How I Teach My Kids Responsibility

My daughter is 15 and has her driver's license and her own car that we bought with matched funds. I matched whatever she saved. She's been driving for about a month now and we've had two minor mishaps. One, the neighbor's mailbox, which she had to apologize for and replace herself (labor included) and then today's indicent.

She was going to school and hit a steep driveway way too fast and bottomed the car out and cracked the aluminum oil pan. Dealer says its a $750 repair with the pan ($224) and the oil, filter, gasket and labor. She does not have $750-$800 and I'm not going to lend it to her. She dug herself into the hole and she has to learn to dig herself out. I feel that this will hopefully make my kids more careful and more responsible in the future when they are adults.

So, she asks me what can she do. I told her to change it herself, try and find a used one, etc. So, she did! She got out there and with zero experience she dropped the sway bar and the oil pan. I called a local welder I know and he's going to weld it up tomorrow for about $50, plus the cost of the oil and filter.

She changed her oil the hard way and saved $700.

The lesson learned? Priceless!

Oh, and I also made her put oildry kitty litter in the parking lot of the business that lets her park there during school.

 

Good job dad!

Norton

 

thats how ya do it

 

Dammit Boy, you're doing something right. Sounds like you're raising a young lady to be proud of. Sh'es not the only one learning how to be responsible. Looks like the little one is too. Maybe some of the people who give their kids everything w/take a lesson from this also. My hat goes off to you, and your daughter...........

 

Way to go! She must be a pretty good daughter too!

My parents bought both of my older sisters their first cars but made me buy my own. Any problem they had my dad and I fixed and he paid for it, any problem I had I got to pay for myself and dad guided me how to fix it. I sure do respect what I have a lot more than they do and I'm grateful I learned it that way!

 

Hey DAD, great job of fathering! Lets me know the world isnt turning into the me right now generation (gosh I cant wait for them to all die). More importantly your rasing a daughter who will learn not only the cost of things, but how to DO things. Reading this story lets me know what kind of values you and your family have.

OUTSTANDING!

 

awesome. this is how you raise kidsthat ARENT oblivious to the world around them. way to bring up some self sufficient kids!

 

Thank you.

She will tell her friends what she did and be proud of her accomplishment, (regardless of the "MY-dad-would-NEVER-make-me-do-THAT's all her friends will give her) saved her over $600, taught her something new, built her self-esteem, she'll be a more careful driver too.

Way to turn a negative into a positive.

BTW, she'll be spoiled though, working on VWs are a pleasure compared to newer Japanese and American cars.

 

Bravo to both of you! You for holding your ground, something that not a lot of people do anymore. Any also to your daughter! Hat's off to her for rolling her sleeve's up and getting down & dirty.

I am raising mine the same way(she's only 5). I'm not a hard *** on her but she know's when I say something, I mean it. Can't stand these parents that let their kids run them around... WTF is that??

 

Awesome! Another strong American. Born! Good job Dad.

 

#1. Good on you. That's good parenting.

#2. Good on her. She asked your advise, obviously thought about it, and then did it.


IF she's anything like me, that's not only a life lesson that she will use to make better decisions from here on out, but more importantly - it's a good story for years to come.

Kudos.

 

Great job Dad!! Btw..tell her not to feel too bad..We usually do a couple of those Vw oil pans a month

 

You are doing it just the right way!! I have had 3 teenage drivers , and making them fix there mistakes will definatly make them better drivers.Tough love!

 

thats the same thing my dad did for me when i got into a tight spot and its the same thing my kids will do when the time comes. I say for me because it was the right thing to teach me at the time. good job

 

At this rate your daughter will stand out a****st her peers as one of the few who will think for themselves, take responsibility and then handle the tasks set before them.

My wife and I are blessed with an 11 year old son who is headed in the same direction.

Just imagine if that whole generation "got it".

s.

 

Now you know what she needs for Christmas, her own tool box. Good story. Priceless.

 

Ya boy, that's the way to do it. The whiney crybabies I went with to school years ago were that way often cuz their "sugar" daddies got 'em whatever they wanted, with little or no responsibility to go along with it. My dad wouldn't give me a dime to buy a car and he wouldn't let me have one till I could afford insurance & tags too. Value isn't always in what we have, but in HOW we got it. I taught my son and 2 daughters perzactly the same way. Great lesson!

 

Good to hear that the generations old ritual in my fanily is being carried on. You'll be making self sufficent adults that won't have their hand out for every little thing that life tends to throw at you. Instead they will tend to solve their problems with tools your instilling in them now while they have you to guide them.

Frank

 

i have a young daughter and lessons like this make them great people.

She will definately make someone a great wife (in atleast 10 years right) someday. she wont complain when he is out in the garage!! lol

 

Had my 15 year old son read your post as a reminder of how it's going to be next year when he gets his license, as if he didn't already know how it's going to be. He agreed that it's the right way and he likes your daughters picture

.

 

Looks like she better be glad she did this before it got too cold outside.

That would be a rough "parking lot fix" in early February.

JH

 

And she'll love you all the more for it with each p***ing year. Good job on both sides.

 

Very good story, awesome she was able to do it herself with some guidance.

dont fool yourself, your elders thought the same of your generation

 

Kids that respect their parents, and want to do something with their lifes are GREAT ! Congratulations on being a good parent and having a smart kid.

 

****, I thought I was teaching responsibility by making my daughter watch me and chase tools while I worked on her car...

 

LOL, it was kind of fun handing HER tools and staying clean for a change!!

 

Good thing is, if she sorta likes doing it and get's a feeling of accomplishmeant out of it, it'll save her some big bucks throughout her life.

I'd be riding a 10-speed right now if I didn't have tools and know how to use them

 

Don't usually hear that one. Everyone I know would rather not even touch a VW. Regardless, talk her in to buying a skid plate. Is it the 1.8T?

 

It's the V-6. And it looks like it NEEDS a skid plate! Plus, they bolted this metal box right over the underbelly of the oil pan that makes contact FIRST then punches a hole in your pan!! WTH kind of engineering is THAT???

Funny thing is when we took it to the dealer for a quote, they had no idea what that box thing was, what it did or if we really needed it in case it was damaged. Does anyone know what it is??

 

Magnet?