Teens and Work

Tips for Parents:

Teenagers have busy lives and, generally, they have the energy to handle them. Adding a part time job to the school year schedule can be a positive experience or a negative experience depending on how it is worked into the school and Family routine. Here are some tips on how to make your teenager's part time job experience a positive one.

• Limit the hours and the number of days. Teens have had much more success in obtaining the positives of working when they work 3 to 4 days a week as opposed to a job that is every day for two to three hours.
• Use an Action Plan for household and school responsibilities. Re-evaluate what chores your teen will be responsible for, talk about when homework will be done, discuss what happens should grades drop and write it all down! This is a wonderful time to test your teens problem solving skills and see their perspective.
• Compromise. Tell them what you would like to see and allow them to make the choices.
• Set up how the money will be spent. Teens live in the present. So, along with having them save part of their money (for college, etc), give them something to purchase in the short term, i.e. a TV or a stereo. Do this by having them make a wish list and include prices.