To think that by financing our teenagers lifestyles we are creating a generation of people that don't know how to work.

[Sunshinegirls]

We own a business and when we employ a young person (18/24) we struggle with them. They have no idea how to work, they are lazy, they are entitled.
Reading another thread just now it has occurred to me that it is the fault of today's parents.
When I was a teenager, I had summer and weekend jobs to pay for anything I wanted. My parents still fed and clothed me for school, but fashion items, possessions and leisure activities were financed by myself. It seems these days that (some) teenagers get everything bought for them and as such are growing up to be entitled and work shy.
Surely if a teen wants a gadget, they have to get a job to pay for the gadget?

Have anyone of attempted to get jobs in the typical first time roles? Alot of my friends ar recruiters for alot of what used to be teenger work (aka mc donalds supermarkerts etc) Most now have 100s of applications per postion including older people with alot more experence, so they employ the older ones with experence rather then having to deal with the unexperenced teenagers.

So its not just they have no work ethic the job market is a completely different enivroment these days, back when i was 16-19 no self respecting adult over the age of 25 would even look at these types of jobs now they are on mass applying for them which in turn removes the chance of them getting employed.

Also before anyone say that they should work for free or volunteer to get experence not everyone actually has the benifet of being able to work for nothing.....

Portia...

Our house is on edge today. DD2 is all over the place, chickens coming home to roost are feared.

She has a job and does a lot of hours to pay for the frankly AMAZING summer she has had. Glasto, Wireless, Girls holiday to Zante ( I need not know what went on). She really has had it all. But she worked for it. Probably to the detriment of her exams.

GCSE's next week too.

I thought it was such a good idea to have them close together when they were little.

I think it is much harder to get a p/t job now than it was when I was a youngster. Also I am of the opinion that life is hard enough for kids today why not give them a hand, both my dds have turned out to be great kids , I spoil them still and I don't think there is anything wrong in it. If they were ungrateful or felt like the world owed them a living then I would agree with you but ime the kids turn out ok in the end, in fact they turn out to be just like us their parents . Just need a little help now and again.

I'm 24, therefore I am still 'young' according to your classification.

I own my own home, have savings, only credit is a car on finance (phone contract and number are 10+ years old and in my parents name but I pay for it) and have two children. I have completed a Honours degree and a PGDE. I am in full time employment.

I got my first job at 16, while 6 months pregnant. By the time I was 18 I worked 3 different jobs, attended uni and was a single parent.

My parents paid for clothes if needed, my phone until I got a job, my driving lessons and gave me pocket money each month. Never once did this make me lazy or entitled. I've worked my backside off.

Alternatively, my sister had the same upbringing and yet she blows through wages and savings within a week or two and borrows money to no end.

Parents providing for children doesn't make lazy adults.
Teenagers aren't inherently lazy.
Parents are to blame for lazy adults.

PortiaCastis the OP was generalising

Agree with most - YABU to tar a whole generation with the same brush.
Yes, I have RT full T. Yes I've seen you pointing out the 'some' in brackets, but your title was

To think that by financing our teenagers lifestyles we are creating a generation of people that don't know how to work. and then most of your opening post goes on in the same way.

I have a 15, 18, and 21 yr old who all work hard. Who all have been taught to budget. None of whom are entitled. I obviously know loads of other folk that age, through their friends, through my friends dc, and through nieces, nephews, etc., and none of them are entitled in the way you describe.
I'm actually sure some young people are, in exactly the same way people in their 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and into retirement are.

Bath I hope you didn't have your dd screeching at 3am saying I'm not good enough Mum I'm hopeless and won't get my grades. Oh lord nothing would pacify her not even a text from the boyf, but she still got up for work this morning as she enjoys helping folk
Good luck for your dc results I wish them success.

Jesus Christ sunshinegirls read your own thread title:

To think that by financing our teenagers lifestyles we are creating a generation of people that don't know how to work.

Just because you said "some" in your post doesn't mean that this isn't a massive and very unkind generalization.

Do you have children? How old are they and would you like people to say this about their generation?

I know plenty of teens that are productive members of society and paying their own way and I'd certainly expect my daughter to get a job as soon as she can and save up her dosh to spend on larger value items.

However one thing that really irks me is the local teenage babysitters in our part of town that charge £8 an hour for babysitting. This is the same rate charged by local childminders that have first aid training and most likely OFSTED certification. I find it a bit mad that 14 year olds want £8 an hour which is above the national minimum wage for 25 year olds. It feels like teenagers might have rather unrealistic expectations of what they'll earn after college/school/graduation etc.

I find the thread title bloody offensive tbo!

Oh no Portia, sounds awful.

The grades are only part of it, there was a great article in the Guardian that showed how well people can do even if they stuff up their A levels. I gave it to DD to read this morning.

We have had a row, about what she does if she doesn't get the grades, I had to bite my lip and not say that if she had stayed in more, worked less, and actually studied harder she might not be in this mess.

On the note of this thread, I've just given her a significant amount of money to go to the beauty therapist and hair dresser, hopefully this takes her mind off tomorrow.

