Jul 18, 201207:30 AMCup of Joe
Your weekly dose of strange parenting news, trends, and polls
Teen jobs: The ultimate motivator
There are a few things that helped me get my life in gear as I crested adulthood, and the job I held as a teen was one of them. Did it teach me how to solve complex math equations? No. Did it show me proper writing and editing techniques? No. Did it teach me that I didn’t want to work at Chuck E. Cheese as a cashier for the rest of my life? YES.
In all honesty, though, holding a job as a teenager did teach me a lot about the value of the money I earned and how to manage my time effectively — even if I did have to put up with screaming kids pouting because they couldn’t get the prize they wanted, parents complaining about their kids complaining and drinks constantly being spilled on the floor.
What I find surprising is that the number of working teens has fallen by nearly 30 percent since 2003, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Now, I know the economy isn’t at its pinnacle, but 30 percent seems a little steep to me.
I can look back now and laugh about my time spent at Chuck E. Cheese, but it was a great motivator as I started college and was an experience I wouldn’t give up. So maybe parents who see their teen going nowhere fast, should try giving the TV cord a yank, and sending their teen out the door to search for a part-time job. It might just motivate them more than you would think.
What was the first job you held while growing up?
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