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When Youth, Mental Health and Work Collide
The youth mental health crisis is certainly making me aware that getting a joe-job is sure different than when I was a kid
After almost a year of searching, our teenage daughter finally started her new job this past weekend. It’s nothing fancy, just working in the kitchen at a local Italian restaurant.
Her first shift was great. She was nervous to meet her new colleagues, but they turned out to be great. The work went well — we knew it would; she’s a great worker.
Her second shift the next day was more extended — 9 hours, and they were catering a big event. She didn’t eat before or during, and by hour six, she was feeling pretty sick. She told the head chef and got permission to leave early.
It’s not a great look for week one of a new job.
Welcome to the world of employment for anxious, ADHD teens.
My wife and I reflected back to our first jobs. I never showed up late or left early. And I never missed a shift unless I had the flu or was knocked out sick.
But times have changed. Over the years, we’ve come to understand and appreciate what it is like to be a teen dealing with mental health issues. Resilience and tenacity, which we think of as normal, are unrealistic for them.
