That story rings a bit of a bell.

I was one of 6 raised by a single mom, and I worked at several various jobs from the time I was 11.

That very fact did *far* more for my self esteem and self reliance than did every 'program' espoused by those who claim to speak for children.

Hell, my mom handled money in the same way that Foster Brooks handled alcohol (real or acted, either way), but I still managed to evolve into something that resembles a responsible adult.

Yes, there are some cases where child labor needs to be dealt with, but the current emphasis on an 'all or nothing' kind of viewpoint does far more harm than the child labor itself does.

Kids can often be much more resilient than adults in similar situations, and, more to the point, giving them challenges is *always* better for them than trying to insulate them from the world around them.

I worked since 12 and think kids should be able to hold jobs. However, the focus of Wendy's story, at least for me, is more about a home being so bad that a kid is running away. I don't want to address child labor laws so that running away is a safer option than staying home because now a kid can work. I'd like to address child labor laws and some of the ridiculous things that prevent kids from working and I'd like to address what goes on in so many of these homes that make you wonder what a parent has to do to lose their kids. Let's not seriously use one person's example of running away and surviving as the rule as opposed to the exception. There are too many young girls forced into prostitution to believe fixing child labor laws is the solution.

Not for nothing, but women have to say they were forced into prostitution to avoid prosecution - not saying that no one is ever forced into prostitution, just that given the choice between telling the truth and going to jail and lying and getting no jail time and possibly free room and board which would you choose?

My Dad, then 14 years old, ran away from home in South Shields, England in 1940 and joined the British Merchant Marines. For the next four years he was on convoy duty to Murmansk, Russia. I keep his seaman's papers, and occasionally take them out when life seems difficult.

I got a job a few days after I turned 16. (In my family, if you didn't work, you didn't drive.) I know people who still hadn't had a job by their mid-twenties because "going to school IS a job." Whatever. My senior year of highschool, I worked three days a week at a restaurant, took AP classes, was active in student council, and had a boyfriend.

Yet a kid whose mom is on welfare can't go out and get a job at 15. And we wonder why generations of people have no work ethic.

My husband's Irish grandfather was put on a boat alone at age 11 and told "Good luck in the New World" by his parents.

Maybe its because kids are smart. A kid who just worked 3 hours and sees in his/her paycheck that he only got paid for 2 hours is going to feel ripped off and says "Where did my other hour of pay go?" So the government likes them to work under the table so no taxes are paid. By the time the get through college they'll be indoctrinated enough to beg for higher taxes or ignorant enough not to notice how much they are paying. Yes, unlikely but still a plausible idea.

Offtopic Murmuration.

Wendy's story does show that the gov'ts "one size fits all, or else" attitude, doesn't actually fit all.
I had many jobs when I was a kid,the taught me many things that is seriously lacking in todays youth. Self respect, respecting a job well done, knowing the value of a dollar, and knowing what work actually is are just some of these concepts sorely lacking.

Have you heard about the Department of Labor recently proposed changes in farm regulations for minors?

Among the new rules are regulations removing a certification program that allowed youth younger than 16 to operate most tractors and powered farm equipment without supervision, expanded restrictions on youth working with animals and prohibit work that is done at more than 6 feet off the ground.

Workers younger than 18 would also be restricted from working in grain elevators, silos, feed lots, stockyards and livestock exchanges or auctions.

The regulations would not apply to children working on a farm owned by their parents, but it would prevent these youth workers from being employed on that farm if it has organized as an LLC or if the farm is owned by the worker’s grandparents.

This would also affect 4-H and FFA.

My first job at 13 was picking potatoes. My second from 14-16 was baling hay and milking cows. My third was working in a restaurant as dishwasher and prep cook. All of them were cash under the table.

www.stwnewspress.com/local/x60470554/Could-a-change-in-farm-labor-laws-threaten-family-farming

I don't know about this one. My working experience seems to have been different from most people's on the board, at least my first "real" job (like Amy, my Dad let me work in his office during the summer and spring break when I was twelve, but doing data entry).

But when I was 16, I got a job at Target. I worked 5 days a week, directly after school. And while I was only supposed to work until 9, I was often made to work until 10 in the evening, leaving me no time to go home and do schoolwork. There was only two days a week that I didn't have to work, and requests for time off were routinely turned down. As a result, I had no time for my homework. When my grades began to suffer, my parents made me quit. And I that was for a major, nationwide chain store. So while I think Wendy's story is wonderful, I do think she's an exception. As in, the laws were created thinking of that situation, they were created thinking of middle class families with children in school. I am in favor of limiting hours and times for children. However, your mileage may vary.

I'm confused as to why you werent able to quit on your own and why you are complaining of not getting overtime shifts while at the same time being forced to work overtime on every shift?

I worked full time from 16 on. School was easy enough to me that I didn't really have homework, but I would have had no time for it. I wasn't legally classified as fulltime, but I worked 35 or more hours a week.

Looks like momof4 got a sex change in the carribean ;p