The teenage years are a crucial time in a child's life. They are

not children anymore, but they are also not adults. During this

time the choices they make may have an effect on them for the

rest of their lives. It is the parents' responsibility to guide

their teenagers in the right direction by helping them make

responsible choices and building their character to the point

that when their teenagers move out of the house they are on the

road to being responsible adults and have the tools they need to

succeed in life. There are a number of ways that parents can help teenagers build

their character. One way is through part-time employment.

Having a job provides many learning opportunities for teens. * It teaches them what it takes to make a living, and that it is

hard work to earn money to pay bills. * They have the opportunity to learn to manage their own money

and make choices of how they will spend it. * If parents gives their teens the responsibility of paying for

some of their own bills (e. g. , car insurance, gas, clothing, cell

phone, lunches out, etc. ), then teens will realize they will only

be able to have these things if they pay for them and will have

to decide if it is worth it to them or not. Their priorities

suddenly change when it is their money they are spending. They

don't necessarily have to pay all their own bills, giving them a

couple of expenses to take care of will teach them to pay their

own way and make responsible choices with their money. * Working is one way for teens to learn to get along with and

work along side other people, a very crucial step in character

development. How many adults do you know that can't get along

with other people! Teens learn that you won't always like

everyone you work with, but that it doesn't matter. You still do

your job and have a good attitude about it, treating others as

you wish to be treated. * The process of looking for a job requires teenagers to take a

good look at themselves and their abilities, helping them to see

what kind of people they want to be and what they ultimately want

to do with their lives. * Job experience is the first step to building a successful

resume. Any jobs a teen has will look good on college

applications and be a stepping stone to future employment. Of course, all this sounds great but in reality can be difficult

to put into practice. The first job our daughter had she got

laid off from because she and her boss could not come to

agreement on the hours she would work. After she started working

there he changed the hours he said she could work and it

conflicted with other activities she had. It was very hard for

her to feel like she was "fired" from her first job. We had to

talk through a lot of the feelings she had towards her boss and

some of the experiences she had at that job. But because she

chose to honor her boss by showing him respect when he didn't

necessarily deserve it, he gave her an excellent reference for

her next job. A couple of months later she did find another job that was much

better than the first one, and she had many great learning

experiences of working with others and learning to serve others

even when it was very hard work. Parents can't just throw their teens out into the workplace and

expect everything will go great. Issues will arise that need to

be worked through with the parents' help, but this is where the

learning occurs, and character development begins!Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of four. For more

inspirational articles and tips for everyday living, visit her

web sites at http://www. creativehomemaking. com and

http://www. christian-parent. com

Author:
Rachel Paxton