| |
Is your teen taking on too much? From part-time jobs to band and sports, too many activities can play havoc with your teen's academic success.
Is your teen contemplating taking on a part-time job while attending school full time? The idea of part-time work is very appealing to young people, after all there's nothing quite like having your own money to spend. But there is a danger to those after school jobs and that is, a student's part-time job can take precedence over school work. When students are carrying full academic loads they need to be careful how many hours they put in at their part-time jobs otherwise "their school work begins to suffer; homework doesn't get done, they don't make it to school first thing in the morning because they're too tired," explains high school counselor Karen Turner.
Turner adds that "there's an enormous pressure on young people today to have or earn money because it's expensive to run cars, insurance is expensive, and a lot of parents can't help out in a big way. I think parents need to watch out and ensure that students aren't taking on too much and adding on more and more part-time work in order to have more and more things, when what's really important is that they get their academic work done."
Another area that teens need to be selective about is extra-curricular activities. While being active in school bands, drama clubs and sports are positive experiences for most teens; Turner says "it gets in the way when you take on too many things such as extra-curricular activities, plus work, along with a heavy academic load. Then the student experiences overload and the stress collapses them either in their studies, or forcing them to give something up. You are looking for balance."
So encourage your teen to have a well rounded life, just ensure that it's not so full that they become over taxed. The teen years should be a time of fun and freedom, balanced with responsibility.
Adapted from The Parent Report Radio Show. Any advice or information contained herein should never be a substitute for professional and/or medical advice, diagnosis and treatment. For more information please review Terms of Service.
|
