Q: My sixth grader (12-year-old boy) wants to start earning money, but obviously he’s too young to have a “real” job. We don’t pay for chores, although we’ll occasionally give a little extra for a few, one-time jobs (like helping my husband paint the shutters). He doesn’t want to babysit, and frankly, I don’t think that’s the right job for him anyway. What can a boy his age do to earn a little cash outside the home?
A: Way back in the pre-Internet era when I was your son’s age, I had a newspaper route all my own. My 60-odd customers covered the blocks around my house. Every day after school, I would grab the bundle of papers from our front lawn, fold or roll them, and then hop on my bike and away I went to deliver the news. I developed a pretty wicked side throw, great for whizzing the papers with just enough oomph to land them in front of the door without banging the screen door. Only a handful of times did I actually land one on the roof, and then my parents would give up theirs to that customer. I even had to go around once a month and knock on doors to collect payments.
I kept that route until my senior year in high school, and as I look back now, I realize that having a regular job like that taught me a lot of things beyond how to make money. I learned that the better I was at delivering the papers—the less I banged doors, etc.—the more satisfied my customers. I learned how to talk to grownups and handle money transactions. I learned how to balance the delivery fee owed to the newspaper office and how to figure out what I got to keep. I learned how to get new customers to increase my earning potential. I learned how to handle money, with my own savings account and spending cash.
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All of those are great reasons for any kid to have a job. A 12-year-old can mow grass, weed gardens, rake leaves, walk dogs, scoop poop from backyards, pet sit and shovel snow. If he wants to learn more on how to start his own business, come to my The Business of “Sitting” class on Columbus Day (Oct. 14) through the City of Fairfax Parks and Recreation Department. Geared toward 5th to 8th graders, the class will help kids develop their own “sitting” business.
In October, Sarah will be giving a series of talks on “The Well-Behaved Child: Discipline that Really Works” through the City of Fairfax Parks and Recreation Department. Also in October, Sarah and Mary Elizabeth Peritti will speak on “Parenting With Love & Leadership” in a four-part webinar series. Contact Sarah through her website for more information.
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Do you have a parenting question you would like to see answered on this blog? Email Sarah with Parenting Question in the subject line. Sign up for Practical Parenting, Sarah’s a free, monthly e-newsletter with commonsense advice on child rearing, by visiting www.parentcoachnova.com and clicking on the newsletter tab.
Sarah Hamaker is a certified Leadership Parenting Coach™ through the Rosemond Leadership Parenting Coach Institute. She’s also a freelance writer and editor. Sarah lives in Fairfax, Va., with her husband and four children. Visit her online at www.parentcoachnova.com and follow her on Twitter @novaparentcoach.
