This summer was a different one for me with the introduction of summer jobs.
I’ve run an in-home daycare for almost 10 years now, and my older children have always been extremely hands-on and involved. My children have helped to come up with weekly themes, activities, fun meals and art/craft projects to go with each theme. This has provided us with enriching, enjoyable summers for all of us.
This year, however, they each wanted to try something new. I was reluctant at first(I’m not a huge fan of change), but decided they could give it a try. Wow, has it been eye-opening for me as a mom, and for them as employees. I’ve seen so many positive traits in each one of my children come to light.
My only requirement for them was that they could not accept jobs working with children since that is what they were all very familiar and comfortable with. If they were going to try something new, I wanted it to be completely outside of their comfort zones.
Watching the types of jobs that each one chose showed me so much about their hearts and desires.
As an unschooling mom, I’ve always been very involved in whatever interests each child has had. I was not completely shocked by any of their choices, but I was shocked by their passions for their choices.
My oldest took on a couple of different jobs. She landed an acting role at a local dinner theater and has had so much fun while working and learning new skills. She also took on a waitressing job at a local tiki bar. She has gained more theater experience(which is her college major), worked on her communication skills, and learned to deal with difficult customers.
I’ve enjoyed watching her gain confidence, come out of her shell and put to use different problem-solving skills. I’ve seen her smile and laugh, and watched her deal with frustration and disappointment.
These summer jobs have been perfect for her. She has grown so much and matured in so many different ways.
My oldest son decided to try out a factory job. I was worried about it because he is, notoriously, not a morning person at all. He has to leave the house each morning at 5am. This has also been his first experience driving alone on a regular basis. With the exception of locking his keys in his car once(and having to call and pay for an emergency locksmith), he has shown me that he can be responsible, dependable and hardworking. Not only has he had to set an alarm and wake himself up each morning, but he’s also had to schedule his time to make his breakfast and his lunch and leave the house on time. He’s had to keep an eye on his gas tank and learn when and where to get gas. He’s also had to discipline himself to go to bed at an early hour. What an experience for him. He has enjoyed it and matured right before my eyes.
My 17 yr old son has been working for a real estate investment company. Not only has he learned the ins and outs of buying and selling investment properties, but he has learned the importance of actually doing the rehabbing work himself. He has been hands-on working in the houses daily. He has learned to install carpet, lay tile, simple plumbing, painting, and install windows, as well as other useful skills. He has also learned to work with people much older than him, respect their orders and critiques, and absorbed knowledge from them. This job has taught my son the importance of hard work and follow-through. It has also taught him tolerance and patience while working with other adults. He has grown his tool collection and his experiences which has boosted his confidence to try new endeavors. This summer job has also ignited the spark of real estate interest into a full-blown fire. As we are choosing what he wants to study this year, his senior year, I’ve definitely noticed a trend–real estate finance, real estate law, investing in real estate, etc.
Although I wasn’t sure how I felt about changing things up in our household, supporting each of my older children in summer jobs has provided me some much-needed reassurance as we’re getting ready to begin our new homeschool year. I realize that even though I may worry about “gaps” in their education, I really don’t need to worry. Character training has always been my focus and it has paid off. They may have “gaps”, but they know how to learn what they need to learn to contribute to society in a positive manner.
I am happy that I was able to go outside of my comfort zone and allow our lives to take a turn down another route.
Learning is a way of life and this summer has been a learning experience for me, as well as for my children.
I have no idea if the avenues my children chose to pursue this year through their summer jobs will lead them down similar roads in the future or not. Either way is fine. Each child learned numerous lessons, so I’d say that their summer jobs have been a success and I cannot wait to see what they choose to pursue next.
What was your most memorable summer job?
