Your Teen Was Unproductive This Summer—What Now?
We live in a culture of productivity; there's no doubt about that. As much as adults are under pressure, our tweens and teens are feeling it, too. In a 2024 report, Unpacking Grind Culture in American Teens: Pressure, Burnout, and the Role of Social Media, statistics showed that 56% of American teens reported feeling pressure to have a game plan for their futures, including college, career, and relationships. Another 53% reported feeling pressure to have high achievements in their grades, honors classes, and their jobs.
With a large number of teens facing so much pressure in their professional and academic lives, when should parents reconsider the load they expect or allow their children to carry—and should the summer be a time of rest for tweens and teens as opposed to taking on more hustle?
The consensus? There isn't a cut-and-dry answer. Whether or not your tween or teen should take on a summer job or internship all depends on each individual child and their circumstances, according to Penny Meeker, founder and owner of BeLove Parenting.
'It can be appropriate, especially for older teens, to have some level of responsibility continued through the summer,' she said. 'During the school year, if they are heavily involved in sports, extracurriculars, or their academics, then they probably need a change of pace for the summer. So finding a balance that's right for each child.'
Meeker, who has over 30 years of experience in youth development and is a mother of three adult children, says that some kids thrive better with structure, while others may feel too much pressure adding on work during the summer.
'For some kids, having no structure can increase their anxiety. It might just take doing something a little more enjoyable. It's less stressful, but still keeping them active and engaged and having some sort of routine. Vice versa, for some kids, that extra pressure of a job or an internship might be too much for them, and they do need to just have time to chill and rejuvenate.'
Kristen Duke, mother of one teen and three adults, knows from experience how tricky teenagehood can be. 'It's hard being a teenager. It's hard to know how to navigate. It's also hard to be a parent of a teenager, too, and so I validate both experiences.'
Duke, who helps other moms build relationships with their teens through trust, realizes that a lot of people are quick to perceive tweens and teens as lazy—but is that actually the case, or should we be considering the plethora of other things that they're facing that may affect their motivation or even ability to be productive?
'I think that is how a lot of parents perceive what their kids are doing, and I invite them to say, 'Let's reframe laziness.' What if they're not lazy, what if they're just overwhelmed or overstimulated and they need a little more of a break?' she questioned.
Figuring It Out
The best way to know if your tween/teen is ready for more responsibility is by simply having some conversations with them and assessing their load.
Meeker and Duke suggest considering some of the following questions, with Meeker urging parents to ask during check-ins before the summer starts, mid-summer, and even throughout the year.
Are they bored?
Are they lonely?
Do they feel too busy?
Are they too stressed?
Are they getting enough time with their friends, or no?
How can they be stretched a little without being pushed too much?
Is it too much for them to keep going at the same pace that they go all school year?
Is this something that we need to add to their plate, or is this something that's going to stress them during the summertime when it's meant to relax?
Depending on the child's answers, parents can adjust as necessary. 'Just making sure that they have the right balance of time to relax and time to destress as well as time to pursue their interests and their goals,' Meeker advises. 'Leading with curiosity rather than having a set idea or goals already in place for your child and really just helping them to talk it through and set some of their own goals.'Parents can sometimes play a large role in their tween/teens being overscheduled, Duke suggests. 'I think a lot of parents feel this expectation or pressure or even judgment to think, 'They [the child] should be doing this, or I'm a bad parent if I'm not making them have a job.''
'They really need to analyze and assess their own thoughts around why they're thinking that, and then assess their teenager,' Duke added. 'I think there is a big problem with being over-scheduled and the stress associated with that.'
Staying Busy
While working a job or internship can be beneficial for your child, there are many other opportunities your tween/teen can take advantage of to enhance their social and professional skills, as well as develop how they handle responsibility.
'Summer's a great time for them to try out some other interests, get different experiences and exposure that is also educational and expands their horizons—and that's going to help them as they get older and are trying to decide more about what they really want to do,' Meeker said. 'That also is going to still build collaboration skills, leadership skills, different kinds of interactions with different people than they would normally interact with, and all of that is going to benefit them in the long run.'
Even if your tween or teen didn't work this summer, you still want to make sure they're active and engaged during the year.
'The most important thing for the summer is similar to routines as it is for younger kids, which is to keep them reading, keep them moving,' Meeker said. 'Also, making sure that they have face-to-face, in-person interactions on a regular basis as well, not just via video games and texting and social media.'
Whether tweens or teens choose to fill their plates or not is a choice that has to be made between the parent and the child directly. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, but the most important thing is making sure that your child gets an opportunity to develop themselves without overdoing it or being hyperscheduled.
'Giving them different experiences and exposures can really help them at this time in particular, where they are developmentally soaking it all in,' Meeker said. 'It gives them those soft skills that they're going to need as they move through life.'
