I'm About to Go Broke!

[dbuck]

JohnRudy, parenting is hard, isn?t it? You, like I, have an only child, and having only one makes it a bit easier to hand over money, that is one reason this issue has just now hit you. Your son makes good grades, he is involved in extracurricular activities, and stays out of trouble, what more can a parent ask for out of their 15-year-old? This is the summer that you realize you have a son that is growing up. Next year will be different; he will find a couple of jobs along the way that will give him some spending money, which will make you both feel better. As far as school lunch money, I would never dream of making my kid pay for a school lunch.

HOWEVER, what do I know; today is my son?s first day of college. This is a whole new set of questions.

 

[Teresa]

May I go to school with Spidey? I like what they're saying here. :clap_1:

educational philosophy for the achievement of world peace. pretty neat, huh? and someday, I believe possible. only through education (and not just at school).

 

[Teresa]

JohnRudy, parenting is hard, isn?t it? You, like I, have an only child, and having only one makes it a bit easier to hand over money, that is one reason this issue has just now hit you. Your son makes good grades, he is involved in extracurricular activities, and stays out of trouble, what more can a parent ask for out of their 15-year-old? This is the summer that you realize you have a son that is growing up. Next year will be different; he will find a couple of jobs along the way that will give him some spending money, which will make you both feel better. As far as school lunch money, I would never dream of making my kid pay for a school lunch.


HOWEVER, what do I know; today is my son?s first day of college. This is a whole new set of questions.

I hadn't thought about this before, but I completely agree with you on this!

 

[Ocean Lover]

One of the reasons I thought of having the school lunches built into the "budget plan" is because they have so many choices. My choice is for them to pack or buy the basic school lunch. Their choice would be to buy ala carte items, fancy drinks etc. I have no problem shelling out the money for the basic lunch but I think mine will have to use their own money if they want the extras.

 

[Rudyjohn]

Our mission. To awaken and nurture an endless passion for knowledge within our children.

Our vision for the child. To see each child grow to become global citizens who are wise, respectful, confident, compassionate, self-motivated, self-disciplined, independent thinkers, life-long learners, nurturing, tolerant, peaceful and skilled problem solvers.

Our vision for the world. Through the education of our children, SWMA aspires to help create an outstanding world community that is peaceful, compassionate, environmentally conscious, educated, spiritual, boundless, joyful, empathetic, balanced, and charitable.



[/quote]

Love this mission statement and have printed it out for our refrigerator door.

And as far as the lunch $$ combined with the spending $$ - - we're already vacillating on that one. Mr. Johnrudy is thinking poor nutritional (aka cheap) choices will be made in order to save $$ to be spent elsewhere. So, we're still investigating our options.

(Also, he has always had to take a 1/4 of any $$ he receives as gifts and deposit it in a college fund along with a small church/mission tithing. Sometimes he does it willingly, sometimes he gripes.)

 

[Cheering472]

Our mission. To awaken and nurture an endless passion for knowledge within our children.

Our vision for the child. To see each child grow to become global citizens who are wise, respectful, confident, compassionate, self-motivated, self-disciplined, independent thinkers, life-long learners, nurturing, tolerant, peaceful and skilled problem solvers.

Our vision for the world. Through the education of our children, SWMA aspires to help create an outstanding world community that is peaceful, compassionate, environmentally conscious, educated, spiritual, boundless, joyful, empathetic, balanced, and charitable.

Love this mission statement and have printed it out for our refrigerator door.

And as far as the lunch $$ combined with the spending $$ - - we're already vacillating on that one. Mr. Johnrudy is thinking poor nutritional (aka cheap) choices will be made in order to save $$ to be spent elsewhere. So, we're still investigating our options.

(Also, he has always had to take a 1/4 of any $$ he receives as gifts and deposit it in a college fund along with a small church/mission tithing. Sometimes he does it willingly, sometimes he gripes.)[/QUOTE]

You'll find what works best for you. Seems like he's already well on the right path without any of our advice. You should be proud. Carry on...

