Raising;teens;to;be;kind,;thought- ful,;independent;thinkers;and hard;workers;is;a;challenge for homeschooling parents
(or any parent, for that matter). Helping
your children prepare for the future dur-
ing their teen years is vital, and in order
to;reach;your;goals;you;may;find;it;very
beneficial;to;prevent;your;teen;from;get-
ting;a;“real”;job.;You;may;be;wondering
how;a;teen;will;learn;a;good;work;ethic
if he does not have a job, or how he will
pay his bills, or how he will be able to save
money for the future without a job. Teens
should;be;encouraged;to;work;and;to;earn
money;;however,;allowing;a;teen;to;take
on a job that requires being present at a
job site for a certain amount of hours per
week,;every;week,;might;create;problems
and challenges that are not worth the
money earned or the experience gained
by that child.
We have nine children and, as with most
parents, we have made our share of mis-takes.;We;allowed;our;first;four;children
to get jobs during their high school years.
After all, that is what my husband and I
did when we were in high school. That is
what most teens do, right? Although we
were;a;little;slow;to;recognize;it,;allowing
our older children to have jobs in high
school created enough problems that we
decided;not;to;allow;the;next;five;children
to be employed at steady jobs during their
high school years.
No matter how great the company that
hires your child may be, if your child
works;with;other;employees,;then;your
child may be exposed to far more than
he is prepared to handle or to which you
want him exposed. I am sure there are
exceptions, but our children and many of
our;friends’;children;gained;more;than
an income at their jobs.
Oftentimes, these experiences caused
irreparable damage. Teens usually assume they are ready to handle anything,
but are they ready to be around people
who;may;drink;excessively,;use;drugs,
and/or have casual sex? What about the
not-as-scary but often evident attitude
of pride and arrogance a peer may have,
including a disdain for values your family may hold important? When my oldest four children had jobs, they were exposed to all of these things. Some were
affected more than others.
Several of my friends whose children
worked;for;one;of;the;best;employers;of
Christian homeschooled teens told me
www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com
By;Pat;Wesolowski
Preparing;Your;Teen;for
Life;by Not Allowing
Him;to;Get;a;“Real”;Job
Helping your children prepare for the future during their teen years is vital . . .
