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?

Me neither. There was no such thing in our house. TBF I have little interest in designer clothes now so perhaps Mum did do me a favour. But it's skipped a generation.

@Nuttynoo this attitude annoys me. I would have said 40% of my year group don't get the heady array of grades that the typical mumsnet child does. They get three or four and not including maths and English. They struggle. They have no parental support. Lack of life skills. They need to be mothered into roles..... manage uniform and time expectations. It doesn't come naturally.

We should do more at school. I try and do my bit with the kids I have. I can understand in a business though patience etc will be limited. They are still choosing to employ someone.

Btw ds2 has had to train three different team staff this summer where they don't want to work 10-4. He works on the beach. It's not difficult. They are just lazy.

I employ some from the age of 14yrs. Some have the most wonderful work ethic and have stayed with me till 18 and longer.

Others are like wading through treacle backwards. Even with all our support & training.

I had one that phoned in sick on a weekly basis citing reasons like 'a sniffle due to hay fever' or 'just need a 'me' day. She could not comprehend that wasn't how it could work. Meanwhile a different one had such bad hay fever I thought he'd been punched when he arrived in! He was sent home naturally. And he was from MAJOR money but was a fantastic worker until he left to go to uni.

It's mainly down to upbringing but there are still some good ones out there

DD1 is 24 and starts work at 8pm tonight to work as a doctor in a busy A&E for 12 hours. Her partner is 25 and another hard working GP trainee.
DS2 is 23 and an army officer so works very long hours in very difficult situations. Recently returned from Yemen where they worked around the clock. His girlfriend is an army nursing officer - not exactly workshy.
DD3 is 22 and a research chemist working alongside her PhD. When not working she's studying. Very few unproductive hours.
Need I go on. They all had fairly privileged teenage years but all have a strong work ethic and sense of purpose. Most of their friends are the same. You are employing the wrong youngsters!

YABU. This isn't anything new. There are people that buy everything for their teenagers and people that don't (or can't) and there always have been.

It sounds like you're not employing the right people. How do you select the 18-24 year olds you employ?

Who are these teens in 'designer clothes'?

My DC attended a super posh school and most kids wore Top Shop/Man or ASOS or New Look.

Even formals were from the High Street or ChiChi.

The kids in proper designer stuff were a bit different.

Seen parents driving their children round in car on a paper round. I worked with some one a few years ago who said he earnt only a little bit more than being unemployed, however he chose to come into work, because there were opportunities to progress. I had 3 jobs at once to save and I have worked and volunteered. There will always be lazy and entitled people.

To be honest Crumbs, I don't think an army officer, a doctor and a research chemist would want an apprenticeship in the building trade. We don't have that calibre of applicants. We're not bothered about that. We just want someone to bloody turn up on time!

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/aug/16/shellshocked-pupils-from-school-next-to-grenfell-tower-await-exam-results?CMP=share_btn_tw

Headteacher hails pupils who took exams as Grenfell Tower burned.

I can only speak about my ds - he's had pt job since he was 16 and is going to graduate from university soon . He can be lazy around the house , but everyone I've spoken to says he works hard and is very very switched on . It is very much how you bring them up .

Increasingly, saving the money from a few designer outfits will never equate to a flat deposit.

of course it's the equivalent

YABVU and quite insulting. I work in a firm that employs people of all ages. And in all age groups I would say most colleagues are hardworking and don't bat an eyelid about going the extra mile - and have to be reminded to take their full annual leave etc. There are a few who are workshy moaners but evenly distributed across the generations, I'd say. Some of our younger members of staff in their first job are amongst the most diligent, having not yet discovered the art of looking busy whilst chatting on mumsnet doing their own thing on the internet.

As pps have said, it's much harder for young people to work now (I had my first Saturday job at 13 but it wasn't possible for my DDs to do the same) and the pressure on young people is much, much more intense than it was back in my day. Based on my own DDs and the young people I work with, I would say most of 'today's parents' do a grand job of parenting in a volatile world where parenting is getting more and more difficult.

My "lazy teen" has just got into Exeter through hard work!

I find it quite laughable when people talk about "teenagers today" or "children today" as I heard the same thing when I was a teenager/child (I am over 50), particularly when I was a student as did my parents who are now in their late 70s Some people are lazy and entitled whatever their age. Nothing has changed and you can't generalise based on a small number of people you have employed.

Personally, I want my teenagers to prioritise academic work and other activities over low paid jobs. That is what I did and it didn't mean I was "lazy" and "entitled" as I did always work hard at school and university. I just wasn't paid for it. If anything, not working (except during holidays) meant I was much better at budgeting as I was used to much less money than those with Saturday jobs.

I wouldn't blame parents. It's the new wage rules and conditions.

The jobs my friends and I had don't exist any more. I grew up in the US. Since I was a child, there is a rule that anyone called into work must be paid for 4 hours no matter how long they have worked. That pretty much wipes out every job my friends and I had. I had a paper round, no done by adults. My friend worked in a factory sweeping up and doing odd jobs for two hours after school. That job is gone.

This thread reminds me of the Socrates quote:

""The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for
authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place
of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their
households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They
contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties
at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers."

Clearly, nothing has changed in the last 2,500 years particularly the fact that some older people will always complain that the "youth of today" are different to their generation.

Sorry, I've just seen that someone else has also quoted socrates!

If you don't top up their phone then they can't call you in emergencies.

You don't have to buy designer stuff but if their peers wear £70 Nike shoes and you can afford it, why wouldn't you also buy £70 Nike shoes so that they don't have to feel self conscious?

I'd love to know what happened to the lady who had a dd who saved a year's worth of lunch money to buy £300 trainers when her parents were struggling.

Where are the jobs for teens? Round here I see adults doing paper rounds and handing out leaflets. McD's etc will hire from age 16 but that's limited to kids who can walk there or take public transport which can be expensive. I totally understand why parents invest in driving lessons so their children have more work options.

of course it's the equivalent

No it isn't. I don't have a higher income than our opposite neighbours who always say they are skint. Spending money on overpriced shit/ new cars etc makes a massive dent into help with a deposit.

I had an incredibly privileged teenage-hood.

Never wanted for anything I needed. Holidays, extra curricular activities, money to socialise etc. I even got a whopping allowance through uni of £500 a month AFTER accommodation costs. £500 to use on food clothes and fun.

Anyway I turned out ok with a good work ethic.

Suppose I always knew I wouldn't get the cash if I wasn't using it well, so if I was going to be getting less than a 2:1 and hanging out smoking weed.... the allowance wouldn't have been there. Get a 1st and a summer internship lined up - have some cash for a holiday.

We are very lucky to be comfortable. But my dd has worked since she was 15 and has called in sick once (in all honesty to revise for an exam the next day), she drags herself in even when ill. We do buy her a lot but it's not taken for granted. She is currently paying for her own driving lessons at £60 a go, that's her whole weekend's work. We've bought her a cheap car for when she's passed so she can get to college etc. I would never just hand this to her on a plate but I suppose we are lucky that we live in a tourist place so her first job was a cafe in peak summer. They were really sad when she left and even made her come to the Christmas party after she'd left!
I don't think many parents just hand over lots of goods without making them work for it or save Birthday/Christmas money do they?

increasingly, we'll need to just disagree on this.

Well there are always going to be some teenagers who are lazy, just as there are some adults who are lazy.

Personally I am happy to support mine while they are in full time education
They have all their lives to work