Pros of an Employed Teen During the Summer!

According to the blog InvitingSmiles, there are pros and cons for a teen working during the summer.  This summer is more difficult for teens to find work than in years past.  Below is an article about the pros of summer teen jobs:

Pros for a Working Teen

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

There are Pros and Cons for a working teen. My perspective comes from being a parent of two working teens. Therefore, this week we will discuss the Pros of an employed teen from a parent’s point of view.

• Many school activities cease during the summer. A job gives the teen somewhere to be rather than roaming the streets, or sitting in front of a television.
• Teens will learn about the world outside of home: good and bad influences by co-workers and management (parents keep an eye out for those bad influences!)
• They will need to budget their money, especially if parents are requiring some payments for a car, car insurance, gasoline, fun money, etc.
• They will learn responsibilities that benefit others, not just themselves: helping customers, keeping your work area clean, making a good sale, etc.
• They will learn skills to help them in future jobs: how to deal with rude adults, snotty management, unruly children*, etc.

*My daughter is working in a children’s store. She has been there 3 days. She has already learned the importance of teaching young children how to behave in a store. Not because she has encountered so many behaved children, but because there are so many parents that allow their children to run unsupervised through the store. This is a lesson that will benefit my daughter and her future children. A personal note: If a 16 year old can tell the importance of supervising small children in public, surely an adult can.

There are many pros of a working teen. However, there are some cons to consider as well. Next week we will speak of those cons. Until then, click here for tips on Parenting Teens: http://www.invitingsmiles.com/Teen-parenting-tips.html