Labor Day A Lesson For Teens
The original U.S. Labor Day was designed as a celebration of the strength and spirit of trade and labor organizations. Today it has become a sign of the end of summer. Despite this change, the appreciation for hard work can still be instilled in teens. The trick becomes recognizing opportunities to teach teens about hard work. Here are a few:
1. No
As parents you must decide what your teen needs and what they want. Giving your teen everything their heart desires teaches entitlement and selfishness. Instead, let them understand that you don’t think that’s something to budget for and offer them the opportunity to work for the item. They will appreciate it much more.
2. Grade negotiation
“I deserved an A, but the teacher was such a *bleep*!” It’s very important what you say next. Any attempt to undermine the teacher with, “You probably did deserve an A!” is going to make the relationship between your teen and that teacher difficult. Instead, try asking your teen questions about why they thought they deserved the higher grade? What was the teacher’s expectation that was not met? If they aren’t sure they should discuss this with their teacher. Encourage your teen to understand why they fell short, this can help better their performance and they may come to understand that what the teacher really saw was a very bright student who needed to be challenged.
3. Life battles
Let your teen fight their battles. Fighting their battles when they get a summer camp roommate they don’t like or rejected from a school of their choice are opportunities for them to advocate for themselves. Instead, If they want the switch or the school enough they will do the work required to make the changes. They can vent to you, but you shouldn’t swoop in to save them.
Teaching your teen the value of hard work is a lesson they will use repeatedly. The opportunity to work gives us value and pride and this makes us useful. Your teen needs that to live well. To quote Sigmund Freud, “Love and work…work and love. That’s all there is.”
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