Summer Job Input

House sitting and pet sitting for summer vacationers
Lawn mowing
Dog walking
Window washing
Are there any local businesses that he could ride his bike to? He could be a bag boy, or bus boy or a dish washer

My son did a lot of neighborhood work from age 9 up – he started just with occasional dog walking and picking up people’s newspaper and mail when they were away for the day or on vacation. He kept adding new things as he got older, and added more hours/days. He fed cats and changed their litter, put out and brought in trash containers & recycling on pick-up days, brought in UPS packages, emptied dehumidifiers in basements, watered outdoor plants, moved sprinklers around as needed, etc. He turned on lights or made sure that timers weren’t knocked off schedule by a power failure. Houses looked “lived in” and were more secure when people were away. By age 13 he was mowing lawns and spreading bark mulch, weeding, and raking leaves. He would do one-shot deals like spring clean-ups or helping someone who was moving to get stuff out of the garage rafters, or week-long gigs when someone was away for a week, or he had summer-long jobs like mowing.

He didn’t happen to do child care more than once or twice, but a lot of younger kids who “inherited” my son’s clients when he aged out of this work did pick up some babysitting. Your son, if he didn’t want to do it all the time, could start out with kids who get dropped off from day camp at 3 PM but the parents still need coverage. A lot of parents would be thrilled to have a 14 year old boy to keep an eye on their 10 and 11 year olds who think they are too old for a regular sitter but might think a 14 year old boy was totally cool.

My son started to have trouble remember who had paid him and who hadn’t, so we took the opportunity to help him design an invoice (plenty of templates on your computer already), and learn to fill them in and deliver, keep records, keep a bank account, and so on. He developed some basic business skills, gave his business a name (“Dave’s Lawn and Pet Care”), learned to speak professionally with adults, and so on.

When it came time to do his college applications, he had something pretty impressive to put on his “activity resume” that went with those applications – it showed some continuity with what were really a bunch of smaller jobs. And if we went on vacation for a week, he either mowed the lawn the day before we left and the day after we returned, or he got a buddy to take over for that week (with the customer’s knowledge).

I think you have to get a handle on your nervousness about him going in and out of houses. Can you say what your fears are? Are you afraid that something will happen if he is in a home alone? Or that someone will be there with evil intent? There must be neighbors around during the day, right? We joked around here that, if anything were stolen, police could come directly here because we had the keys to at least 7 homes at any one time! Your child is 14. He will be leaving for college in 4 years. He’s just got to develop some independence and confidence between now and then, in small doses. Going to a neighbor’s house, knowing that Mrs. X or Mr. Y are working at home or raising kids just a few doors down the street, helps build those qualities.

My suggestion is that you have him develop a flyer or brochure, absolutely have someone who is a terrific proofreader go over it (nothing makes a kid look more amateurish and careless than spelling and grammar errors!), and send it out through mailboxes or email, whatever is allowed in your neighborhood. Have him list some bullet points of what he can do – and he doesn’t have to list a certain job if he’s unwilling to do it. Now is the PERFECT time. Parents are starting to get nervous about the summer, and having some time to think about using your son is a great option.

And DO tell your son that the National Bank of Mom And Dad is not going to have unlimited funds. Give him other jobs too – if he’s not doing his own laundry by now, he should be. It’s not just to keep him occupied or help him earn cash – it’s to build character and discipline.

Put his name/number out there for neighborhood help. We always have used a neighborhood teen to dog sit when we go out of town. They don't stay in our home, but have a key and come over multiple times a day to take her out, feed/water, play, etc. It's easy work. But a major responsibility. Doesn't require transportation. And an essential task that not everyone will do.

Summer is when families vacation. So let him dog sit, feed cats/clean letterboxes, check mail, take in trash cans, etc... for folks on vacation who don't want their home to appear vacant while they're away. If he's good, he'll even have work available during the school year, and it isn't the kind that will interfere with his school work, either.

