You hate babies, Mike, so you wouldn't be able to take part in this hypothetical situation.
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You hate babies, Mike, so you wouldn't be able to take part in this hypothetical situation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stone
Maybe it's just how I was brought up that makes me think like that. I went to school with kids who drove Lexus' to school and still don't drive myself because of money (now it's more of an issue to getting my drivers liscence, which is currently being pursued), my mom was a little more Liberal then my dad in this aspect and bought me stuff every now and then but my dad doesn't give me shit and my mom usually hasn't either because she's been moderately poor her whole life. I had to deal with a drug addicted father whose life I watched crumble before my eyes for my first twelve years of life. I've been ignored, told I was useless and I wasn't going to be shit by my own parents, been horribly depressed and suicidal and worked it out myself with no help from anybody. I don't have much in life now and might not ever have much but I am very happy and greatful.
I didn't get nothing and I made something out of it and will continue to do so. I'd consider myself ahead of the game in my age group as I'm already fully independant when a lot of people in the age group are dependant upon one thing or another for a living.
Like, look, I put a lot of energy into trying to get money. I do it because I want the things that money brings, but I also do it because I've got no other choice - I am going to be supporting my mother and my grandparents soon, I've got six figures worth of college bills, I need to take care of myself, so on. What if I didn't have to think of all of that other stuff?
Could I spend my time creating value some other way, like writing good poetry, or figuring out poverty or being a public defender or something? Why would you want your kid to have to make the choice between doing what they want and selling themselves to get paid?
Because life isn't about doing what you want unfortunately, life is unfair and it sucks, the faster you accept this the more content you'll be in life (or at least in my case).
I disagree with the mentality that helping pay for a teenager's car and providing them with basic needs is "spoiling". I don't want my kid to have to work full time during high school just so that they can pay for a car. When I have a kid and he or she is in HS, school will always be more important than them having a job (assuming that I grow to be somewhat successful), so if it means that I have to pay for some of their stuff, than so be it. It will probably pay off in the long run, anyways; if they're more successful in high school, the less money that needs to be paid towards college.
You don't need to have a car in highschool. I worked once for a summer when I was in highschool but never actually worked during the school year, I was flat ass broke, I didn't drive, had to make do with what I had and I turned out just fine. Giving a teenager money for some luxury (maybe a movie once a week, money for the weekend, etc.) is not spoiling, they probably shouldn't be working at the same time as going to school unless they really need to in order to keep their family going. My mom would give me $20 a week and most of it was spent on lunch at school with a little leftover for the weekend, bought me a pack of smokes everynow and then but once I turned 18, she got on my back about getting a job, paid for my lunch and smokes right after I got back from the USMC but once I got a job I moved out of the house and I'm my own man now.
Beleive it or not, teenagers don't need half the shit they think they do. When I have kids and they hit HS, I'll toss them some money everynow and then but I certainly won't pay for a car or pay their car insurance or any of that shit. I want my kids to grow up dependant of their old man.
Of course teenagers don't need cars. They don't need electricity to live, either.
However, I don't know about you guys, but I live in a pretty spread out area, and I simply wouldn't be able to get my parents to drive me everywhere I need to go for school related stuff... an hour away to the only bookstore that I can get a book, 45 minutes away to attend a lecture, etc. I mean, I carpool whenever possible to save myself gas money, but sometimes it's not a possibility.
I'd probably give my kids a similar situation that my parents gave me: they give me a car to drive (it's not my vehicle); it's a comfortable vehicle, a 2003 Ranger, but I pay for insurance, gas, etc. I work, but only weekends, which is enough to pay for stuff related to the truck and have a little money left over. The job doesn't really drain me of anything other than a few hours of sleep a week, but I've had it since I was 14, so I think I can handle it.
Fuck that, I'm doing what I love and I have never been happier.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gohron
We make enough money to pay the bills, and thats about it.
My room mate, when I was going to school, came from a family that was upper middle class. They had a 6 figure income (1980's) and made him pay rent when he turned 16. He had to get a job and buy his own cloths for school. He drove an old beat up Oldsmobile Omega, that barely ran.
He was the top of his class and ended up with a job working for the CIA. The guy was confident and liked by his peers.
My friend in Dallas, has a family with ties in oil. His family was never hurting for money and they were generally living life, with the expectancy of being taken care of, when the inheritance came in. His brother Bobby, never amounted to anything. The guy ended up divorced and got custody of the two kids. One of the kids went back to her mother and is doing well in college. The one that stayed with Bobby, ended up pregnant at 17 and was knocked up by Bobby's drug connection. Bobby has been ousted by the family and is a hopeless wreck. His parents have pretty much cut him off, from the family money. My friend of coarse, works to make ends meet and has been very frugal with his money. He does pretty well for himself and doesn't look at the money, as a crutch to hold him up.
I don't think single-example allegories are strong enough evidence.