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You are here: Home / Kids / What if I ALWAYS want to protect my teenagers from life? That’s normal, right?

What if I ALWAYS want to protect my teenagers from life? That’s normal, right?

November 6, 2013 by Mona Andrei 6 Comments

Tim Hortons

Happy Hump Day, awesome Moxie-Dude readers!

Have you ever come to a point where you realize that “life” – or more specifically, your teenagers – have reached a certain stage and you suddenly find yourself thinking, “Oh-no-no-no! I’M NOT READY FOR THIS!”

Well yesterday Jonathan came home from school and the first thing he said to me (right after he poured himself a Jethro Bodine-size bowl of cereal) was, “I want a job.”

So naturally I answered him with what any mother of a 15 year old would say to this:

“Go clean your room.”

“I want a REAL job,” he said. “I want to work at Tim Hortons.”

The conversation kind of stayed there as he walked into the living room with his cereal and I put my attention back into work.

A few hours later, the two of us were driving to pick up my daughter from improv class and just as we were passing the Tim Hortons on our way, he said, “Can you go in and get me a job?”

“It doesn’t work that way,” I told him. And then explained to him the whole resume and application process.

“And,” I said as I turned into the Tims parking lot, “sorry but getting a job is the one thing I can’t do for you. If you want to apply, you’re going to have to go in and ask for an application form yourself.”

He just sat there. Then finally, “I can’t. I’m too shy. Never mind. Let’s just go pick up Samantha.”

To be perfectly honest, I was RELIEVED.

And then that sixth sense I’ve developed since becoming a mother kicked into turbo-charge. No, I’m not talking about a sense of telekinetic powers. I’m referring to that sense of guilt that seems to come with giving birth.

As we continued our drive to pick up my daughter in silence, all kinds of thoughts were swirling in my head:

What if I haven’t taught him enough about life?

What if I’ve babied him too much?

He can barely make his own sandwich. OMG what have I done?!!

And then I started imagining my son “out there”, dealing with the public and I remembered a time when I watched a woman in her 30s be rude to a Tim’s employee for making a mistake in her order. What if she had been speaking to one of MY kids that way?

Oh no. I am so not ready for him to get a job. And you know what? I’M GLAD he didn’t want to go into Tims by himself to ask for an application.

Am I being selfish here?

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photo credit: William Mewes via photopin cc

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Filed Under: Kids, mom adventures, Non-travelling Adventures, Pretending to be a grown-up, Raising teenagers, Single moms

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kim says

    November 6, 2013 at 5:19 pm

    I don’t want my son to try and get a job until he can drive himself – am I super selfish or what?! Actually I’m not quite ready for him to work during the school year – maybe in the summer!!

    Reply
    • Mona Andrei says

      November 6, 2013 at 5:38 pm

      Exactly how I feel too. And what a good idea for a compromise – summer job!

      Reply
  2. Amber says

    November 6, 2013 at 8:35 pm

    I get it! My son is 11 and I hope he waits until he’s like 17 to get a job. And even then I’ll worry. I worry about him now because he just started middle school. Kids get mean in middle school. I ask him basically every day if anyone was mean to him and he’s always like, “mom NO geez.”

    Reply
    • Mona Andrei says

      November 6, 2013 at 8:42 pm

      I find that as the older they get, the more we worry. And I have to laugh at your, “mom NO geez” because I get it too!

      Reply
  3. Kathy @ SMART LIving 365.com says

    November 6, 2013 at 9:52 pm

    Hi Mona, I just popped on over here from your comment on my website and thought i speak up….which is pretty bold considering I don’t even have children. But if you’re willing to listen I’d like to say that one of the BEST things my parents gave me way back when was let me get a job when I was 16 going on 17. I wanted to go on a school trip to Europe during the summer and the only way I could go was by earning the money myself. My Dad helped me get a job with a guy he knew who owned a restaurant and I worked there for about 8-9 months and earned enough to take the trip. I think I was the only student who paid my own way. Sure it was hard work and I had promised to keep my grades up–but of all my sisters (I have three of them), and most all my friends, I’m the most self sufficient and have never had a fear of being without a job. I KNOW I can do it and if there is something I really, really want I also know I have the way to get it as well. While I can only imagine how hard it might be to put your child in that position you offer him so much more than mere protection–you give him the way to take care of himself–and that is, as they say, “priceless.” ~Kathy

    Reply
    • Mona Andrei says

      November 6, 2013 at 10:10 pm

      Thanks, Kathy. That’s actually very good advice/thinking. Much appreciated and thanks for stopping by! Hugs 🙂

      Reply

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