re: Do you make your college aged kids get a job if they come home for summer?

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I pay for tuition and tell them to maintain a 2.5 (which is very easy) and it's paid for. If not, next semester is on them. So far, so good for 4 semesters now.

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I'd go even higher. Probably a 3.0 is what I'd require.

As for what they do in the summer, I'll be flexible but I always want them to do something that will help them out in the long run. I don't think there's that much value to waiting tables or moving lawns. I'd prefer if they take college classes or community college classes after their junior and senior years of high school. That's what I did.

Or they could do something that will look good on a resume. One of my friends did IT work over the summers. Another option is doing something that will really strengthen their extracurricular interests, although that would require actually having talent in something like art, music, or sports. If they take after their father, that wouldn't be the case But my cousin spent his summer after graduation composing a piece of music that 12 musicians performed 2 months later. That's something I would definitely be willing to subsidize for my kid.

As for college, I'd like them to do internships every summer for at least 7-8 weeks. That's what I did after my first three years. Paid would be strongly preferred because I think unpaid internships are a chickenshit move on the part of companies, but if that's the best opportunity, that's fine with me. I can sacrifice a few thousand bucks in the short run for a very strong experience.