Sasha Obama had a summer job... anyone else's teen working?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Photo Op. Nothing more nothing less.

Obama is not running for another office. The family doesn't need any photo ops.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its probably not the money so much as the experience.

Or appearance.

He has no more elections.

Exactly this. For what reason does the Obama family care about the appearance that their daughter has a summer job?

My guess is that they wanted their DD to have a taste of real life. She lives a very privileged existence and is also circumscribed by her security detail. This is probably the best they could do for a 15-year-old child of the president.

Before opening, there is plenty of work to do. This place has both a sit-down restaurant and a take-out counter. She could be restocking napkin dispensers, restocking the refrigerators with bottled/canned beverages, setting tables, cleaning bathrooms, mopping floors, washing windows, emptying dishwasher racks from previous night. Food prep work: washing and slicing lettuce and tomatoes for sandwiches, slicing veggies for salads, mixing up cole slaw if they do it from scratch, filling ketchup and mustard bottles. Etc. I'm sure neither the secret service nor the restaurant owners nor their customers want her sitting at the take-out cash register all day--security issues likely make it a PITA for everyone. So the restaurant owner probably agreed to have her for 30 minutes at opening each day as a favor to the president.

It strikes me as extraordinarily mean-spirited to begrudge the children of sitting presidents the opportunity to live as normal a life as can be carved out for them. It strikes me as extraordinarily cynical and unfair to accuse the First Family of doing this for appearances only. My family is very comfortable financially and our teens didn't "need" jobs, but we insisted they get them (or volunteer their time if they preferred a volunteer activity) because we believe strongly that kids should have real working experience and that jobs are important learning experiences. And we actually preferred food service. It's *real* work, it can be physically difficult and sometimes not that pleasant, and in doing it you frequently meet people from various walks of life. Plus, it's a transferable skill that they can easily take to college, where our teens also worked for their own spending money. I was a waitress in college and consider it an important life experience.

This exactly

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Photo Op. Nothing more nothing less.

To impress who? PBO's political career is almost at the end.

His presidency is nearly done, but he's far from done being in the spot light.

Sure but what do the Obamas have to gain in public relations from her getting a summer job, very little to almost none, but for Sasha this could be an experience that could carry her through a lifetime. She should continue next year when he's finished with office and it'll probably be for a lot longer.

[Anonymous]

The hardest part of working in food service is dealing with the nasty customers.
No one was going to be nasty to the Presidents daughter with SS standing right there.

And, like a PP said, no one was going to say squat if she had to request time off for a vacation. Most teen summer jobs give teens the worst shifts, and throw a fit if you dare to ask for time off. I'm sure this was not the case here.

[Anonymous]

Teen DD has a restaurant job this summer. Great experience for her that included dealing with cranky customers. I loved how proud she was of her first paycheck. Good for the Obamas for making it possible for Sasha to have that kind of experience.

[Anonymous]

What is the negativity? Her parents are trying to give their daughter something approximating a normal experience.

They have never used them in the past for publicity- far from it. The girls seem nice and normal- not perfect (no one has perfect children), but good kids.

[Anonymous]

Good for Sasha! I think this is a great character building experience.

[Anonymous]

Good for them. They'll never be able to give her the "real" experience of having to work to pay for school or even working normal shifts like teens do, but this type of thing is the closest she can get. She gets some customer contact for a half hr/day for the few weeks she worked. But more than that she learns what it's like to be on your feet continuously for the half day she works -- mopping floors; wiping down tables; setting tables for the lunch rush; and doing whatever else the manager needs done. Sure none of this is rocket science, but it's not like she's had to do it before in the white house so it is a learning experience and maybe a glimpse into what it feels like if you didn't get enough sleep the night before and still have to slog thru the day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Photo Op. Nothing more nothing less.

If she'd worked the entire summer digging ditches for minimum wage, you'd still have something crappy to say about it.

This +1 Surprising PP doesn't list her kid's summer employment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't it weird that she works a 4 hr shift that ENDS 30 min after the restaurant opens? So she is done working at noon right at the peak of lunch?

