My son (15) is lazy. He wants to spend his summer vacation on the computer playing games. He doesn't want a job (he claims he's looking for one but I don't see any evidence of that), he doesn't want to volunteer, doesn't want to join a community endeavor, doesn't want to go to camp - doesn't want to do anything. He says he has a right to relax in the way he wants to because he worked so hard all year. While it's true that he got an A average, he did this without any work at all because he is naturally very smart. He never studies or works hard. All of this goes against my grain. I was taught to work hard and I've been working hard since I was 13. It really irks me to see him lying around wasting his life but my wife says I should let him relax because he's just a kid. Is that what I'm supposed to do? His behavior makes me feel physically ill.
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| My husband and I are having the same fight! I also think he should let our kids be. He's so critical that his sour disposition is hurting all of us. If he's so worried about the kids, he should stop making them miserable with his demands. The kids hear us arguing about them all the time and I know this can't be good either but I don't know how to get out of it. I feel like I have to protect them from my ogre husband!
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| Why can't a kid age 15 just do what he wants for the summer? Just because you worked hard all the time doesn't mean your kid has to suffer too! You should be happy for him that he has an easier time.
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| If parents don't encourage their kids to get jobs and have responsibilities the kids won't do it and they'll lose out. I also worked from a young age and I really appreciate how much I grew from the experience. I was able to pay for lots of things, I learned to manage my money, I felt very grown up and independent and proud of myself. I had friends that never did anything when they were years older than me and I felt sorry for their pathetic state. I'm glad my parents insisted I use my time productively.
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| Your kid is only 15. SInce lots of kids that age are still in camp playing around, I don't see why he can't play around on the computer. Some kids who do that develop amazing computer skills that they use later on. What if he is the next Bill Gates?
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| Can't there be some compromise? Why not tell your kid he can be on the computer for a certain maximum number of hours and then has to do something else the rest of the time? We have that rule in our house. My kids have learned musical instruments (keyboard and drums), how to cook, they play sports and they socialize. I don't mind if they also play around on the computer as long as it's all part of a well-rounded day.
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