"Have you ever been discriminated against because of your age when you've tried to get a job?"That's the opening line a kid used on me in the Main Foyer of the church on Sunday as I was working at a table selling Colossians-related materials.
Call me paranoid, but the first thought I had (and it was one that developed in a fraction of a second) was that this kid must be doing research for a school assignment. And (as the paranoid thought continued) he must look at me and see a senior citizen -- somebody with enough years behind him to be a victim of age discrimination.
Seeking peace of mind and wanting very badly to not dislike the kid, I asked him why he was asking me. Did he think I was young or old? "Young," he said with a what-else-would-I-be-thinking expression on his face. What a relief. Now, I was on his side.
Once we established my youth, I asked how hold he was. Eight. We continued our ad hoc interview there amidst the crowded Main Foyer. I explained that finding odd jobs around the neighborhood was easy to do as a kid -- mowing yards, washing cars. However, when looking for a "real" job, you had to be 16 years old.
He put one elbow up on the table, rested he head in his hand, let out a sigh, rolled his eyes, and vented, "I know ... child labor laws."
Around this point, a woman stepped out of a nearby huddle to grab his arm and drag him back into their group. Not sure why he came to talk to me, or if I helped him in any way. I wish I had a chance to tell him, "Kid, slow down. Enjoy your childhood while it lasts. Put off working as long as you can. I'm young (as we've established) and I'm already looking forward to retirement when I can hire the neighborhood eight-year old kid to mow my yard and wash my car."
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