Working Children

My 10th grade daughter has taken a job to raise money for a Spanish trip to Peru.   She is a dedicated student who is very focused on her future.  She is a planner and has been very organized with how she plans to get her goals accomplished.     She has found that she has had to stand firm with her employer regarding hours and days she can work.

My advice to her is write a list of goals and cross them off as they are met, then move on to the next.  We talked about prioritizing her list and what needs to be first on your list, is it a need or a want !     I have told her that her grades and school should be her main concern, that work is not to be on school nights.   We discussed the power she has in using her own voice and speaking up for herself about the work load and school load balance.     

Each child is different, some children feel too overwhelmed with their studies, to be able to work at all.  Other children have social or sport obligation that are priorities. In looking at the numbers at her school it would seem many are doing all three.