Building Responsibility

Encourage your high schooler to develop a strong work ethic

Jobs are becoming more difficult to find for today's teens. More adults are beginning to take over jobs traditionally staffed by teens. And many employers are saying that teens aren't as "employable" as they used to be. They're finding that many teens act as if the work is beneath them, do the bare minimum or are simply not responsible enough.

But studies show that jobs have many benefits for teens. Teens learn vital life skills, build a foundation for their future careers and improve their self-esteem.

So how can you give your teen a leg up over the competition? Talk to your teen about the importance of a strong work ethic. A "work ethic" is a set of values and beliefs that includes traits such as being reliable, working hard and having pride in your work. To encourage a strong work ethic in your teen:

• Model a strong work ethic. If you show your teen how to work, why work is important and that every job has value, he will be well prepared. Share some of your own work experiences to make the point that a job done well can have many benefits.
• Give your teen responsibilities. He should do his chores because that's what he was asked to do--not just to escape being yelled at for slacking.

Reprinted with permission from the November 2009 issue of Parents Still make the difference!® (High School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2009 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: Jan Swander, "The Decline of the Teen Workforce," Oregon Employment Department, www.qualityinfo.org/olmisj/ArticleReader?itemid=00005966.