Why would you let your kids work?
So let's do a Monday topic. Why do you let your kid work a regular job? Just a forewarning. This is a rant today, so I'm not timing myself to finish up in five minutes. I have no idea how long this is going to go, but it's going to go into the replies. It's Monday, cut me a break. When my oldest daughter was twelve years old, we took away her iPhone for one year
You. So my daughter goes to the hairdresser with me and doesn't have the phone with her. And she had been with me to the hairdresser before, but her head was cocked down the entire time, obviously, like any normal preteen, I think, these days, for the most part. And so this time, she ended up sitting with my hairdresser and I and her and my hairdresser just chatted it up the entire time, laughing
How's that going? Are they able to keep up their grades? Are they playing sports? They're not as sure about it. So my question to you on this Monday and pick any of these questions, but did you work when you were a kid? And do you allow your kids to work now? Or did you ever allow your kids to work when they were living under your home, in your home? And is there an age to which you believe that it's okay to start working?
Swell Team
@Swell · 0:15
Jordan Tepper
@JordanTepper · 4:52
At least I don't I'm talking about us like me and my family because realized how much our parents have kind of screwed us up a little bit. And we try not to make those mistakes. Sometimes we fall back into those mistakes. Nobody's perfect. You like to have those conversations with you, like how you and your husband are raising your kids. Because I'm kind of going to be in that spot in just a little bit. You're having a good Monday, a manic Monday
And she was the type of kid that was just you just couldn't tell her something and expect her to listen. She had to experience rock bottom to get the point. And now I look back on those years and how hard it was, but it was totally worth it, because now at 15, we're just not dealing with the things that we had to deal with at one point. And she's just a great kid
And then there's the skill set of earning and managing one's money, which is really important. I have no idea because I'm not a parent. There's like so many factors I could think of to be interwoven with. My philosophy is that if I were to have a child, I would want to raise them to be humans outside of myself, outside of the nuclear family, to equip them and empower them to stand on their own no matter what comes their way
Okay, I'm curious a few things. First, I can't remember, is it your oldest child who is autistic? If it is her, you mentioned that she had to hit rock bottom before she understood her or modified her behavior. I'm curious, does she need also to have things explained instead of just this is what it is? Like, you know what I mean?
Jordan Tepper
@JordanTepper · 2:33
I don't know, but between relationships that I had, getting tattoos, life choices that I made, I had to experience them, too. And a lot of times, my mom was like, I told you so. I told you so. Like, yeah, you told me, but I had to figure it out myself, and I'm a much better person for it, too
And I think we spoke before about how neurodivergent children are literal thinkers. And so you do often need to go above and beyond in explaining things to them. And you cannot assume that they're just going to take your word at face value or your threat at face value. They sometimes need to be told why it is they have to do the things they do. And the best example of that is Bill Gates
And we instead went to the coast to oh, God, where NASA is there. Sean such a blank today. And we just hung out on the beach. So, yeah, they're past that point of really getting a kick out of being in Orlando and stuff, but yeah, I agree. It's horrible. It really is. I got good memories, but I wouldn't want to live there again
Renee Slay
@Renee_Slay · 2:46
Like, you missed how do you miss that if you're in the shower and he leans over and I smell his hair? And I need you to know, the kids played outside a lot, so it didn't go from, like, it's possible that I could have missed this because they were outside a lot. They have sweaty hair or whatever from running around. So we were supposed to be washing it a lot
Renee Slay
@Renee_Slay · 4:53
Sorry, my phone went off. 09:00 in the evening, that's late enough. You've got to come home. You still got to do your homework. You've got to get your stuff ready for the next day. You got to shower, and then you got to eat and go to bed. You're going to be up late. Then on the weekends, you want to work later, that's fine
Jordan Tepper
@JordanTepper · 1:07
Like, seriously, if he doesn't clean himself up. Oh, it maybe get him some axe deodorant. God. Well, at least my well, my kids, she's just eight, so she's got plenty of excuses
Renee Slay
@Renee_Slay · 0:20
I know, right? And thing is, I can't even police it now. I just mention it and he's got a girlfriend. I know, I know. And she's wonderful. What the actual f***? I don't I don't understand. I don't get it. But he is super cute. Super cute. You just he does. I did get him deodorant
This is what doesn't work for me. This is what works for our kids. This is what doesn't work for our kids. And the priority is going to be happiness and content. It's not going to be fitting in. If fitting in just so happens, great, perfect. But if we're having to shove this kid in a box to fit in at the expense of their well being and happiness, I'm not interested
It. Renee so I answered you, but apparently I thought I hit reply to your post, and I didn't. It was just a broad reply. So my reply is down below and you're not tagged on it, and I can't link it and send it into your replies because it won't let let me. Swell. Isn't that advanced yet?
And I wouldn't take that back for the world. I think one of the biggest problems in today's society is kids not being allowed to work and what that did for us. There's a bunch of things that did for us, actually. I'm going to start a new swallow because I'm going to run out of time
We also did a lot of things as young adults that most kids would not be allowed to do. I mean, my cousins and I, we went vacationing all over the country anytime we wanted to. Extravagant vacations, if you want to call it that, on a budget. You stick everybody in a corolla and split the gas bill. It's really cheap to travel the country and do whatever you want. And growing up is not that bad. It's not that bad
No, you don't have to work 65 years. I could retire at 35. I'm 31 right now. I could probably easily retire at 35. I wouldn't know what I'd do after that point, so I'm going to keep working. But I could easily retire at 35. Now, I wish I would have known at a younger age what I know today, because I could have already retired. I could have retired at 25 because I didn't
I think a lot of times if you don't and you're always standing over them, you're not going to be able to problem solve and just figure things out when I drove truck. There's a lot of times where you show up to a location and then they're like, well, have you ever driven a forklift before? No, I mean, I've driven a picker before. Have you ever driven a forklift before? Or any kind of equipment?
Although we live in Boulder County, so my kids do get out a lot, and they run around, and they do have tons of open space, but I cannot imagine just untouched acreage like that. I'm sure it's rare. So yeah, it sounds amazing. Thanks so much for chiming in. Look forward to hearing more stories of your childhood. Thank
And now that she's got a little taste of money in her pocket and the freedom that that comes with now she's real curious about how money works, how to save it, because she really wants to be independent. So I wish I had not struggled so hard and had such a laid out idea in my mind how this whole parenting thing was supposed to go. I think by the time my youngest moves out, I'll have it all figured out. Thanks for chiming in, though
Renee Slay
@Renee_Slay · 1:03
Because it's set by society, and I'm kind of tired of it. It does depend on the kid, and popularity has nothing to do with that. It's on an individual basis. And I love that you said that, too. So love, love everything you've been posting and definitely going to be paying attention. So thank you, thank you, thank you for this great subject