Island Parent Magazine Winter 2023

her response was “it will be fun” and “I
can buy stuff.” Easier than I thought but
questionable as to the longevity of the
rewards.
On her first day at work, she was
picked up and taken straight to Starbucks.
Venti frap-a-something in hand,
she was driven around while picking up
dogs. In that first two-hour shift, she
made $20 cash and was treated to a $7
drink.
I returned home from my own job to
find her thrilled and excited and eager to
“work” again the next day. I was grateful
that our friend had made our girl’s
first day on the job fun, but it certainly
didn’t mirror my own experiences of new
employment.
The next day, another Venti Starbucks
and twenty bucks. And the same the day
after that, and the day after that.
I finally called our friend and expressed
how generous it was of her to be treating
our daughter to a drink every shift, but
that she didn’t need to do it each time. At
this rate, it was almost costing her money
to have an employee. She agreed to at
least tone it down to a Tall.
I knew things had gone sideways when
I started returning home from work to
find that $20 bill and empty Starbucks
cup abandoned on the counter. If the
money was valuable, why was it lying
around? And where was the responsibility
and work ethic I was hoping
my daughter would adopt? It certainly
wasn’t in the unrinsed and unrecycled
cup on my counter.
I started to worry about what my
daughter was learning about the workforce.
So far, from her viewpoint, here
were the big takeaways:
1. Your boss can pick you up so that
you never have to worry about getting
yourself to work on time.
2. Your boss treats you to an expensive
beverage of your choosing every shift.
3. You can get paid to do something
that you aren’t willing to do in your own
life (i.e. walk your own dog)
I was relieved at the end of the summer
when school resumed and the “job” fizzled
out naturally. My daughter did save
about half of the money she “earned”
but not for anything specific. I can’t really
say what she gained from the experience
of her first job other than some fun
time spent with some adorable dogs and
a very skewed view of the workforce.
My own 30 years in the workforce
have never been as relaxed and as rewarding
as what my daughter was lucky
enough to experience, but maybe it’s better
to know what is possible. There certainly
is more of an emphasis on work/
life balance these days.
I had hoped that her first job would
prepare her for the real world. Instead,
I suspect she will get a rude awakening
when she arrives at her first job and
hands the boss her Starbucks order.
Sarah Seitz is a working
mother, wife and writer. She
spends her free time cutting
off crusts and uses good
coffee and humour to get
through the day.
Family Day at the Legislature
Please join us for free family friendly activities
at the B.C. Parliament Buildings
Monday, February 20, 2023
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
www.leg.bc.ca | tours@leg.bc.ca
IslandParent.ca
Winter 2023 17