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[quote=Anonymous]At the local farmers' market, I went with my oldest who has ADHD/anxiety to see if any of the vendors were hiring. I let the him chose which ones we asked. He got hired by a guy who made ready to eat ethnic food!

The first time, the guy met us at a different market, showed DS how to set up, how to account for sales, etc. and then he left us to work on our own (to be clear, I was 'volunteering'). It was lower risk for the vendor because he has to pay for the space whether he shows up or not, he has regulars who know what they want and expect to see him every week and I was there.

I had to go with DS because he was 15 and didn't have a driver's license. I would have gone with him at least the first few times until he was comfortable and confident.

The experience exceeded my wildest expectations!

It took DS a little while to overcome his anxiety and be comfortable - not just with customers but totalling purchases, taking money, making change and 'tracking inventory'. But, that why I was there - to  model and support until he was proficient and comfortable. I cannot overstate how beneficial this experience was - and that was in addition to the money he earned.

A few weeks into it, DD (14 yo) asked if she could get a job doing the same thing. The vendor hired her, too. We'd go the vendor's home and pick up the stuff. I'd then drop off DS at one market and DD the other. DD is NT but an introvert but it wasn't long before I just dropped them both off and picked them up.

Yes, it wasn't how I wanted to spend my free time but some kids need more initial support, explicit instruction and modeling than others. This was an investment that was life changing for them and continues to reap benefits years later.[/quote]

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