DEAR HARRIETTE: I've started working in nightlife, and it makes perfect sense for my schedule. I’m a full-time student during the week, and I rack up a lot of tips on the weekend by working the bar at a popular nightclub. I need to have a job to help pay for my expenses. But it’s a little tricky. When my parents ask me what I’m doing to make money, I tell them that I am a waitress. It is hard for me to be honest with them. As much as I hate to admit it, I would like them to approve of what I do. I don’t see them approving of this. Should I tell them about my nightclub job? -- Side Hustle
DEAR SIDE HUSTLE: First, let me ask: What aren’t you saying? What does “working the bar” mean? What exactly do you think will embarrass your parents? I can imagine they may not prefer you to work at a nightclub, but they also may understand if you explain it to them. Yet I suspect there is more to the story than you have revealed. Is it a strip club? What do you have to wear? Do? More, do you feel that you are compromising your integrity to be and work there?
If you do not feel like you are compromising your integrity, you can tell them, even if you think they may not love the idea. If you share the context for your job, at least it will help them to understand.