summer jobs (inspired by Ora)
(cross posted at Midcentury Modern Moms)
Last week Ora wrote about her son's summer job. I do hope everything works out for him.
I steal from the best. It's time for me to talk about my daughters' summer plans.
My rule is that my kids must do something constructive during the summer. I don't care if it's employment, study or volunteer work, so long as it fills a significant amount of time, is useful and requires active participation. The rule came into existence after that disastrous summer -- the summer between Jen's sophomore and junior years in high school -- when Jen sat home all summer and did absolutely nothing. I thought I was going to kill her, or myself, by the end of that summer. (That was a double occasion -- the first and the last time. the following summer she got a job at a day camp, the same camp where she and Becca had been campers.)
This year, Jen's summer is already planned. She will be home from college in mid-May. She wants to pick up a history or science course at our local college in June. And then, for the rest of the summer, she will go back to the job she's had for the past 3 summers -- she'll be a counselor at the day camp. It doesn't pay much, but Jen is planning to be an elementary school teacher, so I think of this as "professional development".
Becca, on the other hand....last summer she worked at the day camp, and HATED it. She won't go back. But that leaves a void....she's so wrapped up in the college application/admission process, and planning the social events of her last few months in high school, that she hasn't given much thought to the summer.
She's thinking she might work at the mall, where she's got a part time job -- sales help in a clothing store. It's the perfect job for my fashionista daughter, she loves working in the store and handling (and buying) the merchandise. Right now she works one or two four-hour shifts per week because the company has strict limits on the number of hours a minor can work. But she'll be 18 on July 8, and therefore will be eligible for more hours if she works at the store this summer.
I am thinking this may be a good thing. Right now she's taking an elective course, "fashion merchandising", from the high school's business department. She's making the connection between the classwork and what she sees in the store....and she's telling me she might not major in international studies or political science after all, she might major in business.
It's keeping her busy, it's giving her great experience, and it may give her insight and direction towards a career. Sounds like the perfect summer job.
Last week Ora wrote about her son's summer job. I do hope everything works out for him.
I steal from the best. It's time for me to talk about my daughters' summer plans.
My rule is that my kids must do something constructive during the summer. I don't care if it's employment, study or volunteer work, so long as it fills a significant amount of time, is useful and requires active participation. The rule came into existence after that disastrous summer -- the summer between Jen's sophomore and junior years in high school -- when Jen sat home all summer and did absolutely nothing. I thought I was going to kill her, or myself, by the end of that summer. (That was a double occasion -- the first and the last time. the following summer she got a job at a day camp, the same camp where she and Becca had been campers.)
This year, Jen's summer is already planned. She will be home from college in mid-May. She wants to pick up a history or science course at our local college in June. And then, for the rest of the summer, she will go back to the job she's had for the past 3 summers -- she'll be a counselor at the day camp. It doesn't pay much, but Jen is planning to be an elementary school teacher, so I think of this as "professional development".
Becca, on the other hand....last summer she worked at the day camp, and HATED it. She won't go back. But that leaves a void....she's so wrapped up in the college application/admission process, and planning the social events of her last few months in high school, that she hasn't given much thought to the summer.
She's thinking she might work at the mall, where she's got a part time job -- sales help in a clothing store. It's the perfect job for my fashionista daughter, she loves working in the store and handling (and buying) the merchandise. Right now she works one or two four-hour shifts per week because the company has strict limits on the number of hours a minor can work. But she'll be 18 on July 8, and therefore will be eligible for more hours if she works at the store this summer.
I am thinking this may be a good thing. Right now she's taking an elective course, "fashion merchandising", from the high school's business department. She's making the connection between the classwork and what she sees in the store....and she's telling me she might not major in international studies or political science after all, she might major in business.
It's keeping her busy, it's giving her great experience, and it may give her insight and direction towards a career. Sounds like the perfect summer job.
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