Summer vacation can serve your kids well

My son came home from school two days ago and said: “Well, that was the last Monday of the semester.”

Thinking that I had lost a few weeks somewhere, I answered: “What?”

It turns out that the next two Mondays are Memorial Day and a staff development day. Then, a few days later, school’s out.

My son wondered, as did I, why a staff development day has been scheduled so late in the semester, but I’m sure there is a good reason.

It occurred to me that right about now, many parents are scrambling to find things for their kids to do. Some of them will be in summer camps, some of them in jobs and some of them will just be hanging out.

In the days before I was too young to work, summer camp was not an option because my parents simply could not afford it. So my friends and I just hung out, playing any sport that involved a ball of some sort, first in Chicago, then, after I turned 8, in the streets of Los Angeles.

We got a lot of exercise. Fat kids were rare.

This summer, both of my kids were fortunate enough to land work at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach. The center is right next door to Newport Harbor High School, and if you haven’t been, do yourself a favor and visit. There aren’t many better places in the area for a stroll.

The Environmental Nature Center offers a wonderful summer day camp program, so wonderful that both our kids went through it and then wanted to stay on to work there, too.

If your child is planning to work but doesn’t have anything lined up, here are a few pointers.

If your child is old enough to drive, I highly recommend trying to land a job at Disneyland. The Disney Resort usually needs summer help, and they will give your kid a good introduction to the working world. Translation: They will take good care of your child. Plus, there are perks for working there.

On a job interview, at wherever they’re trying to work, have your child overdress. It’s always better to do that than to underdress and look like they don’t care.

Appearances do count. Lose the piercings, cover up the tattoos and make sure the hair is neatly groomed.

Be on time. Be polite. Answer all questions directly and look the interviewer in the eye. Be prepared to ask some questions of the interviewer.

Interviewers like references, even if they didn’t ask for them. Have your child bring the names and contact information for three adults who are not family members. Don’t worry too much about the employer calling ? chances are good they won’t.

Most important, tell your child that the job is like getting paid to go to school. Each job, you see, should always be viewed as more than a paycheck. Each job should be looked upon as a chance to learn something, whether it is how to make a great hamburger, how to deal with an angry customer or how to work a cash register.

With every new job, we bring a piece of all of the old ones with us.

My first job was a paper route. In between that and my first real job after college, I sorted scrap metal, worked in a deli, took tickets at the Hollywood Bowl, worked in a doctor’s office, worked on the assembly line in a mirror factory, worked in a couple of warehouses and a few more places I can’t recall.

Were I to do it all over again, I would have worked in a ski resort. Because that’s where the snow is. Unfortunately, there is no snow in the summertime. So instead, I’d head straight for work in a restaurant. That’s where the food is.