Our 17 year old daughter is about to learn some lessons which may be hard for her. This being her Senior year of high school, partly in public school and partly homeschooling, she has time for things she hasn’t before. It is time for her to start showing some adult capability.

I got my first job when I was 14. I am pretty sure it was legal, although it was during the summer so school wasn’t an issue, but I do recall that I was the youngest motel maid they had ever hired. It was an… interesting experience. Fortunately, it was a very small motel and there was another high school girl working there who befriended me and showed me what to do. For me, it was a lesson in responsibility that there was no way my parents could have taught me, or should I say they TAUGHT me that lesson by letting me get a job. I had my own income, meager though it was, and I learned how to handle it.

Now P, on the other hand, has always had her hands SO full with just trying to keep her head above water in school that a job was never an option. In fact, much of the time, extra-curriculars haven’t even been an option. This year is different. She’s only taking 3 classes at the high school this semester, and one next semester. She has an online class she’s taking too, and that is it. Time to get a job sweetheart. Here is what I have realized about our parenting of this daughter:

1. She’s been given much more than maybe she should have.
2. She has had a personal taxi to where ever, when ever she has needed it.  We required all C’s or higher to take driver’s ed, and it just never happened. Every semester she’s had at least one D. Now she is nearly 18 and has yet to get her permit.

3. She has not really had to work much at all for money.  As long as she hasn’t been slacking in school and helps out around the house we have always given her the funds she needed.

In these ways, we have not helped, but hindered her.
Our kids need more responsibility, earlier on. Several weeks ago, noticing how lazy she was becoming over the summer, we instituted daily chores. Sadly, no we have never had the kids do regular chores. That was the first change we made, and she has actually been pretty good about getting her chores done every single day. But more is yet to come.

SOME THINGS ARE GOING TO CHANGE!
Today, I ordered her student bus passes for Sept. & Oct. She has the driver’s book and is studying it. She will get her learner’s permit ASAP. Mom’s taxi is closed.

Today, she is going to go through the WA State Food Handler’s Card certification class online. The website is loaded and ready for her, as soon as I post this blog.

Tomorrow, she is going to take the Food Handler’s test downtown at Public Health, and then she is going to apply for a job. She already has a couple of applications filled out, but we thought that having her FH card # would be good to put on the applications.

Next week, she will counsel with her NARS Advisor and get her online English class set up. If all goes as it should, she will be able to graduate in February, but Shh! Don’t tell her that. At this point we just want her to GET IT DONE! Graduating early isn’t a priority.

So what did we learn from this experience? Some hard lessons. Lessons that will NOT need repeating with kids #3, 4, & 5. We’ll be ready for them!