Totally agree, when I was doing a levels, not that long ago, I was the only person who had a job but I was also the only one without a car/the latest clothes/the new phones etc. At the time I was jealous of these people but seeing where they are now (not doing anything at all despite having 'travel' years paid for, uni etc) I'm bloody thrilled that my parents made me work for what I wanted. Now I drive a shiney new car and own a house and they still have the car daddy got them at 17 living in the bedroom they grew up in - God help them. The parents made a rod for their own backs and a lot of them will never grow up.

I have a daughter who is studying to be an optician , when she was in sixth form we supported her to give her the best chance of getting the a level results she needed .
She finished her 2nd year in may and since then has done 8 weeks as a research assistant at uni , one job open to everyone on her course ! Also 3 weeks placement with a well known optician to help secure a pre reg year in her chosen field , she also had an interview today with said optician and texted me as she has secured her pre reg year .
She's spent 11 weeks working to secure her future , writing reasearch reports and preparing a power point presentation , so inspite of us financing her lifestyle upto 18 she still has the work ethic to move on with her life !
Her older sister also supported by us has 1 year left of her dentistry degree , has been mentioned on Facebook by her uni for her work with patients .
We have 3 younger dcs , one to get a level results tomorrow , she has worked ridiculously hard to get her a levels , we have supported her financially to take some of the pressure off while she volunteers at a hospice and deals with a painful medical issue .
Our youngest are twins awaiting gcse results , shan't mind if they don't get a job , over the next 2 years the key thing is supporting them through a levels and into uni .
3 years ago we bought them all an iPad for Christmas, mainly as we inherited some money and chose to spread the benefit , we also happily pay for phones until uni is over and luckily my husbands job gives the free/ cheap train fairs .
Honestly , we are not wealthy , my aim is to give my kids the best shot at life , I don't believe they are lazy or entitled , they are my children who I chose to have ,

Ah my dd is still working Bath and doesn't finish work until 7 but I'll look up the Guardian article as it sounds appropriate for dd so thank you.

Ok, totally accept that I am being unreasonable to generalise, it wasn't my intention but that isn't clear in my original post. Apologies to all that are upset.

I barely worked as a teen - I did casual work at the stables but it would only be every few weekends. My parents wanted me to work more and I did try but (hindsight's a wonderful thing) I had a burgeoning anxiety disorder and was so hopelessly shy when I took applications in etc. that I never got called back.

Ironically that anxiety also spurs me to work my arse off as an adult because failing and upsetting people is The Worst Thing Ever. Go figure.

Some teens work, some don't. Some are spoilt, some not. I think it's possible to finance an averagely decent lifestyle for your teen without spoiling them rotten, but a lot is in how you approach it as a parent. And the teen's personality, obviously. Some teenagers are great but lots are a bit rubbish just because they're teenagers - they don't have the empathy and understanding of adults. They probably don't have an adult work ethic either, because they're used to school which is completely different. They're wrapped up in themselves. They're inexperienced. It often doesn't make for a great employee. And the adjustment process isn't instant when they turn 18.

I suspect many of us were not completely delightful to work with at 18, and we don't remember because we were cheerfully oblivious at the time.

Just want to offer solidarity for those waiting for results in the morning.

GOOD LUCK !

Thanks Portia. I feel a bit sick just thinking about it.

That's kind, Portia. On behalf of my very stressed A- level candidate D.C. who has worked their socks off, in and out of the classroom, thanks.

We own a business and when we employ a young person (18/24) we struggle with them. They have no idea how to work, they are lazy, they are entitled

What's the common factor? I would suggest that the problem could well be inefficient management, poor training, unclear instruction or an inability to motivate on the part of the business owner.

Oh lord it's gonna be along night isn't it

DS can go up to the school at 7.30am onwards. He claims he can't get the results online but I fear that is untrue.

• should say a long night Sorry for mistake

We employ young apprentices (aged between aboutn17 and 22) in our businesses. It's a manual job, but also requires some academic ability.

We've not had problems finding people with the skills or qualifications we require, but we have had a major problem finding people who regularly and reliably turn up on time, ready to work.

The 'sickness' level is astonishing. People not coming into work because they 'feel a bit funny' or 'have a sore throat'. We've had them texting to 'tell' us they're not coming into work because they're tired from their holiday after they were supposed to be in, and being surprised when this ends in a warning. We have them telling us they have a (routine, non-urgent) dentist or doctor's appointment in the middle of the day that they've known about for months and tell us ten minutes before they need to leave.

I can't count the number who come in with major hangovers, absolutely stinking of booze.

People constantly tell us how unhappy they are with the wage and asking for pay rises weeks after starting with us and failing to impress. (We pay 16.5k starting salary with regular reviews. No qualifications above GCSE required)

I wouldn't even have considered doing any of these things in my Saturday job, aged 13, never mind in my first job within my chosen career.

I do think there's an issue. I don't know what has caused it or how to solve it.

@boysofmelody I was about to say similar! All of our