Our family vacation plans fell apart when the Perfect Child[sup]TM[/sup] couldn’t get off work on the days we’d planned to be gone. Disappointing, maddening, such is life. It’s not like we won’t have another chance to get away this summer. I was looking forward to leaving here on May 22, but it’s not going to happen, so I whine about it and life goes on.
When coworkers, including my boss, asked why we’re not going and I tell them it’s because of the kid’s schedule, they say “Time for her to find a new job then.”
Huh??
Yeah, it’s just a minimum wage gig at the roller rink, but she really likes working there. She’s mastered all but 2 of the tasks, and since she has no desire to be the DJ, all that’s left is Floor Guard. She loves doing Party Host and working in the office. She even has fun doing Snack Bar duty. She gets a bunch of hours and her bank accounts are growing.
And she should quit??
Personally, I think she’s to be congratulated for having a work ethic. She’s saving money for a trip next year and for college the year after. She’s maintaining her “A” average, doing volunteer work, working out at the Y, as well as doing her chores at home. She’s a member of the family and as such, her responsibilities carry some weight - so we’re having to reschedule our plans. Is that so outrageous? Are we overindulgent? I think not.
So, to my critics, you may take your suggestions, print them out in triplicate, fold the pages till they’re all corners, and insert them in your anal orifice, twisting to ensure a tight fit. Then you may kiss my ass.
You mean the same ass you use as a plate warmer?:eek:
ThePerfectChild[sup]TM[/sup] has a wonderful work ethic thanks in no small part to FairyChatMomandDad. She wants to work, has goals and takes the job seriously. Your cow-orkers don’t understand that?
She sounds like she’s working very hard, and it was soooo(!) nice of you to reschedule instead of giving her a hard time about her job. It’s really hard to choose between your parents and your job.
But wait a minute. Why, exactly, won’t the roller rink give her the days off she wants? I mean, if she can’t get these days off because other workers have already scheduled vacations, or the rink has a special event planned, or she doesn’t have enough vacation days saved up (if this is a policy) or some other reasonable position, then that’s one thing. But if the rink management is just being obstinate and inflexible, for no clear reason, then that shows you something about just how highly they value their employees. If that’s the case, then, yeah, it’s time to look for a new job.
First of all, FCM, let me say that I agree with you and will you be my mama?
However, I think what your “colleagues” are probably thinking is, “Man, I wish I could be a kid again… Free room and board… No worries… More free time… And if my boss pissed me off, hell, I could just flip him off and QUIT, without worrying about my mortgage payment or feeding my family! Boy, that would be nice…”
In other words, they’re thinking about the situation more from their own point of view than from yours or that of the Perfect Child. And isn’t it true that when you’re an adult, you can always think of something you wish you’d done (or hadn’t done) when you were 16?
I say let it roll on off. And again, I commend you for respecting your kid’s responsibilities. If MY mom had been in that situation, she’d have marched in and given the Roller Rink Manager an earful and then snatched me outta there to pack my swimsuit, providing me with a wealth of Adolescent Embarrassment. :eek:
(I know, because she’s done it before, when I couldn’t get off to help her run errands for a family reunion… and keep in mind that I wasn’t allowed to work when I was in HS, so this was when I was in my 20s)
Hell, she wants to yell at my boss NOW (and I’m 32) because of that whole Funeral Leave thing.
So ditto what swapmbear said, and where you goin’ on your trip?
If I may take a liberty, FCM, I have a slightly different take on the response you’re getting from the coworkers. I might say the same thing, to imply not that your daughter’s work or job is insignificant, but that she’s a terrific and conscientious worker who deserves more consideration from her employer(s)! (As in, days off when she needs them to be with family.)
Frankly, it seems to me they’re paying her a compliment.
Unless, of course, you know them to be the sort of people who would say this in a critical way. In which case, your request is completely reasonable.
FCM, I have to agree that it sure sends the wrong message, no matter how well intended, that a person should blow off even a minimum-wage job the first time it causes a problem with one’s social life.
OK, there is a prevalent belief that minimum wage jobs are fungible - all equally no-skill, with lousy working conditions, and all that - and if one such job gets in the way, you can always quit and find another.
And since PerfectChild enjoys the heck out of her job, this is clearly not one of those fungible min-wage jobs. So she’s wise not to drop it the first time it complicates things.
But the message is still, “the moment work gets in the way, blow it off,” and that’s a bad message.
Regarding the denial of vacation - the weekend we wanted to leave, and that weekend alone, they’ve scheduled an all-night skate to celebrate the end of the school year. In order to cover all the shifts without violating the law regarding the number of hours minors can work, they need everyone available to cover the place. It’s just a matter of bad timing. The next all-nighter will be in August, right before school starts again.
I completely understand her employer’s point of view, and it’s not like we had a mega deposit on a once-in-a-lifetime trip - we were just going to visit old friends in Virginia and work on our lot in Maryland and maybe see my folks. I tried to time it to take advantage of the Memorial Day weekend.
auntie em, sorry, I can’t be your mama - I’m too busy with hubby, kid, and 2 idiot doggies. Of course, if you do chores, we might be able to work something out. But I am letting it go. I’ll bitch and whine, but I’ve already cancelled the hotel and the kennel. I’ll pout, but I’ll get over it. Eventually.
Chris - I gave that some thought… but she’s had a busy year, so she deserves some vacation.
First, I want to tell you that I think it’s wonderful that you support your PerfectChild and encourage her work ethic.
Maybe the coworkers are trying in some boneheaded way to be complimentary. But I think the response to them should be:
“If I make you reschedule your next vacation, will *you * quit? Pretty please?”
FCM. I hope you don’t mind my asking, but what does the President have to do with your vaction plans? Something to do with the “war on terror”? The situation in the Middle East? Or something else that I am missing entirely? (which is probably the case)
No, I am not caught up with all the latest news (I have yet to read today’s paper, even), so if there’s been something of import happening in the last couple of days, I have not heard about it. Please enlighten me.
Oh, and since this is the Pit, you may insult me for not knowing about the important American news issues of the day. I am Canadian, so if I don’t know much, please forgive me.
My husband works in the steel industry. Thanks to tarriffs on imported steel but NOT on the finished products, manufacturers in this country can’t buy raw materials for what the finished products can be imported. So, the company that’s been courting him for several months just told him they’ll have to downsize the plant they’d wanted him to manage - hence they don’t need his services. And we’re living in fear that his current company may have to downsize him as well, in which case we’ll really be screwed.
thanks, Mr. President.