AIBU to think our 18 year olds should work instead of wasting away weekends?

If they've nearly got to Easter of their final year without you thinking they had too much time on their hands, then they clearly are mostly busy. It's realistically a really bad time to start working now.

I'd make a point about encouraging summer jobs though.

The social aspect of youth is often overlooked by those who have already experienced it. There are huge beneficial gains in learning how to socialise and network, and your late teens can be really important developmentally in honing skills that you’ll go on to use professionally for the rest of your life.

Think of it as CPD. They’re working hard through the week and ought to be allowed some downtime, unless you too work 7 days a week to show them how It’s done.

So people who are busy during the week should not be allowed to rest and relax with things they enjoy at the weekend?

Thats quite unreasonable. Why shouldnt people have weekends to enjoy?

Would you like to back off and leave them alone?
Did you and your husband work during weekends when young?
They aren't doing anything wrong.

I don' t think the IB is compatible with a regular weekend job.

Do you get an allowance from you? How do they finance their sports events and tickets?

But they’re at school all week? Surely the point of the weekend is to have some downtime, to spend time with friends and family, to spend time enjoying hobbies. Do you really think life should just be about studying and working? Why do you see doing things they enjoy as ‘wasting away.’ Do you not have any hobbies or spend any time on leisure activities and socialising yourself?

Where are all these mythical jobs for hundreds of thousands of youngsters? Young unemployment is already a million and that's those who've left education, not including those still in it.

Have you not noticed that shops and pubs and boarding houses have been closing down for decades? The days are long gone when you can get a "Saturday" job for a few hours with your local Mrs Miggin's greengrocers. It's mostly corporates now who want "on demand" workers on zero hours contracts and want you available for random shifts at a minute's notice - they want staff who can work the random Wednesday afternoon, not someone for every Saturday. And they don't want staff who are going to be unavailable one random weekend when they have a lot of study work to do as it gets closer to exam time.

Times have changed. Go back to the 80s and 90s and it was easy for students to get part time jobs as there were lots of small/local businesses. Out of town supermarkets, retail parks, online retail, corporate hotels/restaurants have changed the entire environment and really don't want random 18 year olds who are only available for the occasional Sat/Sun outside term times!

It's a shame that Saturday / weekend/ PT jobs are not easily available. From 13 on , yeah I know , I worked after school , Saturdays and summer holidays . Great life skills , great independence. And did most people I know , delivery boy , etc. And we had exams , studied and partied . At 18 you should be able to manage a full and active life. It definitely has contributed to the snowflake generation and made them financially inept compared to other generations . But it is not their fault .
It would do them good if they managed to get a Saturday job , study Sunday . Still leaves time for social things but they may have to make choices.

If they were doing a leisure activity you also enjoyed, not watching sport, would that be ok? At least they're being social and not just lying around scrolling Tik Tok.

I didn't start any work until I was out of full time education, even then it took me a year or so. I started full time work aged 19.

If they were game gaming all weekend, I’d agree with you, but they’re active and being social. Maybe if they had that level of intensity every weekend, it’s would be a bit much.

The question is, are they neglecting their studies? Are they meeting targets?

You’re only young once. Plenty of time for the world of work.

How dare people rest and sleep on the weekend? What next? Work life balance? Happiness? Good mental health? That must be stopped!

They’re 18. There’s a lot worse they could be up to. At least it sounds like fairly healthy/sociable hobbies. Not like they’re smoking weed in their mates shed and failing school like a lot of other teens out there. How are their grades? Presuming they’re doing well as I’m sure you would have mentioned that they were on the brink of being thrown out of college/getting phone calls home.

I remember so clearly looking at the teacher in my secondary school class one day and feeling jealous that she was being paid to be there and didn't have to then go and do a part-time job in the evenings/weekends like I was doing. I'm now a teacher myself and largely stand by that sentiment! Life is much easier when your 9-5 is also the thing you get paid for. Are you spending your weekend working?

I do think they should have a part time job and some down time. Dd is 18 and doing alevels (biology, chemistry and ancient history). She has worked since May 2024 in a garden centre and it’s been great for her confidence and general work ethic. She’s looking to increase her hours post exams and the place can’t offer this so agreed looking to move, had an interview last week and waiting to hear. We fund a lot for her so it’s not about the money, she also doesn’t have any hobbies anymore (did ride horses but the stables closed and she was ready to stop) so it another way to meet people from different parts of life. I think that not encouraging them to work pre 18 is tricky because they’re adults and you have set your expectations and it’s hard to reset those.

It really is not that easy for young adults to get jobs. People always act as if it is, but businesses are very picky these days. Many want long-term staff who can commit to more shifts. My kids at university tried so hard to get casual work at their University towns and at home in London but it really was not as easy as we thought it would be.

They should have jobs imo. I had one from 16, did very well in GCSEs and A’s in A levels. I worked about 15-20 hours per week. My niece in her first year at uni and she worked from age 16 in a clothes shop. Straight A stars in every subject.

id stop financing them or giving them jobs around the house (aside from chores).

Sounds amazing 😆

I get what you're saying, but your original reasoning still stands, right? School is intense and this sounds like it doesn't happen every single weekend. I'd leave it.

My sister is a fair bit younger than me, she's 20, at uni and never had a job. I got a job the moment I turned 16 and worked all through uni. It's frustrating watching her have so little work ethic. So I get it.

However, I also feel like they're only young once and they should be able to have fun. I think what's more important is their work ethic more generally than just over this weekend. If they generally work hard, it's fine.

All work and no play makes everyone fucking boring. If you can't waste time when you're 18 when can you?

Can they go to work with you at the weekends?