Mike and I have received a fair amount of grief -- mostly from well-meaning folks, but who also don't have an idea of the layout of our geographical location -- over not having Victoria search for a job in one of our neighboring towns (each one being approximately 20 miles away). She currently helps out a lady at our church one day a week doing just about anything and everything, and she also babysits. She has applied at a few places locally but has thus far only received the dreaded "we'll call you if we decide to hire anyone else" speech. There is a new branch of the base day care opening in November and she is hopeful for a position there but nothing is guaranteed!
It isn't that we don't want Victoria to have work "experience" but rather that we can't afford for her to gain that experience to the detriment of the rest of our family. We are a one vehicle family and there is no job she could currently work at for part time wages that would pay enough to even cover our gas costs, let alone any other incidentals such as clothing that she may need. Plus, because she wants to be a wife and mommy, I'm not sure any job she might be hired on for would give her any more experience than what she does to help me out here at home. It seems ridiculous for us to look for a job as far away as some suggest simply so that she can gain workplace experience. As a homeschool family, that statement sounds much like another one that might be thrown our way: What about socialization?
This morning I read an article on yahoo news titled Soaring Teen Unemployment Could Have Lifetime Effects. The article starts off by saying,
The summer job used to be a staple of teenage life. Paper routes and ice cream parlors provided work experience, paychecks, and a psychological boost in the form of independence and self-esteem.
The worst recession since the Great Depression has changed all that.
I can't believe I have finally read an article that admits teen unemployment is a problem, even if it is a bit on the psychological side!! At least I am finally reading that other folks think its a reality! I blogged about my perception of this problem last July after reading another article that talked about unemployment numbers, but completely left out the teenage/summer-hire portion of our economy.
Teenage unemployment isn't a fallacy. It really does exist. The trick to not letting it affect your family, though, is to decide what is important for your own family, and the individuals within your family!
For our family, we really do believe that boys are different than girls. If our boys were 17 or 18 years old, we would be pushing them to find jobs -- whether it be McDonald's, or lawn mowing, or car washing, etcetera. Boys Men must know how to provide for their own families, without being too prideful about the jobs they might have to do to supply an income, in order that they won't need to live off government unemployment benefits for an excessive amount of time.
As far as Victoria goes, being at home and continuing her education in many areas that will suit her future life to come seems more important. If a local job comes up that will expand her horizons in view of the track she wishes her life to take, then she's more than willing to snatch it up if at all possible. Until then, we will continue to rely on God's providence and blessings! Besides, I'm happy to have her working alongside me and sharing moments and memories that will last us both a lifetime! And I haven't heard her complain about working with me yet either ;-)
What are your thoughts on teenage unemployment? Does it have any affect on your family?
In Christ,
Sallie
