I recently read a Facebook post about a mom’s opinion of buying her teenager a car when she received her license. There were several comments regarding this subject and whether they agreed or disagreed with the mom’s opinion. 
I found it interesting and I happened to agree with her. I thought it would be neat to see what your opinion is on this subject and conduct my own research on this topic.
In my opinion (please remember this is my opinion and everyone is entitled to their own), I feel a teenager should have responsibilities, other than school curriculum and activities, in order to learn “real world” values. If we are given the opportunity to raise a child, we should raise them to become responsible and contributing citizens of society. Responsible and Contributing are keywords when it comes to a person’s success when living alone, without the help of others. The last thing we should do is enable our kids to the point of crippling them in their adulthood. I believe there needs to be a good balance of love and discipline within the home. I have already learned that my child’s innate nature is to be selfish. It is my job as her mother to teach her how to be selfless yet still have confidence in herself to feel that she can handle the pressures of society.
So, it’s that time! Your child is about to turn 16 and will need something to drive. You need to make a decision! Are you going to purchase a car for your child, help them purchase a car, or let them purchase their own car (if possible)? Then comes the long term financial decisions. Who will be paying for gas, car insurance, taxes, and maintenance? Tell us why you feel this way.
I’ll go first:
“My husband and I believe when our children reach this milestone in their life, there needs to be responsibility. Now, that does not mean they have to go it alone. We do plan on helping them out depending on their maturity level at the time and our financial circumstances. Even if we could buy a brand new car and pay for everything, we would not do it. We may buy the car and let them take care of the insurance, taxes, gas, and maintenance. Or we might do half on everything but gas. I believe they should at least make enough money to pay for where they drive. It’s a good win-win. If they want to go somewhere, they will need gas to do it. If they have not worked enough to put gas in their car or have chosen to spend their money on something else, they’re out of luck. We do not want to teach our children it’s okay to spend their own money on the things they want in life but have someone else pay for the necessities. They need to learn to budget their income and expenses.”
Let’s hear it. Comment below or send us an email at info@breakingfinancialchains.com and let us know your thoughts on this subject. Once I have enough feedback, I will post the results back here on this post so make sure you subscribe to our newsletter below to be informed when it’s up!