Kids in the 8th grade would be given job assignments (that were usually tied to their grades/class standings - ie: kids with better grades got higher paying/white collar jobs, kids with worse grades got lower paying/blue collar jobs) with a defined income that was realistic for their job description.

Then they'd be sent to the gym were we set up different stations that they were required to visit. Stations for housing, utilities, food, transportation, health care, pet care, etc. At each station, the kids had to choose between various options presented (such as if they had a roommate, apartment vs house, etc.) and the resulting cost would be deducted from the income they were assigned earlier.

And at any point during this process, the person running the station could throw a wild card at them where they'd have to go to the center of the room and draw out a "life event" from a punchbowl. The life event could be good ("Aunt Hilda died and left you $100,000!!!!!") or bad ("You tripped on a curb & broke your leg. ER cost $600!")

We even had the National Guard come in & provide "enlistment" for supplemental income. (And yes, they made the kids do calisthenics in front of everyone!)

It didn't take long for even the kids with the higher income jobs to see that money went out a lot faster than it came in.... And the ones with lower income jobs were always in a state of shock.

The CONCEPT of the Reality Store was great but it wasn't enough. And even though it made an impression on the 8th graders at the time, they all basically forgot about it as soon as they hig high school. IMO, they desperately needed a refresher course at maybe the end of their Sophomore year. Let them get a little more mature, have a chance to have made some changes, but still early enough that it could influnce their choices going forward.

And make the refresher course grittier and more realistic. Add things like "Surprise! You have twins! Daycare costs $400/month!" and "Busted! You got caught driving while intoxicated! Fined $500!"

AND..... I firmly believe that high schools need to have at least a 1 semester class on "basic life skills": how to address a letter, how to file taxes, how to fill out an employment application, how to apply to college/trade school, how to tie a tie, how to dress for business, etc. THESE THINGS ARE NOT BEING TAUGHT AT HOME! They used to be but they aren't now and the kids who are graduating are CLUELESS!

And one more jump onto my soapbox.... Parents need to STOP enabling their children to be useless!!!! I have too many friends who now have 30-something year old adults living in their basements and NOT WORKING because their parents keep supporting them. And these aren't "dumb" people. One young man that I know was one of the smartest kids in high school. Got well above average grades in college. But he didn't want to work & his parents never made him. Since he graduated 12 years ago, he's held a couple of convenient store jobs for a few months and that's it. He lives at home. His parents pay all his bills. And he does NOTHING. If this was an isolated case, it wouldn't bother me as much but it's not. I know at least 10 people who are teaching and encouraging their adult children to be useless. What's going to happen when the parents get older or sick or need care? Or God forbid, die? Who's going to take care of their grown up "babies" then?????

When I was growing up, it wasn't a question of leaving or staying home. It was given that once I graduated (whether high school or college), I was on my own. Kicked out of the nest to fly or flunk. Those were my only choices. And I raised my kids the same way. As long as they were in school, we'd support them 100% but once they left school, it was up to them to earn their keep. (I did put in a caveat that we would assist IN CASE OF EMERGENCY - like when Kate broke her leg - but that otherwise, they had to figure it out themselves.) As a result, Kate worked as an RA in college to help pay her room & board and then worked as a vet tech and a pharmacy technician after graduation until she could find a job in her chosen field. Travis worked all thru college (including THREE jobs the last year of his Masters) and had a job waiting for him after graduation. (Although he took a 2 week break to travel to Colorado on vacation before starting his real job.)

I lied. I'm back on the soap box again. The opposite of the enabling parents are the ones who NEVER encourage their kids to look for something better. I used to "mentor" at a local elementary school & my "job" was to encourage the kids I worked with to look forward and set goals for a better future. One little girl's biggest dream was to work at WalMart when she grew up. When asked why, she said because that was such a good job & that her mother had tried to get a job there & it was just too hard. I remember asking if she'd ever considered vocational school or college and she said that her parents told her she wasn't smart enough... Just about broke my heart...

My son-in-law Matt is a perfect example of this. Wonderful, smart, hard working. Everyone loves him. BUT his dad ignored him and all he ever heard from his mom was how he'd never be as smart as his brother because "he works with computers" (he was a salesman at an Apple store - not exactly a genius!!!!!). And since neither of them could be bothered with him, he grew up bouncing from one relatives couch to another & none of those relatives were interested in working with someone else's kid. When he first started dating Kate, he'd barely graduated from high school & he was doing manual labor for a lawn maintenance company. Treated like a dog & paid less. We told him flat out that he could do better than that!!!!! We worked with him, exploring his options/interests, and helping him make contacts. It was a long road but he's now an area supervisor for a national utility company, supervising over half the state of Kentucky, and making more money that Kate does with her college degree! Heck, he's making more money than John did after 30 years in IT at the state!!!! All because he finally believed that he could "do better"....

Okay. Off the soap box. I've gotta a lot I need to do. Owen has his 1st t-ball game tonight so I've gotta be there!!!!

Take care. I hope you're not hurting too bad after yoyur fall.....