Read the original article on Parents
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
When my husband turned 60, we started going to Florida for the winters. I hated it at first.
When my husband turned 60, he decided we were going to spend half the year in Florida. I struggled going from New York City to our rental condo in North Miami. Now I go back to New York every two weeks while he stays at the beach. The second my husband turned 60, he decided it was time to join the million residents who spend part of the year (in our case, six months) in Florida. My spouse sold me on the sun, sand, and surf — and a North Miami condo rental on the 20th floor with ocean views. I didn't protest when he suggested it — so many of our friends who are empty nesters have made the part-time move to Boca, Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, or Delray. But when we shipped our car stuffed with bags down to Aventura in December, I quickly realized this was far different from New York City. I tried to make the most out of it The first week, my hubby was gleeful playing pickleball and snoozing on the terrace. I, however, immediately experienced a rosacea flareup from the 85-degree heat and humidity and wound up at a dermatologist's office. The doctor asked if I could stay out of the sun. "Can you write me a prescription to go back to New York?" I responded. Instead, she sold me $159 worth of sunscreen products and sent me on my way. As the weeks crawled by, we went on a few double dates with other couples. "You'll like them. They're about our age," my spouse assured me. They were — give or take 20 years. A few already had grandchildren and were on their second hip replacement. Rather than pout, I decided to make the most of my situation. Every day, I would don a wide-brimmed baseball hat and take a long walk around the exercise trail leading around the golf course. As I logged in my 10,000 steps, I dodged kids on bikes, Door Dash deliveries on motorized scooters, even a four-foot-long lizard and a family of wild ducks. Once, on my second loop, I passed a woman pushing her Maltese in a stroller. I peered inside the carriage; the dog looked more miserable than I. I felt out of place Strolling back through the security gates into the condo complex driveway, I called a friend to vent. "This is so not me! I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone!" I said to hear while complaining about how no one wore black. She was talking me off the ledge when I suddenly heard screeching tires. I turned to see a blue Cadillac coming straight at me. It swerved side to side wildly, hitting a few palm trees in its path and taking out the arm of the security gate. I screamed and jumped into a bush as it sped past, finally coming to a hard stop in front of the condo fountain. I ran after the car, prepared to scream at the driver for trying to mow me down. An old, bent-over gentleman emerged from behind the wheel, and his nurse stepped out of the passenger side. She apologized, and I saw that the man was clearly in shock — he was 97 years old, I found out. I made my way upstairs, thankfully unharmed but covered in dirt from my tumble into the landscaping. I told my spouse what happened. "Florida," he shrugged. "What are you gonna do?" There was plenty I could do — for starters, book my return flight home the next day. "This IS home," he reminded me. I didn't want to be here I went into the bathroom, slammed the door behind me, and cried. This life wasn't me, and despite wanting to be a good wife and spend quality time with my husband, I didn't want to be here. I felt completely lost. I talked to my spouse and explained how I was feeling. To his credit, he told me to travel back and forth as much as I needed. Delta Air Lines became my new best friend. We struck a compromise: I return to New York every two weeks, spend a week or two recharging my batteries, and then return. I now see my daughter, do my work, and meet up with friends. When I'm home and he is in Florida, I don't miss the surroundings, but I do miss him. He comes back to NYC a few times as well, and the rest of the time we spend together in what I try not to call "Aventorture" (at least not in front of him). As we reach the end of May and our official "move out" time for the snowbird season, I'm actually starting to feel more at ease. I got this. I found a few things that keep me entertained and sane: local theater, an Air Supply concert, and the Ralph's coffee stand at the Aventura Mall that doesn't run out of oat milk. It will never be NYC, but maybe when I'm 97 (hopefully not still driving), it may seem ideal. Read the original article on Business Insider Solve the daily Crossword
Entrepreneur
27 minutes ago
- Entrepreneur
Self-Funded Founder's 3 Secrets for $25M Revenue and 2 Brands
Raised in a "very entrepreneurial" family, Tanya Taylor always dreamed of starting a business of her own. Growing up in Toronto, Canada, Tanya Taylor, now founder of her namesake womenswear brand and a second eveningwear brand, Delphine, didn't really know she could build a career in fashion, she says. However, as someone from a "very entrepreneurial" family, she'd always dreamed of running her own business. Image Credit: Courtesy of Tanya Taylor. Tanya Taylor. " I took for granted that our dinner table conversations were always about small businesses, the people you work with, the values you have in your work and how rewarding it is when you can build a company," Taylor says. That foundation led her to study finance at McGill University, but Taylor couldn't shake the "creative itch" she felt to join the fashion world. So Taylor moved to New York City, where she didn't know anyone at the time, and applied to the Parsons AAS Fashion Design program — after which her "whole world changed." Taylor went on