I imagine Secret Service had something to do with this and it's probably safer her for not to have too much contact with the public -- but she gets a 30 min taste of the beginning of the lunch hour. What is going on at the restaurant from 8-11:30 am? I imagine there's some setting up of tables/dishes etc., maybe taking some takeout orders? But that seems like an odd shift to work before lunch really starts.

I take it you've never worked in the food service industry.

No. So I'm asking. How much prep is there? I didn't realize that there was a morning shift at restaurants -- I figured people just arrived an hr or 2 before the opening.

Usually there's a lot of prep work. I don't know what they serve there, but setting tables, prepping drink station, cutting up lemons and limes, wrapping silverware in napkins, putting condiments in little cups, helping out with kitchen tasks, etc.

[Anonymous]

My 17yo DD had 3 jobs this summer to help save for college and to have a nice summer. 1st -9-1pm, 2nd 130-4pm, 3rd 430-930pm. Kept her busy and out of trouble. Only the 3rd job (retail) did she work on the wknds.

[Anonymous]

Sasha's first choice was Baskin Robbins but the Secret Service made her choose Nancy's instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its probably not the money so much as the experience.

Or appearance.

But if she wasn't working she would be a lazy black girl right? You're so transparent.

I am black. Keep reaching.

You're a sad little creature, actually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its probably not the money so much as the experience.

Or appearance.

He has no more elections.

Exactly this. For what reason does the Obama family care about the appearance that their daughter has a summer job?

My guess is that they wanted their DD to have a taste of real life. She lives a very privileged existence and is also circumscribed by her security detail. This is probably the best they could do for a 15-year-old child of the president.

Before opening, there is plenty of work to do. This place has both a sit-down restaurant and a take-out counter. She could be restocking napkin dispensers, restocking the refrigerators with bottled/canned beverages, setting tables, cleaning bathrooms, mopping floors, washing windows, emptying dishwasher racks from previous night. Food prep work: washing and slicing lettuce and tomatoes for sandwiches, slicing veggies for salads, mixing up cole slaw if they do it from scratch, filling ketchup and mustard bottles. Etc. I'm sure neither the secret service nor the restaurant owners nor their customers want her sitting at the take-out cash register all day--security issues likely make it a PITA for everyone. So the restaurant owner probably agreed to have her for 30 minutes at opening each day as a favor to the president.

It strikes me as extraordinarily mean-spirited to begrudge the children of sitting presidents the opportunity to live as normal a life as can be carved out for them. It strikes me as extraordinarily cynical and unfair to accuse the First Family of doing this for appearances only. My family is very comfortable financially and our teens didn't "need" jobs, but we insisted they get them (or volunteer their time if they preferred a volunteer activity) because we believe strongly that kids should have real working experience and that jobs are important learning experiences. And we actually preferred food service. It's *real* work, it can be physically difficult and sometimes not that pleasant, and in doing it you frequently meet people from various walks of life. Plus, it's a transferable skill that they can easily take to college, where our teens also worked for their own spending money. I was a waitress in college and consider it an important life experience.

No matter how well the "closers" think they clean the restuarant, there is always something to clean. Wrapping napkins around silverware alone takes a HUGE amount of time. Often because you have to track down - and wash, because somehow it didn't happen last night - one specific item. Ketchup containers are often emptied the night before, washed, dry overnight, and are refilled in the morning. If they use the little packages instead, the containers holding them need to be emptied regularly, washed, dried, and refilled - it's amazing how many people can't seem to figure out how to get packages out of those without making a sticky mess. Salt and pepper shakers need refilling. The menus need to be collected, straightened, ensured are clean, and either put back on the table or at the hostess stand (though maybe not at that resaurant.) Basically, if you need to clean it at your house, it needs to be cleaned at the restaurant, but cleanER - because others will be eating there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sasha's first choice was Baskin Robbins but the Secret Service made her choose Nancy's instead.

Really like her dad? I think she enjoys pleasing him more than Malia; she played bball for him. It makes sense for her to work at Nancy's since they know the owner.