Teens And Summer Jobs

Having a summer job is a great thing for a teen who is trying to learn responsibility, not to mention the paycheck that comes every week or every other week....however, after they have been working for awhile, you might hear those oh-so- familiar words: "I'm tired" or...."I don't like my job". That is not something I enjoy hearing but I have expressed to my daughter that we are ALL tired after working, and if you want anything in life, you MUST work for it. But, realizing that some jobs just aren't all cracked up to be the best one in life, I have given her this advice:
1.Don't quit your present job until you have another job to replace it
2.Realize that this job depends upon you to do your part, so don't just take off because you want to
3.Look for another job that you feel will suit you better, but look diligently
4.Always give your job a notice before you up and quit because it looks better on your resume
5.Try finding a job that fits in with what you want to do in life so you can get to know the field you want to work in, in your future.

Horses And Resonsibilities

Being at the barn isn't only about the riding....it's about the clean up as well. Horses need to have their hooves picked to get all the junk out of them so they can have a nicer ride, and so it's a better feel for your horse too. This is a friend of my daughter's who is learning about horsemanship. Having a horse is a wonderful experience but as my daughter can tell anyone, it's not easy. We have had our horse, Frenchie, for 3 years now. My teen goes out to ride, pick hooves, brush, give baths, and totally spoils Frenchie with apples and carrots. Frenchie has been in several competitions with my daughter for walk, trot and canter. She also jumps as well. It's been rewarding having her, and also seems to keep my daughter well-grounded as well. Always remember, that having a horse is an enormous responsibility, even if you do have a full-care barn.

Keeping The Lines Of Communication Open

How do you go about keeping your teen out of trouble? Sometimes it just seems that some girls are easier to raise than others. I have had 3 daughters and the first one was a little harder to raise than the second. My youngest daughter, my sweet teen, is just very easy going and seems to listen to what I have to say. Since she was young, we have always had a great relationship. Now that she is almost 17, it seems that she is getting more independent and wanting to do more for herself. I have found that keeping her interested in some sort of sport, but not keeping her TOO busy has worked for me. I have found that by her having time to have fun, chores to keep up with, her horse riding and competing, with a bit of relaxing time to do nothing has worked! This has lead to her having a part-time job so that she can learn to manage her own money and things are still going smoothly. Horses are her life, her future and she has learned all the basics of keeping her horse, as well as the clean up, so she's learned how to have some sort of responsibility. Not everybody can manage a horse though but there are so many sport opportunities out there to enjoy. Talk to your teen, see what interests that they may have....be open to what they say, and try to keep your avenues of communication open....that's what has worked for me.

Buying A Better Car For My Teen Daughter

Well, the time has come, and I wasn't really ready for it, but my darling teen needed a better set of wheels. The 93 mustang was great but it started breaking down in various places, leaving me to figure out how to get it back home and fixed....not a good situation when it worried me every time she broke down and there are so many bad things happening nowadays. I don't know why but this is the way the world is changing. I wanted to wait until it was closer to her birthday or closer to Christmas but as we were shopping, we would drive through various lots, viewing what was available. I am one who HATES getting caught by a salesperson, at least until I am ready. Well, that is what happened to us and it turned out that he was NOT pushy, and we found an EXCELLENT buy on a small SUV that she loved. Low mileage, enough room to put all her horse equipment in for going to the barn, and really decent gas mileage.....and the payments were low enough for her to manage to pay, while I pay the insurance. She is exstatic over it and so am I . It is only 3 years old and now I don't have to worry about her breaking down all over the place. Wasn't ready, but I am really glad now to have found such a bargain.

Teens And Selective Hearing

It seems like the more I give my opinion, the more it's not appreciated. I know that sometimes as parents, we want to give our teens our opinions because we've been there.....done that. My daughter will listen to my advice most of the time, but then there are those times that she acts like it went through one ear and out the other....it's soooooo frustrating. My child is growing up and will be 17 years old next month, and with only one more year of high school to go, she seems to be making pretty good choices in life. However, she doesn't always do what I think she's gonna do and when I point things out to her, it's as if I didn't say anything at all. I thought that most males are the ones that have the selective hearing, but now I have to say it's girls too.....and I am speaking of my teen right now. (sigh).....

Teens And Phone Conversations

Why is it that when you are on the phone in a detailed conversation, your teen thinks it's okay to come right in and talk to you like you aren't busy, but the minute that you knock on their door, go in and try to ask them a question, they signal to you that THEY are on the phone and want you to be quiet? What's wrong with that picture? Although my teen is very respectful, she still seems to exhibit this particular habit. I don't know why, it's not like it's any secret that she has a mother that needs to ask a question, now is it? Teens, I just don't know where they come from sometimes.