Teens and Work

Jobs let teens experience the world of work. Even if the work is hard and boring at times, it is work. This in itself is an important lesson: Work is work. If you stick with it, the rewards are enough money to buy something you want, whether a T.V. or saving for college. Probably the most difficult part of work, for teens, is missing the social or "play time" with other teens.
I think work is good for teens, especially summer work. Jobs during the school year should have reduced hours, no more than ten to fifteen hours weekly, so they don't interfere with school. It's important for teens to find their job by themselves. If a parent stays out of it, teens learn the difficulty of finding a job -- an important discovery. Another is the experience of someone else serving as the boss, other than a familiar parent or teacher, to whom your teen must report and also be evaluated by at regular intervals.
Seeing how much money he or she can make, and what one can possibly do with this amount is critical to understanding value, expenses, savings, and profit. For example, if a teen works all day helping out in an office, then he can measure just how much work was required to earn that money. It gives him a feel for the hard work required, compared to the buying power of the money that was earned.
Finally, there are numerous other lessons that teens have shared with me: "I don't think I can do work that is boring day after day." Or, "I want work that brings me in contact with people, not machinery." Or, "I don't care what work I do as long as I don't bring it home." Or, "I want professional work where I am treated with respect." The bottom line: let a teen try his hand at working!