Growing Up
“Mom, can I rent a movie for $3.99?” reads the text from my teen.
“Sure,” I reply.
“Not necessary, but I appreciate the gesture,” I add.
She’s always been this way. Now about to turn 16, she has consistently wanted to forge her own path, make her own money, and not have to ask for it. So, earlier this year, when she expressed a desire to get a job at 15, we started discussing ideas. When I decided to write a book the first time, it took me years. When she sets a goal, she makes it happen, and I really admire that about her.
In our house, once you start driving, you’re expected to work and earn your own gas money. That’s how both my husband and I were raised. While you're in season for sports, Mom and Dad cover gas so you can focus on school and athletics. Out of season, it’s time to pick up a gig and concentrate on school and saving.
She did her research and decided to try resale with Poshmark, with a little oversight from me until she’s old enough for her own account. Now, seven months later, she handles most of the work while I supervise. She shops, washes, photographs, lists, researches value, decides on deals to offer, and negotiates. We’ve encountered some challenges along the way, but we navigate through them together. She takes the lead in front of the camera for live shows while I fetch clothes for her to showcase and answer comments. It’s been quite a ride - and I love the quality time we have together, picking out inventory and running the account.
She’s generated a good income and saved a portion of it, all while investing very little cash. Since March, she hasn’t asked us for a dime (and didn't even spend the money I sent with her on vacation, LOL).
She has also built an audience of nearly 30,000 followers and has a 4.9/5.0 rating.
What impresses me most is how she has grown as a person and the skills she’s built that will help her throughout her future. She has become a thoughtful business owner, carefully selecting the right brands and styles to sell. She can identify an expensive brand just by the feel of the fabric, often before she even knows the name. It’s incredible how skilled she’s become at that! She assesses what sells and what doesn’t to stock her closet wisely and offers deep discounts on bundles to move items quickly.
Sometimes I think we try and protect them so much, we limit what they can achieve by keeping them so bubble wrapped. I know I’ve been guilty of that. It’s incredible to see what they can achieve when they are given the chance. I didn’t teach her all about Poshmark - she dove in and learned it all on her own!
She has transformed from needing my help on live shows and barely speaking to now hosting 1.5-hour shows entirely on her own, engaging with shoppers and building relationships with returning customers. Her confidence has soared! She has learned to take feedback and apply it, save for college to keep her options open, and make deals that encourage buyers to choose her products.
Most importantly, she has learned the value of hard work and takes pride in spending her own money at the mall or single-handedly keeping Starbucks and Altar'd State in business. While she still relies on Mom and Dad for the essentials like school, food, and home, she has become quite self-sufficient when it comes to purchasing things she wants or needs - and deciding whether it’s really worth the investment of her hard-earned money. Plus, she’s achieved this by doing something she loves—working with fashion!
And she has done all of this while keeping up her GPA and getting homework done, playing a sport in the fall and spring, and spending quality time with friends and family.
I understand that not everyone agrees with teens having jobs, but every family has to make the choices that work best for them. For her, just like her big brother, taking on this responsibility is a source of pride and a pathway to college. I am one proud mama!
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