he has been doing very well for his first job. Showing up on time, working over when the boss needs extra help, saying "ok" when he is called in on his day off. Now that school has been going on for a week, there has been a problem. He doesn't get off until 10:00 in the night and by the time he comes home, eats, showers and talkes to his gf on the phone it is right at midnight by the time he is going to bed. He is miserable now. He has been late to school twice this week, and this is the first week. Also, he gets out of school at 3:00 and has to be to work by 4:00. He is asking my permission to quit. I believe in working. I believe in kids making their own money and saving for the things they want. He had been taking half his paychecks and putting them in a savings account. I just don't want his last 2 years of school to be miserable because of work, but I also don't want him to think you just quit when things are tough. Adivce please...??
2007-08-31 03:23:09 · 12 answers · asked by Corona 5 in Family & Relationships ➔ Family
I understand your dilemma, and I am a firm believer of a good work ethic. However, re-read what the first person said. His education will get him farther than some job he has at age 16.
Maybe he should look for another job with less hours per week and maybe more hours on the weekends. You don't want him worn out now, his school and education should come first.
I commend you for making your child to be responsible, save money, be flexible and take on multiple tasks, but remember he's only 16.
2007-08-31 03:37:43 · answer #1 · answered by Colonel 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I think you or your son, should talk to his boss, to see about cutting his hours maybe from 4-7 instead of 4-10. School should come first, I had to learn the hard way. I worked in a restaurant when I was 16 also, and I started to feel like I wasn't getting paid to go to school, so why should I go. So i think you should either let him quit work, or cut his hours down, before he makes a decision that I once did.
2007-08-31 10:42:05 · answer #2 · answered by Kim C 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Go with the restaurant job if that's the highest ambition you have for him. He may eventually work his way up to manager.
He can try asking to work fewer hours over the school year. If he's been a good employee (and it sounds like he has) his boss may go for it to keep him around.
But if you want him to have more opportunities in life then school needs to be his major focus right now. He needs to be there on time and in shape to learn. That education will lead to more and better jobs and should be considered his full time job for now. Anything else should be part time at most.
2007-08-31 14:07:32 · answer #3 · answered by Critter 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No offense, but that "making your kids work hard for the sake of working hard" is just plain illogical. Yes, it is EXTREMELY important to teach your kids to be responsible and that they're practiced in working hard. But working hard in school is just as valid as lugging around rocks, with one vital difference: 10 years of lugging rocks still pays squat.
This is simple math. Let's assume he's getting paid 15 bucks an hour at his current job, and going 40 hours a week. That's 600 a week, pre-tax. So 52*600 = 34,000 a year. Not too shabby. On the other hand, let us assume that he spends these extra 40 hours doing extra school work- which gives him great grades. With these great grades, he can now get into a better college and/or get a better scholarship for this college.
Cost of college with scholarship: 0 - $20,0000
Cost of college without scholarship: $30,000 or more
So he's worked for 2 years, making about 60,000 - taxes (so let's be generous and say 50,000). Over 4 years of college, even only a 10,000 dollar scholarship ads up to 40,000 bucks. This money is untaxed, as it is the school giving you a free ride for part of the tuition. So now, he's REALLY only made 10,000 dollars for working hard during his high school years. Moreover, he's going to a worse school.
Let us assume that going to a good school versus a bad one results in making 1,000 dollars more a year (which doesn't seem unreasonable, and is also a low estimate, though we'll assume it's adjusted for inflation). So, after college, he's got about 25 years or more in the workforce. That is a difference of $25,000 dollars. Plus, he would have more control over where he could work and be happier. So then, the end result is that instead of even gaining the 10,000 , he's really LOST $15,000 dollars over the course of his career.
So I would say, make him miserable doing school work for the 40 hours a week. Make him spend 20 more hours on having perfect homework, and 20 more hours doing good-looking extra-curiculars. Heck, incentivize him if that is what it takes. Pay him for perfect grades on papers/tests, and pay him extra for honors/AP classes, if that is what it takes for you to feel that he is working. Because ultimately, and especially if you are chipping in for college- that is money that is not spent, but money that is invested.
2007-08-31 10:50:52 · answer #4 · answered by loki_of_valhala 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
All you can do is talk to him, see if he can talk to his boss about cutting his hours now that he is in school. Its not bad to cut back while going to school. Most bosses know that school should come first. Maybe he could try to cut it back to 8, instead of 10? That way he has time for homework and such. As for the talking to to the gf and that puts him to midnight, then he has to pay for the choice he made to stay up and talk to her.
2007-08-31 10:32:59 · answer #5 · answered by Beatngu 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Would you prefer for your child to drop out of school and keep working? Working is fine, but does it have to be that many hours especially on a school night? After all at 16 he is still a child. He has plenty of time to work when he becomes an adult.
2007-08-31 10:33:10 · answer #6 · answered by Pinolera 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
The most important thing for him long term is his education. There will be other jobs in the future - but he only gets one chance with school. If this job is affecting his learning then he has no option but to quit - the better he does in school then the better his long term career prospects are going to be.
2007-08-31 10:39:46 · answer #7 · answered by james2167uk 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
My mother raised me like this. My job (while I was in H.S.) was to go to school and get good grades to help secure my future. ANYTHING that came between me and school could and would be cut out of my life. My mother subsidized my teen years. She gave me money every two weeks like a paycheck and it was my job to budget my very modest payroll. If I ran out of money then too damn bad.
There is enough time in this world for him to be an adult later. His first priority is school. Period.
2007-08-31 11:19:35 · answer #8 · answered by Poppet 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Tell him to talk to his boss about either leaving work early or not working every day. It shouldn't have to be a work everyday until 10 or no work at all situation.
2007-08-31 10:54:20 · answer #9 · answered by Manny 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Three cheers and a lot of kudos for any teenager who puts his education in front of their job.
Let him quit, he obviously has some excellent work habits established. Have him give ntoice, and let him work through the summer.
Education Education Education.........
Did I say how important his education is?
2007-08-31 14:53:40 · answer #10 · answered by Michael H 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