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Kathryn Mayer • Writing Out Loud

I write stuff down. writer • humorist • activist

Paper or Plastic?

October 17, 2008 by Kate Mayer 3 Comments

oKid number 1 starts her first R-J today. Her first real job. I tend the think the $15/hour she got tax-free for math tutoring was an RJ, or the exorbitant amount of cash desperate parents force into her pockets each weekend — again, under the table — for an evening out is, perhaps not an RJ, but a great cash none-the-less.

Today she starts checking and bagging groceries at the new grocery store in town. She has a name tag. She has working papers. She has been trained and has a uniform of sorts. She’ll make much, much less as her pretend (?) jobs, but she’s excited and I’m excited for her. She’s downright giddy, not a usual state for your typical 16-year-old girl.

Do me a favor? Don’t be mean to my kid. Don’t be mean to anyone’s kid. It’s her first job, and she’s optimistic and idealistic. She’s not going to know all the answers. She’s going to crush your bread and perhaps break an egg. But please don’t take the wind out of her sail.

The enthusiasm she has for this first job, the pep in her step is downright infectious. The fact that she’s out in public, making money, saving money, just like the grown-up she so desperately wants to be, is a pleasure to witness.


When It Rains . . .
Who’s FICA?

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    October 22, 2008 at 1:23 am

    Congrats to both of you… The most valuable thing that any young adult may ever learn is to have a strong work ethic. Bravo!

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    October 24, 2008 at 10:12 am

    It’s a little depressing that we have to remind people to not be mean to kids… I’m not talking about the hords, but people forget that the girl or boy waiting on you is probably trying their best to make you and their boss happy, and 99% of the time what ever you’re pissed about is beyond their control… We all need to remember that they are KIDS and will make mistakes. How we respond to those mistakes often has a profound affect on what they do next.

    Reply
  3. Anonymous says

    November 1, 2008 at 11:04 pm

    I work with a 17 year old 2-3 times a week, and i have got to tell you I hope you’re better at instilling in your 16 Y.O. the responsibility of a real job. The sweet but distinctly dim girl I work with is a pleasure to chat with but her non chalant attitude is creepy. She placed herself in an odd spot in our work zone after being requested not to and acidentally kicked a nearly million dollar machine right in it’s processor and shut the whole thing down to which she giggled and replied oops my bad! AAAAGH! Yet we work every day to bolster her ego and groom her skills and hope that your daughter works w/ peeps even 1/2 as understanding as we are.

    Reply

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Kathryn Mayer

An irreverent storyteller with a foul mouth and big heart, Kathryn Mayer (aka Kathy and/or Kate) is a writer, humorist, and activist writing out loud with humor and grace about little life moments with big ripples, including the space between parenting and aging parents, social issues, angsty reflections of midlife, and, sigh, gun humpers. Still. Sometimes a big deal, sometimes not Mayer is a national award-winning columnist, according to the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, and her essays have been recognized as Voice of the Year … Read More Here...

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