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I can only answer for myself but I would not want my child to stop doing school activities and sports so that they can pay for a car. They have the rest of their lives to pay for a car but most of the time the ability to be on a sports team is time limited. Additionally, if she is a college bound student colleges want to see a history of accomplishments outside of school. Working at the supermarket or fast food place is not really an accomplishment.
Of course there is no reason your daughter cannot get a job in the summer but I would not have her quit sports so she can pay for a car.
Depends mama...lots of teens will attend sports camps or clinics in the summer to help hone their skills...and sometimes play in outside school leagues as well.
Depends mama...lots of teens will attend sports camps or clinics in the summer to help hone their skills...and sometimes play in outside school leagues as well.
Mine do as well but they can usually make a job work with summer leagues and camps. Around here most summer leagues for HS kids are in the evenings so the kids can work. My son works in an office and his boss works with his schedule.
My Mom bought me a used car when I was 16 and told me it was mine free and clear. I needed to get a Part Time job to pay for my own gas. It gave me a sence that I needed to help out PLUS It was mine so it enforced the fact that I needed to take care of it. I was not into sports but did other things like drama club and was an asst. Scout Master. I somehow found time to work 15 to 20 hours a week plus still keep a life. BTW the car was a 1969 Mustang and pretty beat up. I sold it at 19 to an Uncle and he turned it into a show car..
Responsible kids don't need to pay for their own cars to appreciate them. We've provided cars for each of our three sons as they received their licenses. Our only stipulation was that they continue to qualify for the good student discount on the insurance.
Since the younger two are college students we pick up their gas expenses too, except during the summer when they are working. Do whatever is right for your family and circumstances, not what others think you "should" do.
Your daughter is only 15? I'd check into the -cost- of that insurance before making any decisions. What I'd do, perhaps, is buy another car for the household. Not for -her- specifically. Make sure she understands that it isn't hers. She cannot use it whenever she wants, just because she wants to. She -probably- isn't allowed to drive at night anyway (many states have provisional rules for teenage drivers). So check and find out if she'd be -allowed- to drive to an evening job if she were to get one.
I would hold off on entrusting her with her own vehicle until she's used one of the household's for at least a year and proven she can handle the responsibility. This isn't a classroom study period where getting an "A" means you're awesome. This is handling what can potentially be a 1-ton slab of metal death. If she proves she can -not- turn it into that, for a year, THEN I would consider rewarding her with her own (used) car. Maybe take her down to a lot, tell her your budget, and let her pick out three or four that she likes best...and you decide which one of her choices she gets to keep as her gift.
This.
In our house sports and cars are probably on equal footing. But 15 is too young to hand over the keys and say, "It's your's."
Are you going to teach her proper maintenance as well? Of course a teenage girl popping the hood and checking the oil attracts boys like flowers attract bees. Be forewarned.
I guess I am of a different mindset. Driving is a huge responsibility. Not just financial. Just because a teen can get a license, it doesn;t mean he/she HAS to. I have a vehicle for my oldest who has been able to get his license for a year. He hasn't gotten it yet because I think with the privilage of driving comes the responsibility. He needs to be responsible for insurance/gas.
Life is about choices. When these kids are in college, they aren't going to have mommy and daddy there to hold their hand when they have a schedule conflict. When they are in their career, they aren't going to have mommy or daddy there to balance their work/fun schedule.
Yes, sports are time consuming. Practices and school work are important. If this is the focus your child has, then maybe he/she isn't ready to be responsible for a car.
My friend bought her daughter a car (brand new, sports car... sigh) did not include any responsibility for the car. Yeah... within a six months of driving, she had two tickets and wasn't concerned over her recklessness. I am not saying every child will behave this way, but there is a direct link that shows that people who have an investment (financial/emotional) tend to take better care/be more responsible drivers.
Each of us knows our situation best, and we need to do what we feel best. I am not judging anyone. Personally, I have diven an extra year because my son isn't ready to take on the responsibility of driving. Ohhhh he wants to drive freely, but until he can 'prove' it by paying for insurance/gas, then he isn't ready to be beind the wheel.
I started a thread in the Automotive forum about cars for my 15 year old. She just got her temps and I'm debating between letting her drive the Sienna or buying her a used car. Anyways, I got several respones about how she should pay for a portion of the cost for a used car - which I don't necessarily disagree with, but seeing how she cannot get a job as she is in sports year-round, that's out of the picture. To that, someone responded that if she should choose between sports and having her own car.
Sports are a HUGE part of my dd's life, and she is very good at them too. I just can't see myself forcing her to quit participating in a passion of hers so she could have a car.
Has anyone ever had to deal with a situation like this? I'm not sure what I should do- on one had, I do agree that she should have some financial responsibility in this, but on the other hand I don't know how that would work as she can't get a job.
We are sort of in the same situation right now. Both of my twins (16) have their permits (and will be getting their license within the next few months). Ds is heavily into sports (year around club swimming & high school swim team) which involves a couple of 5 AM practices per week, after school practice, plus doubling back for practice during the summer (so lots of going back and forth to the pool). There is no way he could add in a part time job with his sports schedule (and if given a choice of sports or driving a car, would chose sports). But it would sure be convenient for me to have him drive to some of his practices.
I don't plan on buying my teen son or daughter a car, I am going to buy myself another car and selectively allow them to use it. And I will pay for all vehicle expenses.
In our house sports and cars are probably on equal footing. But 15 is too young to hand over the keys and say, "It's your's."
Are you going to teach her proper maintenance as well? Of course a teenage girl popping the hood and checking the oil attracts boys like flowers attract bees. Be forewarned.
Yes-that is exactly what we have done. We have 3 cars and our son has use of the cars with our permission. The car he drives on a daily basis is not his car. It's our car and we let him drive it. He must maintain an active life in sports/activities and continue to get good grades. He also has to help us out when we need a hand with running errands.
Each family has to figure out what's best for that particular child. There is no way a one size fits all as others have said. Some kids are more responsible than others, understand the privilege of driving, etc.
My personal feeling is that if a child is that into sports and it would be convenient for them to drive themselves, then having access to a car might be a great idea. I personally wouldn't give a child a car to use as their own until they could share in the responsibility of the car. I would let them use the family car.
Everyone's situation is different though. Our son is NOT into sports. For the past two winters he had a job up at a ski school. Saved his money. This summer he worked on an organic farm (not all jobs for teens are bad, pointless jobs by the way). Saved his money. When he turned 16 more than a year ago, he inherited the old family Jeep. He was thrilled.
With that responsibility came paying for half the insurance, all his gas. Trust me, he makes decisions on what he deems important because HE has to pay for the gas. He has to keep his grades up because he'll have to pay the difference if not - same if he got tickets. For him right now, the Jeep IS his hobby. He loves doing all the work on it himself. They just spent the last week putting in a new clutch.
This has been what works for us. If he was heavily involved in sports we would maybe think differently, although....he isn't working right now but saved enough during the summer to cover his expenses over the winter. So it's not like a child would have to work year round to help pay their part. If they save up while working and not spend all their money on other stuff, it's possible. I believe it's a good idea to have a child with a vested interest in the vehicle. That's just me though.
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