Straight from the heart - 16

This letter is a repost of a strawberry letter from the steve harvey morning show.

Date: 02/05/2008
Subject: My 11 year old wants to get a job!

Dear Shirley and Steve, I am a 32 y/o single mother of three beautiful children ages 16,13 and 11. Even though I had my children at an early age. I have worked hard to provide for them and keep them in a nice home with the finer things in life. I will admit that this caused me at times to neglect myself and things that I wanted. However this past year has been a trying time at my job and some weeks I don't even make 40hrs. That caused a drastic change in my household. I still try to keep my children busy with J.R.O.T.C,cheerleading,dance also football and basketball. However, my youngest son now wants more. More cash. He wants to get a job working at his friends uncle's car wash and selling blue crabs on the side. I really don't want my son to start working at 11 years old. I think he should spend more time as a child and focus on schoolwork and his football and basketball. I've talked to guy friends of mine who says there's nothing wrong with him getting a job and how "back in the day" they cut grass to make money. I feel like that may have worked for them and their family but I think that working as a child somehow takes away a little innocence. I want to do more for my children financially but right now my hands are tied. I know this will only get worst because I'm about to start school in a few months to get my nursing degree. I don't want my son to be so focused on money because I feel like in the future he might want to make the 'quick' money the streets provide and become a stastic. I'm fighting hard for me and my children to beat the teen-parent odds and I don't know what I should do. So to work, or not to work that is the question. Help