Summer Jobs for Kids

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My son was beginning to seem depressed about the transition from the school year to the summer.

Then he began a summer job - watering a garden for a family who is vacationing for a month. It isn't a major time commitment, but it was amazing to see his turn-around when given the opportunity to show his responsibility.





Did you have jobs as a kid?

Do your kids have summer jobs?

I began working at age 15 delivering stuff from the cleaners.

Making money doing something productive inevitably improves one's mood.

I was in the Summer Youth Program of NYC when I was 18. I got to work in the Elmhurst Hospital Library--what an experience! (positive).

Watering a garden sounds good. I started out doing yard work for a neighbor too. When I was a teenager I worked on a local farm, just odds and ends. There was very little pressure and a lot of oversight and it was a good environment.

Making money and contributing HELPS.

I didn't have summer jobs-- didn't have transportation, or really for that matter financial need.

I DID have a pretty responsible role to play at home. It was just Daddy and me when I was a teen, so during the summer I did ALL of the housekeeping, fooling with the animals, a fair bit of the lighter yard work.

Pretty much the only things I did not do were cook dinner (though I was responsible for prep-- thawing meat, cutting up veggies, such like) and mow the yard (I was afraid of learning to steer, and Daddy didn't want me using the riding mower alone).

I probably could have been-- and probably should have been-- responsible for those things too. Funny-- he would let me ride the four wheeler for miles and miles and miles and miles over the ridge as long as I took someone with me, but there would have been no way in Hell he would have been OK with me calling my aunt (right over the hill) before I got on the mower and as soon as I got off.

I had WAY too much time on my hands up that holler all summer. I got bored and lonely.

Come to think of it, I could have learned some great skills (and built some relationships) walking up the holler to help the folks that lived up there with the chickens and rabbits, or walking out of the holler and up the hard road to the next neighbors on up that way and helping them with housekeeping and horses.

Dunno about the horses-- horses always scared the crap out of me, so big and so nervous-- but it definitely would have been good for me to hire out (or even just trade labor for education) to the people that lived nearby.

I had summer job as teenager, teaching math class.

My son (15) volunteers at a local hospital - made a BIG difference in his mood. He has to wear a uniform which is rather nice, carries an photo I.D. and gets free dinner at their cafe. He can't be without his grilled chicken, potatoes and pink lemonade. He mans the front desk 3 days a week each with a 3 hour shift.
My niece volunteers at a local library for a group called Book Buddies - she reads to preschoolers and does crafts with them. Later they all get to chow down on pizza which is supplied by a donor restaurant.
They both work for free but it makes them happy and they feel useful.

My son works at the cub scout day camp. It is only 3 weeks which leaves him time to pursue some projects over the summer, like building a new computer ...

This will be his second summer there.

Paid or volunteer, I've seen my kids really grow in confidence and understanding having jobs. And that glow from a hard day's work well done; I so love seeing that.