Watch the video of ParentingTeensNetwork Editorial Director, Judith Sachs, on The Today Show

It’s the middle of summer, and your teens are on the couch with a pizza. Again. Or in front of the computer. Or doing nothing but hanging out at the mall, texting friends.

It’s not completely their fault. The teen job market is the worst it’s been since World War II. And for African-American kids, it’s far worse—fully one third are unemployed, which is six times the national average.

That job at the jewelry store downtown never materialized because the economy is in such trouble, and now your teen is totally and completely bored. Meanwhile, you are tearing your hair out.

So if the world won’t employ your teen, you’ve got to do it yourself. Here are some simple do’s and don’ts for getting the kids motivated and active for the rest of the summer – with plenty of benefits for you both.

 

DO

1. Negotiate an interesting project.

First, you’re going to sit down together and think about some projects. Your teen might want to volunteer this summer—whether at a soup kitchen, for an environmental group, or for the presidential campaign. If you want to keep the project closer to home, you might think about those big jobs you’ve been meaning to do but never have time for. Your teen is going to take the lead on this – so it has to be something he or she wants to do and will keep doing for the rest of the summer. Although teens are expected to be self-centered, focused on figuring out who they are and what they're all about, this kind of project can make them feel more involved in the family and less isolated.

So what needs doing? Maybe cleaning out the garage or attic, landscaping the front of your house, organizing your computer files or building you a Web site (because of course they’re better on the computer than you are), or making a digital album out of all those boxes of old pictures you have tucked away.

 

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Issue: July 2008