rsvman
So then you got to work those Saturdays. LOL...
My kids did alright. It was different for my daughter because she was so involved with school-related stuff once she got into high school, be it with clubs, field hockey, writing for the school sports newsletter staff, etc. so she was fairly busy much of the time. Then midway through her high school experience we relocated to London for two years, so she finished up her last two years of HS at a school that was much more academically advanced than her HS was back home, plus they had a lot more extracurricular activities than her former school and she dove right into the thick of things to make new friends and feel like she belonged. She was an excellent student, got excellent grades, and was just really a completely different kid from my son.
My son was an okay student despite not caring much for school and applying himself better, but worked p/t jobs for extra money here and there his last couple of years in HS.
My big thing wasn't so much about the money aspect, but more so that I just wanted them to stay busy and productive, or at least busy enough to stay out of trouble. We had a few speed bumps along the way but everything worked out.
The tough thing for me, and something I still struggle with, is relating to their generation. As a teenager I wasn't exposed to 1/3 of the stuff that they were exposed to... including the opportunities to go places, see things, learn a different culture, etc. And for that matter - opportunities in other forms too, some of which were good, some that were not so good as well... lol Back when I was in HS - I might've snuck out for 1 or 2 parties per year... hell, teenagers these days have that covered in less than a month. And I would NEVER EVER tell my folks, "Hey - just so you know - there's probably going to be alcohol there, but don't worry - I know not to drink and drive or ride with someone else that has been drinking!" If my mom caught wind of me drinking? I still flinch at the thought of catching a frying pan upside my head. That was an automatic grounded-for-life deal too.
But if you're the parent of a teenage HS kid today and you don't think they're partying and drinking or maybe smoking some weed - man... you just ain't paying attention. Oh, it's going on... probably a lot more than most parents want to know.
Anyway...
It was tough for me to distinguish between forcing them to maintain some of the necessary rules and standards that still applied 30 years later, from those that just aren't practical any longer. I compromised a few things, simply because I couldn't relate to their youth experience today versus mine way back when. But I never compromised being a responsible Dad in exchange to be their friend. And because of that, fortunately, I enjoy both of those aspects today, so I guess everything worked out.