Families throw away account here. I think that I already know the answer, but I’m not positive.
My son wants to get a job so he can start buying his own stuff, such as the Switch 2 that is coming out. I’m only giving him $20 every two weeks because he does do some chores, but not all of them. If he does all of them, he gets $40.
He is missing a few school assignments strictly because he doesn’t like the mandatory classes or the teacher or both. I told him when he turned 15 that if he got his grades up and started respecting his teachers he could. Well, that was a few months ago and it hasn’t changed for the most part.
I’ve explained to him that high school is similar to having a job. You’re going to have to finish the job (homework) to get a paycheck (grades) and respect your boss (teacher).
He still isn’t understanding it and part of me just wants to let him fly so he can understand what I’m saying. But, I also don’t want him to fail like I feel he will.
What would you do?
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If it was me, I would have him get a summer job. There’s literally no downside. If he fails, then he fails. You can’t shelter your children from failure or they will never learn.
Both of my kids had part-time after school jobs. They earn their own money eventually got their own bank accounts and as they got older credit cards and all the responsibility that comes with earning money. They both learned how to balance school with their job and their school never suffered. The nice thing was I knew where they were and they were safe and the other thing was that they learned the responsibility of having a boss and working with a group of people. All I can say is there’s more things to learn sometimes from a part-time job then even some of their classes.
Fuckin duh lol
I was moving furniture at 14
I’d let him. He might actually get it if he experiences it first hand.
Worst case scenario he has to quit the job.
Hmm I’m not sure I agree with the others saying to let him because in this case letting him have a job is a reward for something that he was supposed to do, but didn’t do.
The first thing I would do if it were me would be to find out what he dislikes about school and why he isn’t taking it seriously. Does he find it boring? Hard to understand? There are ways to improve this. And does he fully understand the value of an education? For instance, what kind of career does he want to have?
>He is missing a few school assignments strictly because he doesn’t like the mandatory classes or the teacher or both. I told him when he turned 15 that if he got his grades up and started respecting his teachers he could. Well, that was a few months ago and it hasn’t changed for the most part.
Nope. Making having all his assignments done and on time a condition of getting a job. He might want money but he isn’t mature enough to handle both school and work.
If he can’t maintain now? Heck no.
Getting a job will help. There is nothing like working at McDonalds for minimum wage for a summer to make you realize why you want an education.
I got my paper route just before my 12th birthday and carried it for almost 7 years. Good money for the time, equivalent to about $500/month now. But it meant I had no social life, as it was an evening paper. But I was a nerd. I didn’t want a social life.
Some chores should be done for free. Their share of living together. Overall, I think that routine simple chores (take the garbage out, wash your dishes) should be part of this one, while chores that take substantial time and energy should be paid. (Mow the lawn, vacuum the basement.) For these, do them at your best pace once, find out what a pro would charge for it, and they get what a pro would get for the same quality job. Porbably will take them twice as long.
In some cases I would suggest swaps. E.g. You do his laundry in exchange for him cooking one night a week. But really, he needs to do his own laundry, and he needs to learn to cook.
I would consider paying him for any main course recipe that he has learned well, (will usually take 3 times) and a lesser amount for side dishes. He does cleanup any night he cooks. If he has the rudiments of cooking, and can clean a kitchen with some dispatch he will never be unemployed.