Teenager just finished GCSEs

[neva]

and has now in effect started her summer hols. How can I encourage her to keep the house tidy while I am at work? It stresses me out to come home to lots of mess! Yesterday came home to popcorn and sugar over the kitchen floor and lots of unidentified fluff on the living room carpet!! She has a knack of making me feel like a horrible mum when I ask her to clean up. Any ideas?

Withhold allowance/pocket money everytime you come home to something like that. Why are teenagers so good at making their parents feel like they're being mean and unreasonable when in fact the teenager is being completly self-centred?

How about a holiday job? DS1 (home from uni for the hols) and DS2(finished GCSEs last Friday) have both got jobs for the hols. I also leave them jobs lists (must be balanced exactly )

(please come and give me gcse advice on my cock up thread)

I have exactly the same problem here.
DS3 left school last Friday ... well until September. I have told him that he has 2 weeks to find a summer job - or I'll find him one
In the meantime, I intend leaving him a list of jobs to do when I'm at work and, as I reminded him when I left for work this morning, he won't get paid for them! my god I'm sounding increasing like my mother

Think I'll try leaving out an extremely detailed jobs list first. I agree, they don't get paid for these jobs, as they are mainly just clearing up their own messiness!
True, we'll miss it all when they're gone though.

Ds2 has finished his GCSE's. He'll struggle to get a Summer job I think as he's not yet 16.

I left a list of 'things to do' this morning, he's done them but I've yet to check on the quality of his handiwork.

Also have a DS2 aged 15 who has finished his. I don't expect anything from him (so can't be too disappointed) except that we like to know where he is - probably down at the gym or playing football/cricket/tennis.
Came back the other night to find two wet boys (it had rained) sitting on my sofa reeking of sweat. Although they had, at one point, used towels to sit on, the expensive sofa was wet.

DS finishes next week. He isn't 16 until end of August and everywhere he's rung won't touch under 16s.... something to do with insurance and risk.

Ds is 15 - would love a summer job, but can't get anything. It is so frustrating for him. He is a big, strong, very sensible lad, but there seems to be this daft rule that they have to be 16 and 3 months - by which time he will be back in the 6th form.

I got my first holiday job when I was just 14, (and have worked ever since), but that was back in the dark ages. Didn't do me any harm - I worked in a shop and it was very good experience.

It is a shame all these rules and regulations stop kids from being gainfully occupied - and I understand that tonnes of fruit are going to waste because there is no-one to pick it. It is mad.

Quite a few places won't take teenagers until the have reached madatory school leaving age, others will. My DS(17 in October) works 4 hours a week at Argos - started just before his GCSESs in May - feel old now he has a job, even tho it is only part time.

U might find this link about child employment helpful
www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/FamilyIssuesAndTheLaw/ChildrensRights/DG_4002945