Beyond Burgers
“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.” – Lao-Tzu
As we work towards parenthood, Jeanine and I often have conversations about how we plan to raise our child. This usually leads to discussions about our own childhood and what we wished we had done or been encouraged to do differently. For me personally, I have few regrets about my past.
However, I wish I had been given more direction when I was in my teens and twenties about meaningful work. My parents tried. My mother encouraged me to be an artist or an architect but I remember telling her that I needed a business degree so I could make a good living. Even as a 19-year-old, I was overwhelmed by the thought of how I was going to support myself and live the good life.
I wished though that I had spent more time trying to determine what I enjoyed doing or honing skills that revolved around a particular yet still undefined passion. This is something that I hope to give our child… that brings me to the top of working teenagers.
Although I didn’t flip burgers, my first job was frying fish at Long John Silver’s as a 16-year-old. As Vickie Elmer writes in Kiplinger’s, “Your kid wants to jump into the labor pool this summer to earn a few extra bucks. You want them to find a job so the won’t spend summer on the coach. Both are admirable goals but neither is necessarily the prime reason for working. Younger teenagers can find work other than at fast-food restaurants and swimming pools by focusing on their own talents and interest.”
My mother was fine having me fill the summer by attending art classes or craft camp. But I wanted to work. I wonder what if I had found a job where I had even the slightest interest in the field… would that have set me on a different path or a better path at an earlier age. I don’t dwell in the past so it seems silly to even ponder, but these thoughts come up when I consider how I would encourage our child to spend their summer break.
The article in Kiplinger’s continues, “There are serious benefits in any part-time job: First, they’ll make their own money, but they’ll also be responsible for deciding how to spend and save those greenbacks. They’ll need to make decisions -- for example, do they really need another lip gloss or a pair of expensive tennis shoes? Or should they save up to buy a car or to pay that cell phone bill due at the end of the month?”
The money tips I’ve got down. Encouraging them to find their passion… we can learn together.
As we work towards parenthood, Jeanine and I often have conversations about how we plan to raise our child. This usually leads to discussions about our own childhood and what we wished we had done or been encouraged to do differently. For me personally, I have few regrets about my past.
However, I wish I had been given more direction when I was in my teens and twenties about meaningful work. My parents tried. My mother encouraged me to be an artist or an architect but I remember telling her that I needed a business degree so I could make a good living. Even as a 19-year-old, I was overwhelmed by the thought of how I was going to support myself and live the good life.
I wished though that I had spent more time trying to determine what I enjoyed doing or honing skills that revolved around a particular yet still undefined passion. This is something that I hope to give our child… that brings me to the top of working teenagers.
Although I didn’t flip burgers, my first job was frying fish at Long John Silver’s as a 16-year-old. As Vickie Elmer writes in Kiplinger’s, “Your kid wants to jump into the labor pool this summer to earn a few extra bucks. You want them to find a job so the won’t spend summer on the coach. Both are admirable goals but neither is necessarily the prime reason for working. Younger teenagers can find work other than at fast-food restaurants and swimming pools by focusing on their own talents and interest.”
My mother was fine having me fill the summer by attending art classes or craft camp. But I wanted to work. I wonder what if I had found a job where I had even the slightest interest in the field… would that have set me on a different path or a better path at an earlier age. I don’t dwell in the past so it seems silly to even ponder, but these thoughts come up when I consider how I would encourage our child to spend their summer break.
The article in Kiplinger’s continues, “There are serious benefits in any part-time job: First, they’ll make their own money, but they’ll also be responsible for deciding how to spend and save those greenbacks. They’ll need to make decisions -- for example, do they really need another lip gloss or a pair of expensive tennis shoes? Or should they save up to buy a car or to pay that cell phone bill due at the end of the month?”
The money tips I’ve got down. Encouraging them to find their passion… we can learn together.
posted by Nina Smith at 6:46 AM
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home