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

[Anonymous]

To build "grit"? Seems self defeating, big picture.

[Anonymous]

I had a job where I worked about 5-6 hours per week in a pizza parlor. It paid for most of my car insurance. I'm pretty sure my parents made me get the job so I'd come home with all the 'mistake' pizzas that we made over the course of an evening.

Didn't seem self-defeating to me.

[Anonymous]

I had a job all through late elementary school through higher school -- I had played an instrument and I did wedding gigs and hotel lobby background music. It was a good way to make $ and it taught me how to market myself and be dependable. I don't think it was self defeating.

[Anonymous]

right, because kids should be cuddled their entire lives so when is time to greet the world they have no ability to manage time or stress, no value of what it takes to earn a dollar, etc. I think the real question is why don't more parents require their kids to work ten hours a week?

[Anonymous]

What? I had jobs from the time I was 14 and all through college. It was fine. Kids have a lot of free time.

[Anonymous]

5 or 6 hours a week? That's like what, one shift on Saturday? I'm referring to real jobs where kids put in 15 or more hours a week.

[Anonymous]

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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:5 or 6 hours a week? That's like what, one shift on Saturday? I'm referring to real jobs where kids put in 15 or more hours a week.

What jobs are those? A paper route? Working at McDonald's? 15 hours a week doesn't seem like much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:right, because kids should be cuddled their entire lives so when is time to greet the world they have no ability to manage time or stress, no value of what it takes to earn a dollar, etc. I think the real question is why don't more parents require their kids to work ten hours a week?

Jobs are fine...in the summer or over holiday break.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:5 or 6 hours a week? That's like what, one shift on Saturday? I'm referring to real jobs where kids put in 15 or more hours a week.

Eh, it would've been more, but I was a 3 season athlete. It was fun. My friends worked there too.

[Anonymous]

Because of this question, is exactly why we have an "Entitled Society"

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Is it better that they spend the time online?

[Anonymous]

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.

So weird. I've used skills I learned working in an office when I was a teen far more than I've used calculus. And I'm an economist...so....whatever.

[Anonymous]

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.

You must be a troll. I had a part-time job, did AP calculus (and multiple other AP courses), started/led clubs at school, participated in a sport. I got into a top 5 school. If you can't do all of these things you're not very smart. So yeah, if your kid is average then by all means protect them from having that part time job.