Hey Mom and Dad: Do You Expect Your Kids to Work (Summer) Jobs?

Whether or not you can feel it coming yet, your kid is sniffing that 70-degree air outside and thinking about one thing above all else: summer vacation is coming.

Of course, for older kids, "vacation" may be a slight misnomer. And for some, that might not even be so much of a change from their activities during the school year... that is, those kids who already put a good chuck of their time into their jobs. Which brings us to this week's Hey Mom & Dad question:

Do you expect your child to get a summer job, work year round, or just focus on school during their teen years?

Saiward Brown: “We believe that during the school year, our boys' job is to be the best students that they can be; during the summer they should work. There are skills they need to learn there as well.” – Wheaton Patch Facebook

Spencer Dylan Smith: “I think a part-time of 10-20 hours during the school year is fine (mostly weekends) and that an of-age teenager should be working full-time during the summer. Teaching the value of hard work is important. Not to mention a little bit of humility goes a long way. I very much dislike when people are rude to service employees and then why you ask them if they have ever had a job like that, their answer is invariably ‘of course not.’” – Lemont Patch Facebook

Kathryn Yarema Johnson: “Depends on the kid. There is no ‘one size fits all’ answer. However, we do require our kids to volunteer in the community for a few years before getting a job... kind of a ‘character shaper’ thing. And the side benefit is that it definitely helped our eldest kid get his job!” – Elmhurst Patch Facebook 

Barbara Conley: “A job… unfortunately my daughter won't be 17 until Sept.” – Downers Grove Patch Facebook 

Jen Hanson: “My son is going to be a senior and just got a job at Otter Cove for the summer; he will look for another part time job for the school year; he wants to work.” – St. Charles Patch Facebook

Lidia Granger: “At a minimum, a summer job.” – St. Charles Patch Facebook 

Melissa Ruh Muetze: “Summer jobs only... school is more important, so I want my kids to focus on education and sports during the school year but summer it is work time.” – Batavia Patch Facebook

So what's your take? Tell us in the comments.