to work for Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen on their contemporary lifestyle brand, Elizabeth and James, for several years. " What I found so inspiring, and what I still like to think about today, is how personal they were with their design process," Taylor recalls, "and how working for a female founder that was creating product for a customer that they could really relate to, whether through age or just lifestyle, felt fun. We weren't guessing who this person was. It wasn't fantasy; it was grounded in reality." Image Credit: Courtesy of Tanya Taylor Related: 'Absolute Freedom': Siblings Behind a Self-Funded 8-Figure Brand Reveal 3 Secrets Aspiring Entrepreneurs Should Know About Growth and Success Taylor decided to marry what she'd learned in business school with her growing experience in the fashion industry. She recognized a gap in the market for an "expressive, inclusive, joyful brand" that felt as though it was designed by someone who wanted to be close to the customer. Although Taylor admits she was "naive" when she made the leap to fashion founder, her commitment to starting a company that would be "adaptive to the market" paid off. Taylor's namesake brand grew from one employee in 2012 to a team of about 40 people today. The brand saw $25 million gross revenue last year, and net sales growth surpassed 40%. " I wanted to bring a different pace and give myself a different creative playground." Last year, Taylor also branched into eveningwear with the launch of her second brand, Delphine. " I wanted to bring a different pace and give myself a different creative playground that represented a different side of my friends, of myself and what I saw missing in the market," Taylor says. "I'm 39, and I was having a very hard time finding dresses to go to all of the events I have in my life that weren't either too young or too sexy. I was missing the sleek sophistication that I used to be able to find." Image Credit: Courtesy of Delphine Of course, the decade-plus between the roll-out of Taylor's first and second brands has seen significant changes in the fashion business. Entrepreneur sat down with Taylor to learn more about how building her first brand and adapting to industry shifts have shaped her ongoing growth strategy and new brand, Delphine. 1. Retail remains valuable amid the shifting landscape As a young designer without a network in New York, Taylor staged an attention-grabbing Fashion Week show in the MoMA's Agnes Gund Lobby with "kooky" details — like bartenders with serving trays carrying goldfish swimming in glasses alongside regular drinks — to create a "magical, surprising little world." Wholesale was the way to launch when Taylor started her first brand, and the MoMA show got her in the door successfully. Saks Fifth Avenue expressed interest, noting "the longevity" of Taylor's ideas and how the brand didn't feel like one "chasing trends." Saks became Taylor's first retailer, and Bergdorf Goodman followed soon after. Many businesses have had to contend with a decline in physical retail over the past decade-plus. However, brick-and-mortar stores are seeing a resurgence, and luxury brands increasingly invest in flagship stores, Vogue Business reported in 2022. In 2023, Tanya Taylor opened its first flagship store on Madison Avenue in New York City. The store was profitable in its first year and boasts a 40% customer return rate. Taylor looks forward to leaning into her company's flagship presence. "That's where retail's exciting to me," the founder says. "We get more chances to [connect with] people. Every day at 6:30 p.m., we get this novel from our store about every person who walked in: a little story about where they're from, why they decided on what they bought or didn't, what's going on with their sister. It's so interesting to feel personally attached to the people you designed for. That is what fuels me and feels like the future of both brands." Image Credit: Courtesy of Tanya Taylor Related: These Married Co-Founders Started a Business With a Name 'Nobody Could Pronounce' — Then Bootstrapped It From Their Garage to 8-Figure Revenue 2. Self-funding continues to give Taylor's brands an edge Taylor's first brand was self-funded and remains so; she's currently making the same move with Delphine. Although challenging at times, self-funding allows Taylor to invest in herself and her team fully and provides the flexibility to put brand values first and consider long-term wins over short-term gains, the founder says. Additionally, self-funding prevents the brands from adopting a "private equity-backed voice." That's particularly important given their distinct personas — the first brand's "happy," "approachable" ethos versus the second's "emotionally driven, more mischievous" vibe. Despite the differences between the two brands, Taylor approaches both of their voices and marketing strategies with a similar "zest," which she says is the key to connecting with customers and putting them first always. Related: She and Her Sister Started a Side Hustle to Help People Elevate Their Homes — Now Their Brand Pulls In Hundreds of Millions: 'Get to Work' 3. Direct engagement with customers means more opportunities The rise of direct-to-consumer marketing translates to a new opportunity to "own the relationship with the customer," Taylor says. Delphine does work with some "incredible retailers," but the brand's presence online and in the Madison Avenue store serves as a chance to "go back to the basics" and ask important questions: How do I get close to the customer? How do I excite her? Social media, naturally, is another means to that end. Influencer marketing didn't exist when Tanya Taylor launched; now, it's often a customer's first touchpoint with a brand. " That feels like a huge shift in the industry," Taylor