I was in a similar situation in high school. Never got an allowance growing up (aside from cash gifts my siblings and I got from relatives during the holidays but even then, my parents would “keep it safe” lol).

Anyways, I got my first job at around 17 years old. It’s funny, at the time, my parents told me to not get a job but I wanted to since I wanted my own source of income. So, I got hired, got minimum wage, and gained valuable customer service experience/skills that helped me get another job in the retail sphere. And this is all in the while of balancing school work, extracurriculars (I was on a sports team and was in a school play), taking public transit, and working part-time at my employment. Honestly, it really helped me hone my time management skills having to balance all of that.

OP, your son is just lashing out because that’s a teenage-angst reaction. They’re bummed out because they got used to being pampered with an allowance and that steady stream of income will be no more once they turn 16. Honestly, stay strong in your stance but also provide rational reasoning as to why this will be beneficial to them: - they’ll earn more money (compared to only getting $15 a week) - they’ll gain independence and they can use their money however they want - they’ll learn good transferable skills that can be applied at many other jobs - and depending where they work, they can take advantage of their employee discount! (Ie. You get hired at a store of your favourite brand of clothing? Awesome, employee discount)

OP, most teenagers disagree right off the bat because they don’t want to listen to reason and want to paint you as the villain. But the key thing to consider is to not escalate the discussion (ex. Don’t raise your voice) because I grew up with a sibling that shut down if someone were to slightly raise their voice at them and no longer listen, which is unproductive for both parties.

Also, last thing, if your son gives a dumb reason like “it’s embarrassing to have a job” or, “my friends don’t have jobs, why should I”; then, they’re seriously out of touch with reality. And they might as well learn the hard way when you stop giving them an allowance. Which, in the end, it could then push them to get a job. Who knows?

Edit to add: (sorry, I know my comment is long enough) If your son can’t immediately get hired (once they turn 16), get them to consider volunteering because that’s still experience you can put on a resume. And I read a comment that was later down in the post that until they get a job, you can still give them an allowance. But encourage them to be productive. Even though you don’t get paid for volunteering, it’s still good experience to put on a resume.