At that age my kids and their friends did things like babysitting, pet sitting, dog walking, taking care of vacationing neighbors' plants/mail/etc, yard work, stuff like that.
They also spent plenty of time lollygagging at the neighborhood pool and in front of the TV and computer. Why not? They have the rest of their lives to work, they may as well enjoy some down time now.
And I don't know why you're nervous about your teenage kid getting to know the neighbors, I think it's a lot safer to know the faces and names of the people around you than to stay inside afraid all the time, never really knowing if the people you see coming and going are friend or foe :-(

I think the idea of being a neighborhood "helper" is a great one for a 14 year-old. He could cut grass, trim weeds, do general yard and garage clean-up, be a mother's helper or all of these things, depending on what the various neighbors need from him.

As for your tendency to worry about him, what you need to do is get to know more people in your neighborhood. Start with the ones you do know and inform them that your son will be available for babysitting, yard work, etc. over the summer. Ask them to spread the word to other neighbors you may not know. Then, for those families who are interested, you just have to make a point to get to know them.

Do you have a neighborhood HOA? If so, you could find out if you can advertise in your monthly newsletter. Also, many neighborhoods now have an online network called "Nextdoor." It's a neighborhood-specific social network where you can communicate and get to know the people in your neighborhood. Neighbors share information regarding babysitters, caregivers, missing pets, various household services, community security issues---whatever is important to your neighborhood. You can go to nextdoor.com to see if your neighborhood or any other nearby neighborhoods are registered, and you can see if anyone wants the type of services your son can provide. This would also give you enough time to get to know people who might want your son's help.

It's understandable that you're concerned, but by doing the appropriate checking and vetting of people your son might do work for, you will be giving him a great opportunity to develop responsibility and to learn the value of earning his own money. Even if you just find 2-3 families that need his help over the summer, with the other activities he already has planned, that should be more than enough to keep him busy and still let him have enough free time to be with his friends.

Your local news paper may have openings as a fill-in carrier, for people going on vacation or call in sick (different papers have different age requirements). Mowing lawns, House or pet sitter, dog walker. Look at smaller grocery stores, many still hire 14-15 yr olds to sack groceries.

If none of those pan out, still look for volunteer opportunities. If kids aren't a good fit, try the library, meals on wheels, animal shelter, food bank, habitat for humanity, etc.

paper routes require driving, no?
my kids did some clerical work (mock election) and a lot of farm work (haying, mowing, fence repair) so stayed busy over the summers. i think mothers' helper or elderly neighbor companion sound great, but not if he can't...er..... go to their houses. :)
he sounds quite ready for that sort of job, or pet or house-sitting, but it's probably time to work on the helicopter thing a little.
the japan trip sounds amazing. good for him, and good for you for letting him!
:) khairete
S.

Make sure he gets working papers through his school. In PA you need working papers if you are under 16.

Perhaps he could work with a landscaper in your area. They are always busier in the summer months.

Also, at that age my daughter took a few summer classes (health and something else). These were requirements to graduate and there were several electives she wanted to take during the school year.

Your son also may want to take an SAT prep class.

Good luck! 15 is a hard age in terms of summer plans/activities.

Is there a farm/barn nearby. He can work there. You can drop him off in the morning and pick him up after work. It's a great experience.he should start looking now to see what's available. He would put in a good days work and be outdoors. He can mow lawns, do yard work for neighbors.

At age 14 I worked a LOT babysitting in the summers. And my brother mowed and edged a bunch of the neighbor's lawns at that age. He had a regular schedule for lawn work. Dog walking for people who work full time. Pet sitting is perfect for this age. Delivering newspapers is a pain...he would have to get up very very early every day. You never get a day off. I did that once and hated it.

my state requires a workers permit for someone under 16 to work. but a farmer would pay anyone to help out. if you live near a farmer see if they have work your son could do. i worked the flower fields cutting for local florists, and my brother was handpicking for farmers market. we both got paid cash and didn't have to get the workers permit.