Reply to As long as teens are studious, is there any harm in giving them a nice car?

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Reply to "As long as teens are studious, is there any harm in giving them a nice car?"

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[quote=Anonymous]I have no issue with providing my kids with a safe, solid 5 year old Japanese car.  And gas and insurance. Kid 1 is driving 45 minutes to TJ, and we were really struggling to make all the carpools and pickups happen.  Him driving to school the days he stays after for extracurriculars takes the pressure off me and DH.

And, I don’t expect him to work except for some side tutoring gigs.  The kid is often at school or commuting 7 am to 8 pm and up until after midnight most nights doing homework.  Weekend homework, projects and ECs.   He works harder than I do at his “job”, which has been getting the grades to get into a good college, and gets some merit aid if he is out of state/private. Because donut hole.  Asking him to work on top of that isn’t reasonable.  There are only so many hours in the day.   And from a financial standpoint, the better grades and SATs from all the schoolwork led to great merit aid that far exceeds anything he could earn.

In this competitive entry into college environment, it’s hard to see where kids are supposed to find time to work, except summer. And mine did summer school and an unpaid summer internship tied to his senior lab.

I’m glad to support my kid at this point in his life, because he is working hard and progressing towards a career where he can be self reliant.   He’ll be expected to work 10 hours a week after the first semester of college (adjustment buffer for ADHD kid), and summers, unless he has an internship related to career goals. Car is not going to college because it isn’t necessary.  Public transit and a very occasional Uber will work fine.  It is being passed down to the sibling two years behind him who has a learners permit.  If he needs a car for something like an internship while still a student, we will revisit.

For me, it’s wants vs needs. He may want a new BMW to take to college. He has needed a reliable and safe used car to take himself to a school with a long commute, and take pressure off the rest of the family.  He will not need a car in college, at least at first.

Right now, I am more concerned that he is actively working hard towards becoming a productive adult with a good career and the ability to support himself than I am in him earning money. He should have a PT job when he can. But school and career opportunities take priority.  I’m glad to support his needs during this phase of his life, because he’s doing his part. [/quote]

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