Working 4 days a week-Too much for 14 y/o?

[Anonymous]

DD currently works 4 days a week babysitting (4 hours/day, but with getting ready, travel time, it probably feels closer to 6 hours).

Wondering if it's too much. She says it is, but I worry about her having too much downtime (if she lets go of one job, she's down to 2 days a week (so an 8-hour workweek).

Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

No, I worked that much at that age. Why else would she do?

[Anonymous]

What, not why?

[Anonymous]

My son is 14. I think it's too young for a job.

I did work when I was that age, it makes me sad that I had to work so young. It felt like nobody else was working out of my friends. I am still bitter about it

[Anonymous]

Sounds fine. My kids started camp counseling a year or two older than that and worked probably 45-50 hours a week. One HS age DC is currently doing an internship 9-6, M-F, plus 45 minute commute on each end.

[Anonymous]

It is fine

[Anonymous]

16 hours a week? No. Definitely not too much.

[Anonymous]

No way. Plenty of time for other things - like going out and spending that money!

[Anonymous]

Is this job for the summer? Then it's fine. If it were during the school year -- that would be an issue to me, since school is her primary job then.

I am more curious about why you are worried at the thought of her having down time. Is there some specific reason you distrust her? A larger issue going on?

Either way, for summer, those hours are not all that much.

[Anonymous]

It is not too much my 13 yo works from 9-1 but I drop off at 8 and pick up at 3.

That still leaves him 3-10 to do whatever. Kids these days - too much.

I worked when I was 14 at an ice cream shop - 3-8.

[Anonymous]

My oldest started "working" as a LIT (leader in training, step before counselor in training) when he was 13. His days were 6-8 hours long five days a week. He still had tons of free time. He was tired at the end of the day, but it didn't concern me because he had plenty of downtime and plenty of time to get his summer assignments done.

[Anonymous]

i worked 40 hours a week as a 14 year old and it was great.

Why would it be too much? Unless she hates it and doesn't want to do it or it, why would you be worried.

She still has lots of free time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this job for the summer? Then it's fine. If it were during the school year -- that would be an issue to me, since school is her primary job then.

I am more curious about why you are worried at the thought of her having down time. Is there some specific reason you distrust her? A larger issue going on?

Either way, for summer, those hours are not all that much.

OP here. Not worried in a "hope she doesn't get into anything" way. But rather don't want her spending hours a day just walking the neighborhood. Nothing wrong with it and she wouldn't get into trouble, but I just don't want her doing that all summer. For a few hours a day? Sure. But not *all day*.

[Anonymous]

The summer I was 14 I worked as a camp counselor during the day from 9-3, and then worked as a cashier at the grocery store from 4-7pm three or four afternoons a week, and from 7am to 1pm on Sunday mornings.

So um, no, I do not think that working 4 days each week is too much. At all. Not even close.

[Anonymous]

Four hours babysitting? Give me a break. It's not like she is a laborer at a construction site.