 Family Life
The Family Journey
Connecting Children to the World of Work
Going to work is a big part of most of our lives. We spend many
years in paid work from the time we first baby sit, mow lawns, or throw
newspapers until we retire. There are important things we can do to help our
children prepare for those years of work.
We can talk with our children about our work experiences. We can
tell them about what we do at work. We can talk about both the satisfactions and
the challenges. It is probably not good to talk to children about how we feel
about work when we are especially unhappy with our job. We can wait for a time
when our statements will be more balanced.
We can take our children to see people at work in various
jobs. It may be possible to take your child for a visit to your job. It usually is not
realistic for a child to be at work all day but you may find a time when they
can visit for an hour or two. In addition, you can have them visit people with
jobs that sound interesting to them. Or you may have them interview people about
their jobs. Help them learn about the activities, challenges, and rewards of
different kinds of jobs.
We can help children discover, explore, and develop their
talents. Notice the things your child enjoys. Encourage him or her to read about
and explore areas of interest. Some schools provide personality and interest
tests that can help your child discover her or his talents. Ask your children's
teachers about their areas of interest and excellence. See the unit
"Learning and growing: Using your talents" for more ideas to help your
child discover his or her talents.
Children should not rush the process to settle on a career. Most
people are still refining their decisions about their careers even through
adulthood. Childhood and adolescence are times to explore possibilities and
learn about the world of work.
We can help children find satisfaction in productive work. Doing
something worthwhile can be very satisfying. Notice and appreciate children 's
efforts to help out. Do not expect perfect performance. "You really worked
hard cleaning the sink. Thank you for helping out!"
Provide children positive work experiences. A teen might
volunteer to help at the library, work with a veterinarian, help a carpenter, or
aid a teacher. The usual part-time jobs that teens get - in fast food and retail
- are
often poorly supervised and unrelated to their career interests. Such jobs may
teach more dishonesty and cynicism than thrift and hard work. It is better to
hook teens up with people who work in areas of interest to them. You may even
find someone who will mentor your child and provide him or her meaningful work
experience. Volunteer work may lead to an apprenticeship where your child can
actually work in an area of interest. The amount of money earned is less
important than the quality of experience gained.
Join your child in service opportunities. One of the blessings
of work is the opportunity to make a contribution. Service is a good way to
learn the satisfactions of contributing. Join your child in community cleanup,
Habitat for Humanity, or in your own project to help a neighbor.
Applications:
List the jobs of as many people in your neighborhood as you can.
List the jobs of friends and relatives. Talk about the work of each. Discuss
which jobs sound interesting to your children. Visit or call those whose jobs
interest your children. As appropriate, set up an interview with them or a visit
to their workplace.
Take a walk through your neighborhood or through the business
section of your community. Notice the different kinds of work that people do.
List the jobs that support the community from construction workers to letter
carriers to cooks to business people to bankers to writers to police to clerks,
etc. Talk about the work done in the different occupations.
Go to the library and look up books on careers that sound
interesting. Visit a website that tells about different careers.
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