The middle school years are challenging for so many reasons.
Not only are kids prickly and hormone-fueled, but school is getting more academically challenging and there is peer drama by the bucketful.
Now that it’s summer, Z wants to work and earn money, but few to no places are willing to hire kiddos younger than high school age.
Then, there are the issues all working parents run into: namely, that kids this age may not want to go to summer camps or suffer the indignity of a babysitter, yet we also can’t leave them home alone all the time to fend for themselves.
It’s so hard to find the right parenting balance when you have a middle schooler!
I have tried to respect Z’s autonomy, “let go” and back off a bit this summer. I’ve often allowed more screen time than I feel comfortable with and I’ve spent a lot of time at the mall hanging out by myself while Z has fun with her friends.
We’ve also attempted to orchestrate some fun family outings on weekends, many of which ultimately get called boring by our middle-schooler.
But you know what has worked out really, really well? Staying home this summer. I’m so glad we opted not to do any big trips during these hot months because Z being free has resulted in a ton of petsitting gigs that she absolutely adores.
She has had the occasional petsitting gig before, but often we’ve helped her out. This summer, she is doing the work all by herself – and she’s absolutely swimming in requests. It seems that late middle school is the sweet spot for petsitting and she loves it.
What a win-win for any pet-loving kiddo, to be able to hang out with lovable pets and get paid. In some cases, she can even transport herself to her jobs by riding her bike or walking through our neighborhood.
I have no idea what Z will end up doing with her big wad of cash at the end of this summer, but I can tell you that the pets in our neighborhood are being cared for with love and diligence while their owners are away.
We even made a special late-night visit to her charges over the 4th when fireworks in the neighborhood had our dogs pretty spooked; she was worried about her petsitting clients being freaked out, too.
If you’re looking for a great pet sitter, I can wholeheartedly recommend our highly-sensitive, thoughtful and empathy-driven middle-schooler. She is doing a tremendous job with the pets in her care. Any dog, cat or critter would be lucky to have Z as their sitter.
And I’m glad for us, as well, because petsitting has provided a really nice sense of purpose, balance and responsibility during Z’s last middle school summer.
Do your middle schoolers have jobs, or are they doing summer camps or playing sports to stay busy?
I’m always curious to hear how other folks have solved the summer parenting dilemma. Do let me know in the comments below or over on Facebook or Instagram!
