Why do middle class parents make their kids hold jobs during the school year?

[Anonymous]

It's really good character building. It's empowering for them to have their own money and a life outside of home and school. It teaches them to juggle responsibilities. For boys they are going to be working the next 50 years to support a family, they need to get ready. Girls as well although obviously some will sah at some point but they need to know how to work and have that skill to fall back on to support themselves.

Work isn't a dirty word. It's good for people.

[Anonymous]

My son's time is better spent fast tracking his way through high school. He is on track to finish a year early. So, he will enter university and the job force one year early.

So, yeah his time is better spent on school instead of making minimum wage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How could this possibly be self-defeating in the big picture of life?

Grades, extracurriculars, community engagement are more important. Only so many hours in a day. It seems middle class parents are old school and think a job toughens their kid up -- meanwhile UMC parents have their kids learning calculus and computer programming, you know, real skills.

How is learning to be timely, communicate clearly, ask questions to clarify tasks, managing money, and taking responsibility, not a "real skill"? I think the whole grit thing is bunk myself, but teenage jobs aren't about grit. They're about kids learning to be independent and responsible, and to earn some money for themselves. Also I had fun at my jobs when I was a kid. (And lots of delicious pizza like PP said.)

Oh and also -- I WANTED the job. My parents never told me to get a job. I got it myself, because it sounded interesting, and I wanted some extra money. Teens naturally want autonomy.

I begged my parents to let me get a job at 16! And I picked up tons of shifts because I liked my coworkers and job and liked having money. I figured going to work and hanging out and making money beat sitting at home not making anything. And before anyone gets all "times are different" I am 31 so this was the early 2000s. MOST of my friends worked for the same reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son's time is better spent fast tracking his way through high school. He is on track to finish a year early. So, he will enter university and the job force one year early.

So, yeah his time is better spent on school instead of making minimum wage.

Its great he's going to enter the job force a year early having ZERO experience of what work is like.

[Anonymous]

My parents never made me working during the school year. School was my job. 5-figure HHI, for whatever that's worth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in an affluent area, though my parents weren't nearly as wealthy as most of my classmates. (Chicago suburb.)

Probably the wealthiest boy in my class had a job bagging groceries at the local mom and pop grocery store. His father was a big time exec and my house could have fit inside of his house ten times. His parents were filthy rich. But SO kind. And he bagged groceries.

Gross. In Chicago, those are union jobs. I can't even imagine allowing or suggesting my child join a union.

[Anonymous]

I cannot believe this is a real question. I grew up in an upper middle class household. I always had a job, PT during the school year and full time during the summer. The money was negligible, so my parents always paid for everything so i wasn't working for the money.

All that said, the job gave me a first chance to figure out the real world: that you can't show up 8 minutes late to work; that you can't just assume you get time off around xmas; how to talk to adults; that $6/hour, with taxes subtracted, literally doesn't pay for the lunch i bought after my 4 hour shift.

It was not difficult finding 15 hours a week in high school to commit to this job. My husband and i are incredibly wealthy now, and my kid will sure as hell be working in HS and summers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My parents never made me working during the school year. School was my job. 5-figure HHI, for whatever that's worth.

School is 30 hours a week plus a little homework. It is so gross to have this attitude that that's all you owe to the world. Signed, 7-figure HHI who grew up in a 7-figure HHI with a DH who grew up on welfare, who both expect our kid to work, for what it's worth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in an affluent area, though my parents weren't nearly as wealthy as most of my classmates. (Chicago suburb.)

Probably the wealthiest boy in my class had a job bagging groceries at the local mom and pop grocery store. His father was a big time exec and my house could have fit inside of his house ten times. His parents were filthy rich. But SO kind. And he bagged groceries.

Gross. In Chicago, those are union jobs. I can't even imagine allowing or suggesting my child join a union.

Your child should be so lucky to join a union.

[Anonymous]

So they learn the value of a dollar. So they learn how to be responsible. So they learn empathy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in an affluent area, though my parents weren't nearly as wealthy as most of my classmates. (Chicago suburb.)

Probably the wealthiest boy in my class had a job bagging groceries at the local mom and pop grocery store. His father was a big time exec and my house could have fit inside of his house ten times. His parents were filthy rich. But SO kind. And he bagged groceries.

Gross. In Chicago, those are union jobs. I can't even imagine allowing or suggesting my child join a union.

Why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in an affluent area, though my parents weren't nearly as wealthy as most of my classmates. (Chicago suburb.)

Probably the wealthiest boy in my class had a job bagging groceries at the local mom and pop grocery store. His father was a big time exec and my house could have fit inside of his house ten times. His parents were filthy rich. But SO kind. And he bagged groceries.

Gross. In Chicago, those are union jobs. I can't even imagine allowing or suggesting my child join a union.

And this is the crux of the problem. No job is beneath any one. An honest day/hour of work is valid no matter what the work activity. To suggest that a job is "gross" when it's clearly not a dirty job like Mike Rowe showcases is just an entitled and offensive opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son's time is better spent fast tracking his way through high school. He is on track to finish a year early. So, he will enter university and the job force one year early.

So, yeah his time is better spent on school instead of making minimum wage.

Its great he's going to enter the job force a year early having ZERO experience of what work is like.

+1 All things being equal, most employers prefer to hire someome with *any* job experience than with none.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son's time is better spent fast tracking his way through high school. He is on track to finish a year early. So, he will enter university and the job force one year early.

So, yeah his time is better spent on school instead of making minimum wage.

Its great he's going to enter the job force a year early having ZERO experience of what work is like.

That's okay, he will have summer jobs in university and he will be internships in uni.

[Anonymous]

I mean he will have internships.