her do something else - enrich her mind by cutting off the damn cable TV and buying her some books. Teach her another language. Or how to play an instrument. She'll be happier and better off than those pimple-faced kids at Blockbuster Video, who sneak out during breaks to smoke a joint, talk about wrestling and anime, and jerk off. How can someone have kids without knowing how to raise them?

 

[Dan]

Carbo: I faced the same predicament with our kid when he was 14. I called around to various summer camps here in SoCal until I found one that would take him on for the summer as a "junior counselor." No pay but free room and board. He had a great experience and his mom and I had 6 weeks of peace and quiet.

 

[Geekbabe]

<< Someone, anyone, I need some answers! My daughter will be 14 in June, (God help me). By the second day of summer vacation she is complaining of boredom. I need to begin the process, NOW, of preventing her from making our household a miserable one. THIS KID NEEDS A JOB!! Where? How? And advice? And the first smart ass answer assures the wise guy of an early dirt nap :disgust: >>




Carbo,

check with your local hospitals,many of them run babysitter training courses, that cost around $40.
They teach the kids things like CPR,early childhood development,how to handle emergencies etc, they even
help the kids find jobs.Most of these hospitals require you to be age 12 to take the course so a 14 yr old would be more than welcome.Also with as tight as childcare gets during the summer for many working people, a reliable 14 yr old who's taken babysitter safety will probably be able to pick up fulltime babysitting for a nice family at really attractive rates.