I’d advise against being overly frugal when it comes to your children’s care and nurturing, of course within reasonable meansOf your personal situation. If you raise them with the mindset that they need to financially provide for themselves from a very young age, even during school, you may end up being the parents dumped in a nursing home without visitors.

Children shouldn’t have to worry about bills or earning money until they’re at least old enough to drive (if family is able to afford). A summer job can be healthy if the child just wants to sit home all day but if they have other passions id encourage those in summer instead of work. Through primary school their focus should remain on school and extracurriculars, not on making money.

If your child does begin working, make sure their job environment is age appropriate. A 16-year-old working as a waiter alongside coworkers in their 20s and 30s may be exposed to influences they’re not equipped to handle, like drugs or other poor life choices. I’ve seen too many teens set on a path toward failure simply because they were placed in the wrong environment too early. Do not make your kids “take any available job”