Today we looked at some science stuff that told us that working too much is bad for teens' health. That's what they've been trying to tell you! And what this one commenter would also like to tell you.

From Kogo:

I never understood some parents' idea that having a teenager get and hold down a menial, low-wage job will somehow Teach Them Something Important About Life. Yeah, I know, if the family is poor and needs the money, I suppose it's justified. But those hours on the job? Hours that could be spent studying (I can't find one off the bat but I'm SURE there's a study showing that teens with jobs do worse in school).

Seems to me that just giving your kid a $50-100 allowance per week, having a series of heartfelt talks about the importance of hard work, and then requiring that they use the time they spend NOT working at DQ to do something constructive (studying, volunteering, reading, exercising) will advance them further in the world than any amount of time spent slingin' burritos.

*Sigh*. No, I am NOT prejudiced against working-class and/or people of ANY class with menial jobs. I'm talking about this from the POV of a parent with the financial wherewithal that their teen doesn't have to work. 'Cause low-wage service work isn't just "work": it's exposure to a degrading subculture of hopelessness, minor drug use and theft, petty managerial martinetism, and other things you will go further in the world NOT learning about firsthand.

Heck, a single summer spent not working the Fry Daddy probably means $10,000 in later-life savings when you DON'T have to spend that money on years of nebulizer treatments for inhaling all that airborne frying medium.

Well OK then! Personally speaking, my two summers spent working as a country club dining room waiter were very formative, especially the getting so drunk on sneaked rum and Cokes that you almost throw up on a bride as she's leaving her reception part. I mean, if I hadn't had that valuable experience, I might still drink rum and Cokes. And then where would I be?