The Importance of Teaching Teens Their Worth

I was recently involved in a conversation regarding teenage babysitting rates and the “fair” amount a teenager should receive to watch 2 children, ages 3 and 9 years of age. Their services would be needed from the hours of 3 pm to 10 pm. The teenager in question is 15 years of age. The individual posing the question was wanting to settle a discussion between herself and her husband on whether $15 per hour was a suitable amount, adding that her husband originally suggested $20 and she suggested $10, so they decided upon $15.

The question was actually in the form of a poll wanting to know who felt $15 was enough, too much, or not enough. An overwhelming amount of individuals felt it was enough, very few felt it wasn’t enough, and there was a decent amount who felt it was too much … only those who felt it was too much gave additional comments.

Remarks such as, “We pay our teenage sitter $8 and they’re always happy with what we pay them” or “$10 an hour is perfectly fair. I don’t understand how teenagers think they’re entitled to so much” and of course the, “A teenager is going to come sit, watch tv, play on their phone while your 2 kids likely do exactly the same thing and that’s worth $15 + an hour?”.

As thought-provoking as those comments were, the comment that actually filled me with a range of emotions went something like this, “I’m clearly in the minority. Teenagers should not make $15/hr to watch children. Yes, I get the “value your children and job” aspect but what are we teaching the teenagers? They can Snapchat for 5 hours while sneaking a quick glance occasionally at the kids and make more than single moms busting their humps at $8/hr. No, teach them hard work comes with low pay, and if they want more they need to make themselves competitive … that’s real life folks. Takes a village”.

There’s so much to dissect and digest in that, that I’m not even sure where to start, so I’m going to take it from the top.

 

AGE DOES NOT DICTATE WHAT SHOULD BE MADE

There’s actually a name for that, it’s called ageism. Just as you shouldn’t discriminate against an older individual, you shouldn’t discriminate against a younger one either. The whole purpose of getting a job is to make money. Whether it is for disposable income, presents for friends and family, or to save for a car, there are plenty of perfectly capable and responsible teenagers out there who are worth every bit of what they’re asking for. I don’t think the teenager in this situation asked for anything, but if they had, they certainly shouldn’t be scoffed at for suggesting amount higher than minimum wage.

Some teenagers are tasked with the job of paying for their own college, should they choose to go, and simply find it easier to work and save while in high school rather than once they get into college … the point is, you have no idea what they’re planning to do with their monies, don’t assume they aren’t worth it without hearing their qualifications.

Let’s teach our teens that ageism is a thing so that when they become an adult, they don’t feel they’re still too young to pursue their passions, to command top dollar for the skills they spent time acquiring or the degree they spent years to obtain.

SOCIAL MEDIA IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY ENTERTAINER

It should not be assumed simply because one is a teen, they spend their days on social media. There are plenty of teens who don’t even have social media, mine being two of them. Half the time, my daughter doesn’t even know where her phone is, let alone spend all her time on it. Likewise, I know many adults who spend the vast majority of their time on Instagram, taking selfies or just surfing the web … phones pull in humans of all ages.

Let’s teach our kids they are more than the stereotypes attached to them and they shouldn’t be afraid to prove them wrong.

BEING A SINGLE MOM DOES NOT EQUATE TO BUSTING YOUR BUTT FOR $8 PER HOUR

I am a single mom who knows many single moms. Being a single mom does not equate to busting your butt for $8 an hour. Even if that happens to be what you’re making, it doesn’t mean holding a younger person back from making more simply because you feel they should be underneath you on the money scale.

I know how hard it can be to walk away from money, especially when you’ve got little mouths to feed. This doesn’t negate the fact that taking a job, any job, even a low paying job is your choice to take. Far too many people love to get work done for little pay and as long as people are accepting those jobs, the pay for them will never change.

Let’s teach our teens to not only know their worth but to ask for it and not to keep others from getting theirs. Community over competition should be a thing all the way around.

HARD WORK SHOULD NOT COME WITH LOW PAY

The quickest way to deter someone from working or, at best, get them to give the bare minimum is to tell them no matter how hard they work they will still receive low wages.

Let’s teach our teens to make themselves competitive in order to get what they feel they deserve. That if they can’t find it out there working for someone else, they can create their own opportunities with hard work and set their own pay.

THAT IS REAL LIFE

Unfortunately, that is real life. The vast majority of babysitters are female and it’s no surprise females are the ones making less than males in the workplace. The ones who don’t negotiate. The ones who are happy with what they’re given even if they know it should be more.

If we’re teaching our daughters that, that they shouldn’t ask for more due to being young, not having all the certifications, or simply that they will be boxed in due to stereotypes, what are we really teaching them?

Teenagers are taken advantage of simply because they are teens and single moms are taken advantage of simply because they’re single moms … in both groups, it’s assumed they’ll be happy with what they’re given or that they should be.

Bringing the conversation full circle, any teenager making the decision to babysit is actually choosing to start their own business. That, in itself, is showing great initiative.

For parents out there raising go-getters, budding entrepreneurial minds, teach them the importance of knowing their worth and charging accordingly. To set their rates and find their ideal client families rather than being unhappy working with a family or families who pay them less than they know they deserve. Instilling this mindset early will carry forward with them in their future careers and assist them in negotiating as well as allow them to eloquently convey why they’re an asset.

For parents out there seeking teenage babysitters, don’t do so because you’re seeking cheap labor. Do so because you’re wanting to support a teenager earning money and their first steps to seeking independence. Think about your children when they get that age and how you’d like them to get a fair shake without it being assumed they shouldn’t make a certain amount due to age or because someone is assuming they won’t actually do the job effectively … why even bother hiring someone if that’s your mentality?

If you’re hiring someone to watch your children it should be assumed you’re doing your due diligence in making sure all of your qualifications are met in order to ensure your children are in capable hands.  A teenager who has taken a babysitting course and/or has previously worked as a Mother’s Helper as well as one who has a First Aid and CPR Certification, or is working towards obtaining one within the first 30 days, should easily be able to ask for at least $10 per hour for one child and $5 more per additional child. Teenage babysitting rates should not be based on age, they should be based on qualifications like any other job.