As we grow old, we slowly understand that paying bills is a basic necessity. So, we search for a decent job. And when we get it, we celebrate. That glorious feeling that finally, you’ll be making your own money. And I guess, at that time, not a lot of people were thinking about what kind of job it was going to be.
By starting with waitressing, cleaning tables, washing dishes, working at a shop, carrying and lifting groceries, and other things, we all learned things like showing up on time, making sure that everything is done the way it supposes to be, taking more responsibilities, working as individual and being there for your team. For most of us, these were the first steps to learning about work ethics. No matter how things have changed throughout time, it seems that people still value people who work hard and start to take on such responsibilities at a young age.
But will you encourage a kid to get a job? Recently, there’s a fierce debate going on Twitter about whether or not encouraging our kids to work at a young age is a good thing or a bad thing.
This proud dad shares the moment when his 14 year-old son starts to work at Burger King to make his own money
It all started after a proud dad named Chris Crawford posted a couple of pictures of his 14-year-old son on Facebook. He posted pictures because we wanted to brag a little bit about his son. He wrote about his son’s part-time job at Burger King and mentioned that his son is trying to save up for a car.
He explained, “Not only does he work every day he can including weekends when most kids are out enjoying their summer he goes in early and stays late almost every time he works, he loves every minute of it. Making his own money, saving for a car, being responsible in his decisions, becoming a respectable young man!!! I couldn’t be more proud of him!”
While Crawford is proud of his son for working hard and saving his money, other people are outraged that a parent is encouraging his son to work instead of enjoying his childhood. One Twitter user shared the post along with her opinion on it. She wrote, “God this is depressing.”
Her post became viral with 205.9k likes and 4k comments pointing out how this dad should be concerned rather than proud of how his kid is being exploited. The first thing to caught everyone’s attention was that even though the kid was supposed to work only part-time, as stated by the parent, they were there every day, all day.
What was also concerning is that the son is only 14 years old and as stated by the other social media users, he is still a kid and deserves to enjoy his youth before actually joining the workforce. Even though dad said that his son “loves every minute of it”, those who worked in such places as the service industry know how hard and nerve-racking this job could be.
This Twitter user is far from the only one to see a problem with a 14-year-old working “every day he can.” Many people commented on the tweet pointing out problems they see for the boy now and in the future.
they straight up said like "proud of my little wageslave!! 🥰"
— Harlz, CEO of Feral Tranfems 🏳️⚧️ (@BatOuttaHarl) June 9, 2021
It is indeed. I'm sorry but a kid choosing work over summer is an indicative of something dark happening somewhere. And for all those "muh but children must know how life works": you're actively supporting exploitation and child labor.
— 𝕵𝖔𝖘𝖊 𝕸𝖎𝖌𝖚𝖊𝖑 (@josem11200) June 11, 2021
So fun fact, this type of stuff causes psychological damage in adult life. As it turns out when kids don't get their full childhood to be children they struggle to be adults in adulthood
— Struggling Panda (@purplepanda1310) June 10, 2021
The dad also said my kid has a Part Time job at Burger King.. then proceeds to say he works every day and weekends and goes in early and stays late.. that’s not really part time bruh.. imagine being ok with your child being enslaved to the system oof 😣
— JodiiFox 🌵 (@iamjodiifox) June 12, 2021
Others compared this 14-year-old’s childhood to their own childhood.
It's possible to do both. This kid seems a bit extreme but I worked 20 hrs/week in high school and still participated in the normal school stuff. Everyone charts their own path. Some kids have no choice because their parents can't afford to simply give them money.
— Lawrence (@SBinF) June 11, 2021
https://twitter.com/morganeris83/status/1402891332604076034?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1402891332604076034%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftiphero.com%2Fproud-dad-sparks-fierce-debate
Some people stood up for the 14-year-old working and said that people saying this is a problem are the real problem.
Wow bro, wtf is up with this world. Success takes dedication and obtaining goals takes hard work. This kid will make it while those commenting won’t.
— Tony "The Bull" (@tonythebullBTC) June 13, 2021
This post and most comments below are the reason 99% of the world (you) are broke AF.
— Mr ParaBULLic (@iLiquidatebots) June 13, 2021
“You might ask how 14-year olds can work in this industry? Well, they can. According to the law in the US, the applicants should be at least 16 years old. However, 14-15-year-olds also can be employed with a work permit. They also perform limited tasks. Bored Panda already covered a story on Burger King that was letting parents know that they would hire their 14-15-year-old kids. Once again, this matter was met with controversy, as it became a public secret that employees do not get proper salaries and work conditions.”
Of course, there would be no discussion without some people agreeing on how valuable this experience is to a young mind. But the main concern here is that there are flaws in such work industry and that young teenagers will be used rather than inspired to seek better things from early days. Maybe it is best to let kids be kids for as long as possible?
Do you think 14 is too young to have a part-time job? How old were you when you got your first job?
