[chadwimc]

My son, who is 17, has been working since he was 14.I gave him an ultimatum: Sports or music to occupy his time. He came to me askig "Can I get a job instead"? He didn't exactly lie about his age. He just let the grocery store assume he was turning 15 soon(The minimum age they would hire). I didn't think he would last a week. He values the independence more than anything.

[jla]

It's always nice to see parents braggin' on good kids. :^)

[Will_Zurmacht]

Your son will do fine in life.

As a point of contrast I knew a guy in graduate school...
he was 32 and had never held a job. He never even filled out a W2. Never sacked groceries, flipped a burger, or even mowed a lawn.
He lived off of student loans, and parents.
Now he can't find work based on his total lack of any work experience...hehe. Interviewers have asked him, "What have you actually done for the last 15 years?"
He's a little depressed now, living in his folks basement with his 3 degrees.

I once told him to apply at the place I work, to at least get a paycheck...
He did, the resume he sent in stated he was seeking "some sort of management/executive position",
salary desired was upper thirties, which he felt was the least he would work for

.........sigh

needless to say, the HR folks had a good laugh