that their children were exposed to all
of these things as well, and their experiences were probably worse, because their
expectations of being in a moral environ-ment;were;shattered. To;be;fair;to;the
company involved, I doubt management
had a clue as to the conversations and
off-site;behavior;that;took;place;with;the
employees.
We;cannot;shelter;our;children;24/7.
Yes, we need to slowly let loose of the
reins,;but;when;a;teen;is;working;along-
side teens who have an obsession with
tearing down the structure you have
worked;so;hard;to;put;in;place,;then;you
may be surprised and greatly disappoint-
ed;with;the;results.
A steady paycheck often tempts a
teen to incur expenses that will require
constant employment in order to main-
tain those expenses. Many homeschool-
ing children are being raised to have a
healthy,;debt-free;attitude;toward;finan-
ces,;and;that’s;great.;However,;if;a;teen
borrows money to buy a car, that debt
requires a steady income. Even if he pays
cash for the car, he will still have insur-
ance and maintenance expenses.
Most teens have cell phones. Our chil-
dren pay for their own phones, but they
are on month-to-month plans. If a teen is
tied to a two-year contract, that is anoth-
er expense that demands steady income.
I;realize;that;there;are;teens;who;work
hard, spend wisely, save their money,
and have hefty savings accounts. That is
definitely;a;beneficial;way;to;begin;adult-
hood. This begs the question, “Can a teen
earn money without holding a steady
job?”;We;will;address;that;question;later
in this article.
Too much time spent away from the
family, for some teens, pulls them away
from their parents and siblings. When a
child has to be at a job site for a certain
amount;of;hours;per;week,;he;often;be-
comes very close to his “second fam-
ily,”;and;it;is;easy;to;enjoy;being;away
from chores,;siblings,;and;other;stresses
that may be present at home. Getting paid
to;be;there;is;icing;on;the;cake.;Spending
so;much;time;away;from;home;and;work-
ing with teens who have a disdain for their
own families becomes counterproductive
to your values.
Although all of these reasons impacted our decision not to allow our teens to
have real jobs, there was one more reason that was so important to us that it
tipped the scale in favor of this decision.
Being committed to working certain
steady hours at a location outside of the
home;prevents;a;teen;from;taking;ad-vantage of numerous opportunities that
could be experienced and enjoyed otherwise—opportunities such as seminars,
conferences, ministry in times of need,
political campaigns, speech and debate clubs, apprenticeships, internships,
and more. Allowing your teen to gain
through these experiences, while being
self-employed, will be more beneficial
in;the;long;run;than;a;fat;bank;account,
although he could end up with a decent
savings account too.
. . . Allowing a teen to
take;on;a;job;.;.;.;might
create problems and
challenges that are not
worth the money earned
or the experience gained
by that child.
S
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