Some parents hand their kids a phone at 14. One young woman’s dad handed her a different kind of assignment. In a short video, the woman who posts as @naomii.nae explains that when she was 14 years old, her father told her to head down to McDonald’s and find a job. She was working by 16, and to this day she is stunned when people tell her they did not get their first job until they were 19 or 20.
“As someone who got their first job at 16, I’d be so shocked when people would be like, ‘Oh yeah, I didn’t get my first job till 19, 20 years old,'” she says. Her reaction is a mix of disbelief and amusement. “Baby, I was 14 years old. My dad told me to go to the McDonald’s and find a job.”
She is honest that there is a part of her that wonders what she missed. She admits she can be a little jealous of people who did not work as teens, because they probably had so much more free time. But then she remembers the upside. “I have money,” she says, recalling what it was like to have her own cash at 16 and 17. “So I don’t even, like, regret it.”
Her caption adds a fun detail about one of those early jobs. She used to work at Cold Stone, she wrote, and the tips were very good. The ice cream shop, it seems, was a sweet gig in more ways than one.
@naomii.nae
What surprises her most is that not every parent pushes their kids to work. “It’s just crazy to think about,” she says, that “some people’s parents really don’t” make them go get a job.
The Lasting Value of a Teenage Job
For many readers over 50, her story will sound familiar. Generations of Americans got their start bagging groceries, mowing lawns, babysitting, delivering newspapers or working the counter at the local drive-in. Those jobs were not glamorous, but they taught lessons that lasted a lifetime.
A first job teaches teens how to show up on time, take direction from a boss, deal with difficult customers and work as part of a team. It gives them their first real sense of what a dollar costs in time and effort. Earning a paycheck also often makes young people far more careful about how they spend it. And many adults credit a teenage job with helping them figure out what they did, and did not, want to do with their lives.
There are trade-offs, of course, which she acknowledges. Teens who work have less free time for friends, sports and activities. Families have to balance a job with schoolwork and rest. But for many young people, a few hours a week is manageable, and the benefits are real.
What the Rules Say About Teens at Work
If a grandchild or child is eager to start earning, it helps to know the basics. Under federal law, 14 is generally the minimum age for most non-farm jobs, including many roles in restaurants and retail. Younger children can still earn money through jobs like babysitting, delivering newspapers or working in a family business.
For 14 and 15 year olds, federal rules limit hours. They can work only outside of school hours, no more than 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week, and up to 8 hours on a non-school day and 40 hours in a non-school week. Work must generally fall between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., with the evening limit extended to 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day. Once teens turn 16, federal law no longer limits their hours, though they still cannot work in jobs considered hazardous until they turn 18.
States can set stricter rules, and many require minors to get a work permit or employment certificate, often through their school. Individual employers also set their own minimum hiring ages, so a 14-year-old may find that some restaurants hire at that age while others wait until 16. Your state labor department’s website is the best place to check what applies where you live.
How Grandparents Can Help a Teen Get Started
Help with the first application. Walk through how to fill out a job application, what to wear to an interview and how to make a good first impression. A quick practice interview at the kitchen table can calm nerves.
Share your first job story. Teens love hearing that Grandma once scooped ice cream or Grandpa pumped gas. Your stories make the experience feel normal and even a little exciting.
Talk about saving. Encourage teens to save part of every paycheck. Because they have earned income, teens may also be able to open a custodial Roth IRA with a parent’s help, giving their savings decades to grow.
Celebrate the milestones. The first paycheck is a big deal. A note, a call or a small celebration shows a teen that their hard work matters.
This young woman’s dad gave her a push at 14, and she clearly does not regret it. She learned to work, she earned her own money, and she even picked up some good tips along the way. Sometimes the best thing a parent can say is simply, “Go get a job.”
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