Let that teen get to work

Think about your first job for a moment. I'm guessing that it wasn't your dream job, but I am also guessing that you learned a lot. You probably learned how to deal with a boss, and how to treat customers; you learned how to handle your money and how to own up to your mistakes.

And all of the above is why it makes sense to let your teenager get a job. We're not talking about a job on top of all their other extra-curricular activities but instead of those activities. And that is the tricky part - many teens (and their parents) don't want to lose those extras from the college application.

But jobs teach our teens and prepare them for "the real world" way more than many of the academic extras do. Personally, I learned more about interacting with people and those in authority from my first job than I did being on the drill team in high school.

As always, the key to teens having a job is balance - they will still need some guidance to make sure they aren't taking on too much and getting some downtime in their lives to spend with family and friends. And maybe letting them understand the idea of work/life balance at an earlier age will have a positive effect over their lifetime.

Did you have a job as a teenager? If so, what was it? Share the details in the comments.