[kburch]

Oops, I meant arrogance!

Right now, I am so, so sick of my 15 year-old's view of the world. It seems that every time I think he's reached a low in unrealistic thinking, he finds a way to dig out a new basement level.

Anyway, I was pleasantly informed by my DH that my brilliant son has decided that anyone who has lost his or her job in this economy is just lazy. People are whining and moaning about there being no work, but he says that there is plenty of work available, those people are just too lazy to find it. (Edited to add: I forgot to mention that, according to him, if they had worked hard in the first place, they never would have been fired.) After all, he is only 15 and already has three or four plans for making a lot of money, so adults have no excuse.

Oh, and by the way, he plans to make at least $250,000 per year, so he can give 50% to God, save 25%, and live off the 25% remaining. After all, it's easy to live off of only 25% of your income, as long as you make enough money. (Granted, the desire to give and save truly are noble pursuits, but he's planning to make this kind of money before he graduates high school, because he's just *that* brilliant.)

Don't you wish you all were that smart?! ( Where's the puking smiley?)

[momraine]

I would suggest it's time for him to go job hunting. Let him see how hard it is. Make him look for a summer job. My son got his job when he was still 15, so it's possible, but it's tough!

[lucyjoy]

Oh good! Does your son plan to use his savings to support you in your old age?

[Synesthesia]

Hurm. I imagine there are politicians with that same attitude and various other people, sadly, it's not that simple. I've been trying to find a fulltime non temporary job for ages, since 2007. I was lucky to do some work last month, but the month before that, nothing...
Nope, it's not that easy, sadly. Plus you can get dropped from a job for no reason, especially when it comes to temporary jobs.

[Barksum]

Having a job sounds like a great way for him to figure out the nuts and bolts of his financial plans.

I mean, I knew all there was about parenting before I had kids just from all my babysitting jobs.

You should start getting your paperwork lined up for a 501c3 so that your Ds can donate to you as part of his tithing and all. You could be a charitable missionary project of some sort. (Like "People Helping Famously Fabulous Teens" or PHFFT! for short.) Think of all the out of work people you could employ! And cheap, too, since none of them really want to work, anyway, so think of the savings.

[stevenstwin]

Well, honestly, he sounds like a lot of my students the same age. I live in good ol' "redneck" Alberta, and the prevailing attitude is that the unemployed are lazy and everyone on disability is just playin the system, etc. What they DON'T say is that they would give half their earnings to charity ... so hopefully age will bring your son some real wisdom,but in the meantime cherish his good intentions ;-)

[Indy]

My sons thought the same way until they started working! They use to think that money was easy to make and manage...and I was stupid!

[crick]

Don't we all know all the answers between the ages of 11-21?

I know I did. I told my dad shortly after getting my driver's license that anyone who got caught speeding was a moron because all you had to do was know where the traps were and keep an eye out. Never mind that the discussion was actually him impressing upon me the dangers of speeding. lol. And yes, I got a speeding ticket about a year later. moron. LOL!

He's 15 so he can get a job, right? Wonder how many applications he thinks it'll take for him to get one? Would filling out 20 apps be considered lazy? hmmm..

[kay]

But of course, not just any job will bring in the bucks he's counting on! The thinking in my house has been that teen can't just take a "meaningless" job, it has to be something important and significant that will take him towards that $250K! In the meantime, no job, no money . . . and no change in the grand scheme! (Though I think you have a winner in that your son actually plans to give some to the church - that plan has never crossed C's mind!!)

[sundara]

He sounds a lot like my 17yo who is looking for a job for this summer, but thinks that a job at a fast food joint is beneath him, so is anything involving manual labor.

Oh, and minimum wage jobs are also out, in his humble opinion.

Given those criteria, it is a challenge not to burst out laughing each time he points out how HIS car will be way cooler than the ones he sees as we drive around town. He seems to think that somehow, he will end up with a corvette or better.

I just keep reminding him when he says this that he first has to save up some $$$ to get it (oh, and that some of the cars he is looking at cost more than my first house!)

[waited2long]

I lost a $300,000 a year business and am now applying for work at McDonalds.

Tell the kid to prove his theory.

[momof9wantingmore]

I remember when my now 25 year old son was about 17 and came home from work one day and announced that he was "SICK AND TIRED OF WORKING FOR MINIMUM WAGE". My DH and I just stared at him for a second and them we both started to laugh, we just couldn't believe the arrogance. He was not amused!!!