I HAD TEENS TOO

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Yes, there are probably a few nice new cars the "sweet 16's" had given to them, more so probably out of the guilt the parents felt for not spending time with them or the parents need to "keep up" their own status.  My niece was one of those....daddy bought his little girl anything she snapped her fingers for, she is 23, never went to college or held a job, but has a masters degree in partying and shopping. It's finally wearing thin on ol Pops and he gripes and complains but he set the standard the first time he gave in.  Kids may not like you right now, but they will appreciate it more so when it's their hard earned money and feel a sense of accomplishment.

On the other hand, my kid who is 20, is still driving a used car and he now knows the benefit of it after 3-4, 5...can't even remember the count minor fender benders, no injuries except to his pride!

Teens are just learning how to drive, insist of driving with the damn cell phones to their ears and minds on anything but the roads, and as I put it, why take something brand new and bang it up?  Save it till you have more experience, more of your own money and your insurance rates are lower.  If my kid and his friends had stock in Maaco, they'd be young millionaires by now!

Remind her of that old saying, which I heard a zillion years ago when I was a teen "people in h _ _ _ want ice water but they don't always get it

I need shock absorbers for my upstairs floors while they listen to their RAP downstairs.

Don't ask why I put up with it. I do because they don't drink or drug. They write and record.

gotta pick your battles.

When I was in high school, I babysat and right after graduation worked in the local conveneince store. My sister worked in a clothing factory with no air conditioning, which gave her great incentive to go to college when she came home covered in lint and threads stuck to her.  (Not bashing factory work, because that's where my grandmother worked.  Just making a point.)

My oldest, who is now 19, worked at a grocery store and at a summer camp at our community center last summer.  He had gas and car insurance to pay for after he bought a car.  Right now he is attending college and working part-time at Fed Ex, loading trailers that are around 100 degrees inside.  Again, another incentive to do well in school.  He has rent, utilities and gas to pay for while he is at school. 

My daughter is 16 and ready to take her driver's test in a couple of weeks.  She started working at the same store I worked at, but unfortunately they scheduled her for every weekend and then started to cut her hours back to next to nothing, like 1 1/2 hours a night.  She quit with our blessing with the understanding that once she has her license, she will start job hunting, because she, too, will have gas and car insurance to pay for.  She already babysits quit a bit and buys whatever extra stuff she wants and also still has some money left from her other job that she left in March.

My youngest son is 14 and has been working in his uncle's shop for several years, helping out with this and that and he makes pretty good money.  Of the 3 of them, he is the one who LOVES to work.  In fact, we went to see Pirates of the Caribean (sp?) this weekend, and he wouldn't go because he wanted to help his uncle, so I have no worries about him making his way in the world.

Sorry so long.

At some point, at least at 16, teens should work.  There are too many "EXTRAS" that they want now adays and if they want them enough they should be responsible enough to work hard to get them.  My husband always thought my daughter(17) should not work while in school so she could concentrate on her studies until he saw how his sister (who is 18 years younger than him) did not work during high school or college and could not find a job after college because she had no experience.  My daughter has been babysitting summers for two years and now she works at a fast food place.  She pays for most of her gas, any extra clothes she wants and half of her expenses for extracurricular activities at school.  This summer she mainly worked to pay off an enormous cell phone bill (which she no longer has) which taught her a big lesson in responsibility and money. 

So it is my opinion that teens should work, be it part time somewhere or babysitting or yard work.  The big real world is competitive.

I think 10-12 year olds can help do some laundry - it helps them develop a work ethic and shows them that if they go out on their own, what they will have to do....well, the ones who don't continually bring their laundry back to their mothers.  *LOL*  AND they love eaning $$$ - it's a great way, instead of *tossing* allowances at them.....chores/laundry/etc. = few dollars in their little pockets *S*

It's all about deals and contracts w/kids I think....and I'm a pro...on the subject, as I have some....*lol*