Posted by What is your plan for your teen this summer? There are many ways to keep him/her busy this summer. Summertime options range from expensive camps, visiting relatives out of state, give them the freedom to play outdoors, let them veg in front of the TV, or working. Today we will discuss four tangible benefits of summer employment for your kid.
Growing confidence
One of the things that plague most teenagers is self-esteem and self-confidence that lands them to do wrong things with wrong people, leading to bad outcomes. While we can not eliminate all the challenges our teens are faced with, experience and research indicate that employed teens tend to have fewer challenges. Lastly, our kids feel a tremendous sense of pride and accomplishment, which gives quite a boost to their self-esteem
Connecting with peers
2019 was by far one of the most challenging years in the history of humankind, but it was especially rough on our teenagers. My daughter, who 15 at the time, was missing her friends. She would hide in the room, have bad moods, and spent countless hours on her devices connecting with her friends.
My daughter is not an exception; In fact, peer acceptance ranks very high in the order of importance for teenagers. Teens are willing to do anything to be part of a group, class, or team. When kids start working and join a team, it fosters a sense of belonging and calmness in them.
We are social animals and know from our gut; isolation leads to death. Let’s empower our kids to connect and become a part of the tribe while working this summer.
Building skills
One of the most valuable aspects of the working experience, regardless of its longevity, nature, or compensation level, is the fact that your kids will become more mature and organized through the experience.
The fact that my children will need to get up on time, make lunches, get to work on time, perform tasks, listen to directions, ask for support, interact with others, and receive feedback is so valuable! No amount of homework, school, or any other type of interaction builds the skills as quickly as gainful employment.
Social skills, organizational skills, time management, prioritization, the ability to negotiate, and countless other talents will be developed by your kids in a few months this summer.
Learning about money early
You may want your kids to save all the money they are earning. The reality shows, they will not. I propose to plan how you will be handling their earnings long before they bring the check home, to avoid conflicts.
One thing for sure, the most striking lessons come from hands-on experiences, and if there is a time to learn how to spend money, it is when you very young. I am myself, I started working for a small business owner when I was about 17. I still recall the sense of pride and ego boost, every time I got paid. I loved having my own, yes, my own resources and having full authority about spending them.
Conclusion:
I have three kids; two of them were hired last week for 2 months of work, on weekends. They are 11 and 16 years respectfully, and I am so honored. They are a little scared, anxious, super excited, and can not for their first day at work this Friday. I am also profoundly grateful for a local farming operations owner who took them under his wing! Whether they will last the entire summer or just a weekend, I know this will be transformative for them in many ways.
Thrive in America 