says. "You're not staring at a model in a studio showing you how you put a sweater with a skirt. You're getting to see it on somebody running to work, what shoes they're wearing and how their life looks. That has put the customer so much more in the center of fashion, in a way that is well-aligned with how I like to design." Additionally, social media, especially Instagram, allows Taylor to interact with customers more than ever before — and she embraces that by responding to many DMs herself. " I'm asking people questions," Taylor says. "I am so excited about quick learning. I love crowdsourcing opinions, and as a designer who is like a sponge, it's been so rewarding to see that access change." Image Credit: Courtesy of Delphine Related: 'We Got So Many DMs': This 27-Year-Old Revamped Her Parents' Decades-Old Business and Grew Direct-to-Consumer Sales From $60,000 to Over $500,000 As a two-time fashion founder in an era when ecommerce and social media have completely transformed the industry, Taylor has some helpful advice for any entrepreneur who hopes to succeed in the business: Figure out what makes you distinctive, and surround yourself with people who believe in that distinction, whether professors, industry professionals or friends. " That was really, really important for me," Taylor says. "[It] helped me feel some confidence. Entrepreneurship is a mind game. Once you embark on it, lots of people love it and want to continue, but you have to find ways to keep yourself strong and your creativity strong, and that's through community." This article is part of our ongoing Women Entrepreneur® series highlighting the stories, challenges and triumphs of running a business as a woman. Ready to break through your revenue ceiling? Join us at Level Up, a conference for ambitious business leaders to unlock new growth opportunities.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
The Season of Sensational Salads
MISSION, Kan., July 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- (Family Features) The warmer months mean one thing: salad season is officially here. With fresh flavors abounding, now is the perfect opportunity to tap into an unexpected veggie: celery. Celery is packed with flavor and low in calories, making it a smart choice for snacking and cooking a variety of meals throughout the day. Made up of 95% water, it's also naturally hydrating and high in fiber to keep you feeling full and refreshed. Available year-round, an option like Dandy Celery from Duda Farm Fresh Foods redefines what celery can be – crispier, sweeter and less stringy – through a legacy of quality, innovation and consistency in celery cultivation since 1926. This Fresh Salad with Grilled Strawberries and Celery, Berries and Burrata, for example, combines celery with other fresh, warm-weather favorites like strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries on a bed of arugula – topped with a sweet, citrusy dressing – for a refreshing, nourishing lunch or dinner. Or for an Asian twist, try this Thai Lime Chicken Salad, which features celery, carrots, cucumber and poached chicken breast over a Jasmine rice base with an Asian-inspired dressing that brings a touch of heat to the table. Find more recipes for salad season and beyond at Fresh Salad with Grilled Strawberries and Celery, Berries and BurrataRecipe courtesy of Marie Reginato on behalf of Duda Farm Fresh FoodsServings: 2 Salad:4 sticks Dandy Celery, divided4 strawberries, cut in half1 handful blackberries blueberries raspberries1 medium burrata ball, cut in half3 cups arugula 1 handful hemp seeds Dressing:3 tablespoons orange juice 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup3 tablespoons olive oil1 pinch sea salt Using grill pan or directly on grill, cook two celery sticks and strawberries until soft with grill marks on either side. While celery and strawberries grill, make dressing. In jar, mix orange juice, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, olive oil and salt. Cut grilled and remaining raw celery sticks at angle into 1/4-inch pieces. In mixing bowl, toss celery, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, burrata, arugula and hemp seeds with dressing. Mix well. Thai Lime Chicken SaladServings: 4 4 stalks Dandy Celery, sliced on bias1 cucumber, split, seeded and sliced on bias2 carrots, peeled and julienned2 cups Jasmine rice, cooked and cooled slightly1 bunch scallions, green section finely chopped and white ends julienned2 cups poached chicken breast, shredded3 tablespoons avocado seed oil3 tablespoons rice vinegar1 tablespoon palm sugar2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil2 tablespoons lime juice2 tablespoons tamari1 tablespoon fish sauce1/2 teaspoon crushed chili flakes (optional) salt, to taste pepper, to taste1 cup roasted peanuts or cashews, crushed1 cup fresh cilantro sprigs4 lime wedges In medium bowl, combine celery, cucumbers, carrots, cooked rice, scallions and shredded chicken. In another bowl, whisk avocado seed oil, rice vinegar, palm sugar, sesame oil, lime juice, tamari, fish sauce and chili flakes, if desired, until sugar is dissolved. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour mixture over celery and shredded chicken mixture; toss to mix. To serve, portion out salad and top with crushed nuts, cilantro sprigs and lime wedges. Michael French mfrench@ About Family Features Editorial SyndicateA leading source for high-quality food, lifestyle and home and garden content, Family Features provides readers with topically and seasonally relevant tips, takeaways, information, recipes, videos, infographics and more. Find additional articles and information at and View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Family Features Editorial Syndicate Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
