There are several ways to look at the question of whether teens should have jobs. Of course, in some family situations, having your teen work might not be much of an option. The economy is in trouble and along with it are many families. If these families have teens that can work, the teens just might have no choice. If they want any spending money at all, they will probably have to work for it.

But what about the families that are doing all right and don't need their teens to have a job to get by? Should kids be allowed to be kids and teens be allowed to be teens and not have to worry about working to make extra spending money? Should teens be allowed to spend their personal time the way they want or should they be working and learning about the real world?

Some parents want their teens to work so that they learn responsibility and stay out of trouble after school. Getting their first job also helps teach teens the value of money and how hard it is to earn. There is no doubt that some teens should be working if they have responsibility issues and need that extra supervision. Having a job is good for many teens in a variety of ways.

Not all teens, however, need the extra money or the extra discipline. If a teen wants to participate in after school activities such as sports or drama, having a job could jeopardize that. Teens only get one chance to be teens and being on school sports teams is a once in a lifetime deal. Once high school and college are over, it will be work everyday for them. If a teen is responsible and wants to do other things, parents might think twice before requiring their children to get jobs.

There are of course some teens who actually want to work and that is fine. Everyone is different and if a teen wants to work to make extra money then they should be allowed to do it. For those teens who have no choice though, it is a shame if they spend their teen years working and not being able to enjoy their social life as a kid. There will always be plenty of time for work in the years ahead.