Beautiful! It's not just kids though, it's 85% of the population that have an attention span of a beagle. Love the writing!

That is an insult to a beagle, ever seen one hunt?

I ran a dish machine in college and hated it, on the other hand I could run it by myself and the food director over paid me by 50%. I spent a lot of time at the dish machine.

So, why is he still there? He's learning that you don't really mean it when you tell him the rules.

He gets points for being witty at any rate. Perhaps there's a compromise? He could bring in a radio and that way he doesn't have to have the world-blocking iPod buds in his ears and you can have some control over how loud it is by merely turning it down.

I've worked in a kitchen as the Slice Girl because I got to be in charge of ALL the sharp thingies. And a whole heck of a lot of cleaning and I would have loved some music. But I sucked it up, went without, got to know the staff and learned to love them instead of the music. And then they brought in a stereo, bless them.

Gotta agree with Maxie: the best thing you could do for him is to fire him now, while he can still learn the lesson. Also, it'll make the other employees realize that you mean what you say. Business is a (hopefully benevolent) dictatorship; rules is rules.

Some kids learn it at their parent's knees, others (like me) needed it beaten into them (figuratively).

Hi. New to your blog. Great writing. Loved it hat you went home and ate Cheetos. When in distress, junk food and all that. As to the kid, I think John and Maxie have it right and so do you to a certain degree but in this matter, your heart is being too tender. He could hurt himself and others. Do what you must do and take him back if he learns the lesson.

P.S. I wish my babysitter was like you were.

My husband and I are the same kind of worker you are! My Kids SEE The examples... LIVE the examples, and act like they are being murdered, ostracized and tortured because we want them to do things like we do. They compain and witch so much you would think THEY NEVER saw a ball, or a cheeto... which is totally not true. When we leave it up to them to do the right things with cleaning ect.. .they just DONT/WONT. I sigh and worry. And then, I go visit my son at work at the mall in the teenybopper shoe store and his boss says to me, " That boy of yours is great! I never have to tell him what to do or anything Awesome with the customers." I stare at him. Blink. Are. you. talking. about. MY. boy? He nods his head, all the earings in his eyebrows wagging at me... and says Yes.
Hmmmm. Weird. But if he is doing it Somewhere besides home.. I guess thats a start!

Off with the music, or Out of the shop.. I say!
:o)
Love your blog, by the way. Write more!!!

My boss had the same problem. He had a staff meeting and said that if his whole kitchen staff could afford ipods, then he paid them too much. If they didn't want a paycut, then they should not bring in cellphones or ipods where he could see them. He then bought a couple of walmart stereos. Now everyone can listen to music and he can control the volume. It actually improved productivity in the wait staff when we got one on the front line because it's easier to walk with a spring in your step when you're listening to Micheal Jackson and you're doing the moonwalk.

Hmm, my oldest just turned 13 and we go through the same ballet every day. But I don't pay him, nope.

And double hmm. Of course it would depend upon the person, but firing the employee could very well not help him out. If he's a good kid, he can learn, it just isn't going to happen over night. I was that kid, but I worked at some corporate head quarters in the facilities department. Man, I was a fricken mudhead. But the people around me saw something worth while and took the time to beat me enough, hard enough. It takes a while to "get it", and truly understand what that means.

I'd never wish being 20 on anyone.

xo, Biggles

I'm a college prof, and I see the same thing with my students. They have learned that rules don't really apply to them. I get a certain kick out of explaining that they are mistaken about this fact at the end of the semester when they start begging for exceptions. But I am so much happier with the students who don't make me have that conversation over and over again.
I have no idea how to run a restaurant, so I have no advice on whether to fire the kid or not, but I like your approach. You bust him whenever you catch him so he learns that he can't get away with it. Amazing how long that learning process can take.

No music in the dish room?

Isn't that an OSHA violation?

Actually, if he does it again, now that he's experienced that what you're been warning him about is actually a genuine problem, then it's time to fire him, for being unable to learn.

I think one of the dangers of growing up in the current over-protective- Helmets! Constant Supervision! Don't do that! It's NOT SAFE!-environments is that many kids think all adults are constantly overstating dangers ... which only fuels their hormonal sense of immortality in the teenage years and makes it even harder for them to learn where the line between "thrilling" and "stupid" lies. Not, of course, that being your dishwasher is so thrilling, but it seems like he was making this into a "stupid rule about The (Wo)Man quashing my artistic freedom" rather than "a good rule that ensures I don't get three gallons of scalding soup stock down the seat of my pants and an embarrasing set of butt scars to explain to any and all future girlfriends."

I've been a silent reader for a while... Just thought I should comment this time since we shared the same childhood-- except for the getting paid well part. I got paid crap, but boy did they keep calling. It wasn't until I got babysitters for my own kids that I realized that babysitters don't put food away, clean dishes or pick up after little Timmy. Too late for me...

Long time reader, first time poster.

You went and hired my son didn't you? I refer to him as "the smartest dumb kid I know" for a reason and you just summed it up perfectly.

When we had Ice Cream stores we told our employees that they couldn't have friends visit them because they would get pressured into giving away freebies. We explained that this could get you fired. Then we would go out into the dark parking lot at night and watch through the window as they gave free Cokes to their friends. We would walk back in and explain that they had just used up their free pass. The next time meant out the door. Some got it. Some didn't.

Keep the kid, but tell him he has used up his free pass. He might end up like the kid we kept on the payroll for seven years. (Or he might end up like the kid who, as we were firing him said, "You're not my Mom and Dad!"

Would those have been the Flamin' Hot variety? Con Limon?

Sadly, it's not just teenagers in their first jobs; it seems to be prevalent in people just out of college -- they don't think the rules apply to them, but they think they are entitled to raises every few months, flexible hours whenever they want, and no oversight. it's frustrating.