Best jobs for a teen

Happy Wednesday! Friendly reminder that when things get hard, scooting off into the sunset with your bestie is always an option! 

The Bedtime Controversy

For a lot of parents, bedtime is a construct. It can change from night to night, especially if you have a teen involved in any kind of extracurricular activities. According to a pediatrician on TikTok, it is best for kids ages 7-15 to start getting ready for bed around 7:30pm. Of course, that timeframe becomes less and less realistic as your kid gets older. One commenter points out that after school sports make this impossible and another mentioned how because of the demanding hours of their job, putting their kid to bed at 7:30 would allow them virtually no quality time with each other. All very fair points! An early bedtime would be ideal for literally every human being on the planet but that doesn’t mean it is always possible. 

Our take? There’s no such thing as a one size fits all bedtime for all teens across the world. Everyone’s circumstances are different. But one fact is irrefutable: sleep is vital for a teen’s emotional and physical health. If our schedules don’t permit for a super early bedtime, it’s still important that we emphasize the importance of rest to our kids every chance we get! 😴

Best Jobs For Teens

You can always go with the old reliables–babysitter, camp counselor, fast food cashier. And we fully endorse all of them! But if your teen isn’t a fan of younger kids (fair!) or front-facing jobs, there are plenty of other options for them to make some extra cash! 

Is your kid an animal lover? They could be a pet groomer, pet sitter or dog walker! It’s kind of a dream scenario. They hang out with adorable animals all day while getting paid to do it and they have little to no contact with any Karens (unless someone named their dog Karen which we’re…kind of into?). It’s a win win! And if your kid is more of an outdoor cat, there are some good side hustles that will have them rolling in the green: mowing and raking lawns, weeding, watering plants and any other outdoor household chores that neighbors might need help with. Whatever job they land on, the most important thing is that it helps them build work ethic and self-esteem. That’s something money can’t buy! 

“Crashing Out”: Harmless Slang or Cry For Help?

Our teens are masters of hyperbole. To be clear, all teens of all generations have always been fluent in drama with a capital “D.” But there are times when their overly “dramatic” phrases might actually be a cry for help. Like “crashing out”, for example–it means your teen said they overrecated to a minor inconvenience. Like falling apart emotionally when Starbucks is out of your favorite drink. It sounds a little silly on the surface but it can be a sign of something much deeper than sold out frappuccinos. Emotional regulation is hard enough but when you’re a hormonal teen, it can feel downright impossible. Sometimes an overreaction is a response to some serious inner turmoil.

How can we as parents help? Like almost every issue with our teens, it’s imperative that we really hear them and create a safe environment so that they feel comfortable to come to us with anything they’re feeling. By doing this, it creates the ability to help them identify their triggers, gently remind them of the consequences of impulsive reactions and just generally engage in open and honest conversations. We can’t control every “crash out” our teens may have but we can control how we react to them. Let’s lead with our overwhelming love for them every chance we get. 

It gets dark at 4pm now which means cozy season is officially in session! If you’re looking to curl up with a good read, look no further! We’re gonna put the “rec” in The Rec Room with some great book recommendations (see what we did there?!). All of these pair great with a cozy blanket and an absurdly large mug of your hot beverage of choice: 

The Anxious Generation (non-fiction) - Required reading for all parents! Psychologist Jonathan Haidt writes a brilliant and in-depth exploration of the ongoing teen mental health crisis across the world. He discusses the decline of “play based childhood”, how it was replaced with “phone based childhood” and all of the ways our children experience stress and loneliness in today’s modern world.  Most importantly, Haidt offers clear cut steps we as parents can take to ensure that our kids live in a safe, healthier world. 

Same As It Ever Was (fiction) - Wife and mother Julia Ames is in the midst of a midlife crisis when her past unexpectedbly comes back to haunt her. Claire Lombardo does a masterful job of portraying the simultaneous bliss and dread of motherhood, the highs and lows of a longlasting marriage and how much our childhood irrevocably shapes who we are. 

The Wedding People (fiction) - Phoebe arrives at a picture perfect resort in Newport, Rhode Island for a grim reason. But her trip takes a turn when she befriends the eccentric bride-to-be and becomes fully engulfed in the wedding drama. Funny, poignant and ultimately filled with hope, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is a deeply human story about finding solace in the most unexpected places and people.