June 16, 2006 09:22 AM
Lazy Days of Summer
Dear daughter is having her first-ever job interview at this very moment. She was nervous, and I was nervous for her. I tried to remember what it was like to have my first job interview this morning, tried to conjure up those feelings again--"Will they like me? Will I say the wrong thing? Will anyone ever want me to work for them?" Ugh. Teenager flashbacks aren't all that fun sometimes.
I was one of the lucky ones. Until I was 19, I'd only worked for my father. He had a couple of businesses, and although I worked really hard for him those summers between 11th & 12th grade and while I was home from college, I never had to sit for an interview and answer questions like "What would you do if a customer complains? How do you deal with conflict?" I won't say I was a completely spoiled brat when I was a kid and teen, but I was fairly close to it. And yet, I had a solid work ethic. I cleaned bathrooms, mopped floors, and did some of the other stuff no one else wanted to do while I worked at a golf course and later at my Dad's deli. But my question is: "Do teens really GET that today? Do they understand they have to work hard, and do stuff at work that they would NEVER do at home?" I think cleaning out a clogged toilet--clogged with other people's waste--is a truly humbling experience. Your ego goes out the window when you're ankle-deep in dirty toilet water. Some teens I know are all excited about getting jobs. Then they get one and hate it, and complain about the stuff they have to do. Oh well, welcome to the real world. Sometimes, it just sucks.
In college, I worked in a nice office writing articles, and I was supposed to have just one goal in mind: keep my university in the news. They bought us nice desks and chairs, told us to be brilliant, left us alone, and that was pretty much it. "Do the job well, and we won't bother you and you get to keep this job. Do it not-so well and there is a line of journalism students waiting to take it from you." Quiet intimidation. Well, I must say, it worked.
So my dear daughter may soon embark on her new life of fast food jobs, minimum wages, and all the humbling stuff that goes with it. Meanwhile, my 11-year-old son has turned into a teenager overnight. He sleeps until 11 a.m. each day, and lays around the house, perhaps playing some video games if he feels inspired. He does chores when asked, and recently took care of a neighbor's mail/house/flowers while they were gone. So I guess that's something. Meanwhile, I attempt to find ways to make him more responsible, and perhaps a bit more of a go-getter. If you have any ideas, I'm all ears.
Comments
That first step into the real world is very nerve racking indeed! If you get any great ideas regarding your 11-year please pass them along...we could use the help with our 20-something sons!
Posted by: Joel at June 17, 2006 11:46 PM
