Should Parents Buy Their Teens Their First Car?
As far as requests from teenagers go, it was pretty tame I suppose, but it’s one that’s sparked a lot of debate in our household over the past couple of months: “Mum, will you buy me a car as soon as I get my driver’s licence?”. I could see why my daughter might have thought a response in the affirmative was even a remote possibility. She had, after all, witnessed plenty of family friends purchasing their own (older) teens' brand-new cars from which to slap P-plates. Why would I think any differently, right? Call me crazy, but I’ve actually always felt sorry for kids whose first car is a luxury vehicle purchased entirely from the bank of mum and dad. What about the thrill of attaining something you’ve saved really hard for? What about all the useful skills you learn from having to drive around a used hatchback ? Studies show humans are happiest when we’re striving for something, so what could our kids possibly have to work towards when their first car is given to them with a big