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Pastimes : Precious Memories!Kids make me smile! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: SofaSpud who wrote (843)	9/10/2001 12:00:52 PM
From: The Philosopher	Respond to of 1309

I went through exactly the same issue. The result in my family was that I offered to provide my children with cars (where we live, they needed cars, or I should say it was much more convenient for US if they had cars so we didn't have to drive them to early morning football practice, piano lessons, and on and on) that were mechnically safe, but nothing more. If they wanted fancy, and my son did, that was up to them. I also told them that I would fund any safety-related expenses -- tires when needed, brake repair, etc. Gas and anything else was up to them. Seems to have worked fine. My son's first car was a "granny car" which happened to be available at the time -- an old Buick which had been nicely maintained, was 15 years old with 130,000 on it but still ran just fine. He worked hard to get out of that and into the pickup he really wanted! My daughters have driven our old cars when we got new ones, and that was fine with them.

To: SofaSpud who wrote (843)	9/10/2001 10:46:02 PM
From: calgal	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1309

I think that you are bringing up a new argument. It is a different time for children today, than it was 20+ years ago when I learned to drive. Safety is a concern, so the balance needs to be between teaching children responsibility, and making sure they have reliable transportation. I am most concerned about teaching them to drive responsibly, and not do stupid things like drink and drive, or drive with someone who has been drinking. Then, I am concerned things like airbags and driving a car that is safe. I learned to drive in San Francisco and people will still tell you that I am a great parallel parker. I remember one of my high school friends had his jeep taken away, because he rolled it too many times, and his parents insisted that he drive something safer. So, they bought him a BMW. I had a different experience. My parents gave me their car when I graduated from College. They bought a new car. My best friend had a Celica, but she had more of a commute to school. Another friend had a Rabbit, so that is reliable. I think that most of the Mom's had station wagons, that were difficult for new drivers. But, I lived in an area where everyone commuted. Most of my friends had to drive a distance to get to school, and they also chauffeured their brothers and sisters. So it is like comparing apples to oranges. I could not drive at night with anyone till I was 16. I had to get my parents' permission before I drove with anyone, but I had strict parents, and I am thankful for that. They grounded me, sometimes literally. They always knew where I was and who I was with. I had old-fashioned parents and I am so grateful for that. My little brother had a different experience. He was the youngest and he had to commute. My Dad bought him a new car when he left for college, and he is very responsible. This is a differnt era. I am still thinking about this. That is my experience.