Whatever happened to job opportunities for junior high boys? That cornerstone job, the newspaper route, went by the wayside why? Crime? Cost? Liability? Not sure, but sure am sad that it went.
Not that I would let my kid ride his bike in the dark, in the cold, wearing a heavy bag loaded with rolled papers, in questionable neighborhoods, going door to door, and maybe even a few miles from home. Gasp. Simply unsafe! Still, don't I wish he had the opportunity?
Yesterday, SJ plopped down on the couch and announced that he would ask his dad for a job at our store when he got home. He has a goal, you see. He needs new paintball stuff. Always the encourager, I laid it out for him. "Sorry Bud. We don't have work for you." I know. It was a soft letdown.
But it made me wonder. Aside from allowances (that come from our pocket) or jobs with parents who own businesses (that comes from our pocket), what is a young man to do for money? Have your kids found some safe and effective ways to market themselves for odd jobs? How do they do it?
I would love to hear your ideas.
On a more successful note, my 16 year old who does work for us, opened his wallet and bought his own Subway sandwich yesterday. "I can buy my own, Mom," he said. I let the guilt of it prick me for just a sec, then realized the greater good in letting him feel the success of a penny earned.
Me too! My 14 year old has been wanting a job since he was 10...but there's not a lot out there. Even neighbors have stopped asking/paying the boy next door for odd jobs. We're lucky in that we have one elderly neighbor who will ask a favor now and then and monetarily reward him :)
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