 

[Cil]

We've all been guilty of this. That's what's so ironic about some of the moralistic posts to this thread.

hey
Who are you talking about? I want you to know that my parents made me walk two miles to school, uphill both ways, five days a week (twice on Sunday just to build character) I made my boys do the same and that's what makes them the success they are today, ;-) :ats self on back::

But seriously, I think it was Cheering who said something to the effect that we all find our own parenting path and I agree.
And I agree that parenting is hard! I do enjoy hearing other folks' approach on things; I don't know it all, am still learning and probably always will be.

As far as the school lunch payment thing goes this was simply just one more daily expense that got put into their budget, and it was for them to keep track of. And yeah, the poor nutritional choices *can* happen, this did happen with the older kid, but we always ate good meals at home--he grew up fine, now has exquisite taste in food--and is quite handy in the kitchen.
But the interesting thing about it is that after a few greasy slices of pizza, my younger son, unlike big bro, decided to return to the sack lunch, even though he had an open campus in Denver (he doesn't here). So I've continued to make his lunch, he just buys a drink.

I do think it's true that with all life skills, spending, eating or whatever, children experiment on their own, and this is okay, we can't be with them 24/7. Ultimately, for better or for worse, they will look to their parents as role models, so we just try to set a good example.

 

[SHELLY]

When I read the "Parent Mission Statement" I swear I heard my parents bust out laughing all the way from heaven!

My parents' mission statement read something like this:

My kid will clean their room, do their chores, get to school on time, complete their homework, make passing grades, not talk back and show respect to ALL adults--or answer to me.

If any adult (teacher, neighbor, cop or priest) says my kid did wrong--I'll believe the adult first and foremost and said kid will be punished appropriately for the misdeed. (Which means extended time in a bedroom devoid of any entertainment geegaws.)

My kid can ask for anything their little heart desires--more likely than not, the answer will be "no." If they ask a second time, the answer will be a much LOUDER "NO." If they ask a 3rd time--call 911.

The kid's "heart's desires" are given sparingly and only at Christmas or on a Birthday to make their wishes truly special and memorable.

The kids will live by MY rules while they're under MY roof--my rules will be unyielding and strictly enforced. I will make it a point to teach them that the only way to escape is to find a job and put in an honest day's work for a day's wages--I will collect room and board when appropriate.

When they find they can make enough money to "escape" and head out into the world on their own, I will cry, give them a hug, and tell them how proud I am that they are now an adult.

 

[Mango]

When I read the "Parent Mission Statement" I swear I heard my parents bust out laughing all the way from heaven!

My parents' mission statement read something like this:

My kid will clean their room, do their chores, get to school on time, complete their homework, make passing grades, not talk back and show respect to ALL adults--or answer to me.

If any adult (teacher, neighbor, cop or priest) says my kid did wrong--I'll believe the adult first and foremost and said kid will be punished appropriately for the misdeed. (Which means extended time in a bedroom devoid of any entertainment geegaws.)

My kid can ask for anything their little heart desires--more likely than not, the answer will be "no." If they ask a second time, the answer will be a much LOUDER "NO." If they ask a 3rd time--call 911.

The kid's "heart's desires" are given sparingly and only at Christmas or on a Birthday to make their wishes truly special and memorable.

The kids will live by MY rules while they're under MY roof--my rules will be unyielding and strictly enforced. I will make it a point to teach them that the only way to escape is to find a job and put in an honest day's work for a day's wages--I will collect room and board when appropriate.

When they find they can make enough money to "escape" and head out into the world on their own, I will cry, give them a hug, and tell them how proud I am that they are now an adult.

You forgot "and eat what's put in front of them" :funn:

 

[Teresa]

When I read the "Parent Mission Statement" I swear I heard my parents bust out laughing all the way from heaven!

My parents' mission statement read something like this:

you may have misunderstood the mission statement provided above. it's a school mission statement based on montessori philosophy which defines what children can achieve in their inner selves, especially when they are adults. most of what you described in your parent mission statement would certainly be part of the strategy to meet these goals. you may have laughed hysterically, but I don't think you understood. ;-)