Mömke Rockmann from Germany says parents and teachers need to convey to working teens the importance of a good education. I never thought about teens working in countries like Europe or the United States. In my opinion, 90% of the teens who go to work in one of these countries don't have to work. The fact that most of them do, nevertheless, is not a sign of poverty, but of growing lifestyle expectations. Teenagers sometimes like to feel and to behave like adults. They try to imitate their life styles. Whenever I needed money for things like a driving license or holidays, I also had to work for it. My parents gave me enough spending money for everything that was necessary; but if I wanted more, I had to find a way to earn it. But my first priority was always school. And that's the point where I see problems for some students. My parents explained and showed me the importance of a good education as a basis for my future. If the parents and teachers are not able to convey these values to their children, they shouldn't be astonished if teens attribute more importance to their jobs than to school. Sometimes the job is the only thing that gives them the self-respect they lack in the family and in school. I think that every job contributes to teaching teens some virtues that will be helpful and useful in preparing them for the world of work, if they don't exaggerate. What really worries me are children who have to contribute to their parent's income. In the counties I cited above, that's not very common; but I'm dismayed about children and teens working full-time in the "Third World." They don't even have a chance to get an education. Young people in our countries forget too often how precious that is. More on teenage workers: Teen
Workers Need Rules
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Provides Good Experience Return
to: Working
Teens
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