Cash Register by Interchangeable Parts on Flickr
Purely selfish on my part, but I want her to do well in school.
You see, my Beautiful Girl intends to go to university.
She’s an A average student. She has to work at it for some subjects while others come easier, and even though I know there are benefits to having a part-time job, I feel that working after school and weekends would be detrimental to her academically.
She’s in Year 10 and spends up to 3 hours an afternoon working on homework and assessment tasks. That’s a fair chunk out of her afternoon. Add to that her music and dance lessons, and it’s not leaving her with a lot of spare time to just chill.
And honestly… she’ll have plenty of time later in life for work.
Do you remember wanting to be all growed-up and earning a gazillion dollars?
Reality is more like working in a job that you have a love-hate relationship with. One that often leaves you stressed to the eyeballs. Making just enough to cover the bills, feed and clothe the family and afford a weekend away once or twice a year.
So, I want to let my Beautiful Girl just be a kid while she can.
Which means I happily part with pocket-money once a fortnight for the chores that she is required to do as part of the family (which is then split 30-30-40 to an everyday account, an investment account and her money-pig – teaching her responsible money habits early on!)
To earn extra money, she does extra chores around the house – mowing the lawn, cleaning the car inside and out, ironing, washing. If she’s saving up for something big, the offers come thick and fast. If I need a hand to catch up on stuff around the house, she doesn’t baulk when I ask for help.
I know that she’s growing up to be an intelligent and mature young lady, and while I can support her in the loving environment of our home I will. There’ll be plenty of time for the ‘real’ world when she’s that bit older. When she’s ready.
So until then, it’s homework, assessment tasks, dancing, music lessons, reading books, playing with the dog and taking afternoon walks along the river…
…and one happy, well-adjusted kid (and mother…)
Like I said, purely selfish on my part.
Do your teenage children have part-time jobs? Has it had an impact on their school work? Or has it helped them develop in to well-rounded young adults?
Please share your stories here.
