What should a teenager be spending their money on?
After scoring their first part-time job, teenagers should be able to have a little wiggle room with their financial freedoms, buying things like bean n’ cheese burritos, gas for their clunky car, and local band concert tickets. Although some teens get jobs as a necessity, to help carry the financial burdens of existence, they should never be forced into contributing their hard-earned funds for their parents’ sake.
Yet, this 16-year-old’s parents saw him as an emergency fund for their own exploits, demanding he contribute the money earned from his job to meet their demands. In a pinch, maybe he might have helped out, but after they tried to force his hand, in classic teenager fashion, he dug his heels in.
That was his money; he earned it.
After I got the paycheck from my first job at 16, I felt invincible. While the cash flew out the window pretty quickly, for a moment I felt truly independent and proud of myself. That’s how a first job should feel! Whether you’re scooping ice cream, washing dishes, or delivering newspapers, the funds from a first job build a foundation of money management skills that will follow you throughout your entire time in the workforce. Savings funds, spending accounts, and tip money should never be funneled into one single, family-run account, and this teenager wasn’t going to let his parents’ poor money management skills impact his own financial future.
Instead of yielding to their demands, he felt the independence coursing through his veins, emboldening him to take a stand against their authority and trust his gut. Because after he’d worked so hard for his money, he wasn’t going to just give it away like it was nothing. That money represented hours of labor, and, regardless of their intentions, this boy wasn’t going to crowdfund their parenting decisions.
Digging into his rebellious teen spirit, this young man has set an example to the entire family, heeding warnings to every extended relative to guard their own safety deposits from the freeloading nature of his immediate family circle. Perhaps he’ll have better luck calling the bluff of their ultimatum and moving in with his extended family…
