I have always tried to help my kids but not enable them. I do not know if that is clear. What I mean is I have loaned smaller sums of money to my kids to help them through a tough spot or two. Not concert tickets or something like that, a true emergency type of thing. They have always paid me back and I never really worried about it. I thought that was kind of the normal way of helping/parenting when you can. It would seem that many do not act that way.
This afternoon a young fellow that worked for us as a teenager came by. He is a real good kid. Good worker and polite. He stammered and hum hauled around for about an hour before I asked him point blank what I could do to help him. He has been working construction for a smaller company in Cedar Rapids. He went to work Monday to find out the company went broke. So he has ZERO job. He was making a good hourly wage too with lots of over time in the last few weeks since we have had very little rain.
Here is his problem. His last pay check bounced Tuesday. It was for two weeks of work with a lot of overtime so it is a pretty good amount. He had some saving so he was able to cover his checking account when the pay check bounced. This left him essentially broke. He went to his Dad and asked him if he could borrow some money until he found a new job and his Dad refused telling the kid that he was out on his own now so sink or swim. What the heck????? This is a good kid. He has zero debt. A cheaper Apartment and a used pickup that is paid for. He does not have or wants a credit card. He does not feel it would be smart to go borrow money from a bank without a job in hand.
So here is what my Sons and I did. I told him to be at the farm early tomorrow morning. We would giving him enough work to keep him going. He is to work weekends and evenings when he is not looking for work. His main job is to look for a job that will allow him to meet his bills. Minimum wage at Wally world would not help him much. My son told him that He would have a pay check Saturday morning for a weeks work. This will give him enough to go job hunting Monday morning. He can catch up when he finds a job. Until then he will be paid normal just one week ahead.
He is a good kid and we will get some hard work done with him around. Why would a Father not help a good kid???? I even asked the young man if his Dad had ever helped him any and he told me no. He said the day he turned 18 he had to pay rent until he found an apartment and he had two months to do it in. WHAT?????
I really wondered if this could be true. So this evening I called a fellow that knows the young man's Dad pretty well. It is true. The Father thinks once his kids hit 18 he owes them nothing else. That seems kind of hard hearted to me.
What do you fellow think????
This afternoon a young fellow that worked for us as a teenager came by. He is a real good kid. Good worker and polite. He stammered and hum hauled around for about an hour before I asked him point blank what I could do to help him. He has been working construction for a smaller company in Cedar Rapids. He went to work Monday to find out the company went broke. So he has ZERO job. He was making a good hourly wage too with lots of over time in the last few weeks since we have had very little rain.
Here is his problem. His last pay check bounced Tuesday. It was for two weeks of work with a lot of overtime so it is a pretty good amount. He had some saving so he was able to cover his checking account when the pay check bounced. This left him essentially broke. He went to his Dad and asked him if he could borrow some money until he found a new job and his Dad refused telling the kid that he was out on his own now so sink or swim. What the heck????? This is a good kid. He has zero debt. A cheaper Apartment and a used pickup that is paid for. He does not have or wants a credit card. He does not feel it would be smart to go borrow money from a bank without a job in hand.
So here is what my Sons and I did. I told him to be at the farm early tomorrow morning. We would giving him enough work to keep him going. He is to work weekends and evenings when he is not looking for work. His main job is to look for a job that will allow him to meet his bills. Minimum wage at Wally world would not help him much. My son told him that He would have a pay check Saturday morning for a weeks work. This will give him enough to go job hunting Monday morning. He can catch up when he finds a job. Until then he will be paid normal just one week ahead.
He is a good kid and we will get some hard work done with him around. Why would a Father not help a good kid???? I even asked the young man if his Dad had ever helped him any and he told me no. He said the day he turned 18 he had to pay rent until he found an apartment and he had two months to do it in. WHAT?????
I really wondered if this could be true. So this evening I called a fellow that knows the young man's Dad pretty well. It is true. The Father thinks once his kids hit 18 he owes them nothing else. That seems kind of hard hearted to me.
What do you fellow think????
