Monday, March 16, 2009

Still on working

No real news on Munchkin's job front, although we did talk about it quite a bit over the weekend. Truth be told, I am a little stumped on this one, and I am not sure how I am going to work it out.

She really, really wants to live at the beach and get a job. And I don't blame her one bit! Her friends here tend to go away during the summers, so there are fewer people for her to hang out with. She has loads of friends at the beach that she would love to be around all the time, and it is just a more fun place to be in the summer.

I would feel much less comfortable about her having a job around here. I don't really know what she could do, and I don't like the idea of her taking the T somewhere or having to get herself some place 3-4 days a week. She could babysit, but I don't think she likes that idea as much as working with other kids her age. Plus, if she is at work for 3 hours a day, there is a lot less for her to do with the other time than there would be at the beach.

So, I feel like I should do everything I can to make it work. Basically, she wants to be at the beach, and I want to figure out a way to make that possible...I owe her that much. But I can't just leave her there on Memorial Day, see her every weekend, and bring her home on Labor Day. As great a kid as she is, she is way too young to have that much autonomy.

It is not really a safety issue: there is almost always someone in the house (Smoking Hot Roommate's aunts, uncles and cousins, etc). On the rare days that there was no one there, she could stay at a friend's house. My concern is that, while she knows all of those people, I don't feel like it is fair to sort of pass off parenting to a whole mess of random people all summer.

As a rule, I am not terribly comfortable with her being there for a couple of days at a time without me, Smoking Hot Roommate, Big Sis or Papa Bear. They count as parents;-) And as I ask everyone about their tentative summer plans, there seem to be at least like 6 weeks where none of us would be there.

So...you can see my pickle. She is better off at the beach. She wants to be at the beach. But I have to figure out a way to get her there...

Anyone want a summer-long babysitting gig? It doesn't actually pay...but you get to hang out on the beach all summer...

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think we can figure this out. Between you and me and Big Sis and Dad, we can cover it. You aren't going to have to twist my arm to get me to take a few days off here and there to be at the house!

I agree with you, she is better off there, especially if she really wants to be there.

Nilsa @ SoMi Speaks said...

Sounds like you have one already on board. For the number of people who have summer homes at the beach and kids who want to spend the summers there but adult jobs that won't allow for an adult to be present ... you'd think someone would come up with a business where parents hire this business to make regular house calls to the kids and a local place where the kids can call should anything go awry.

Accidentally Me said...

SHR - You are probably right, but I am still worried about making sure she is always sort of supervised

Nilsa - If I start that business, and hire Munchkin...could she check up on herself? Hmm...

boohoo said...

Maybe her not getting her own way might be a good lesson for her. Sometimes adult stuff gets in the way and as much you'd like to move heaven and earth to accomodate sometimes you just can't. I had to be told no as a child and it didn't do me any harm ... although I did pout a lot afterwards ;)

W T G said...

Tough call indeed. I'm sure you'll make the right call : )

I recall my summer days frolicking at the beach in my early teens. Memorable......