<p>Piping in on the kid personal finance aspect: My kids opened a “student” account at 16 and got a debit card. We deposited a small allowance ($15/week) into the account and anything else they wanted - they had to get a job. </p>
<p>They also each have a credit card in their name on my account for emergencies. They have to call or text before using the credit card. We did have to explain to S’13 that McDonalds is never an emergency! So far, neither has been overdrawn on the debit card or abused the credit card. Having a credit card in her name helps create a credit score for D which is helpful for renting an apartment, etc. </p>
<p>This summer, S’13 is at summer programs for 6 weeks. Most of his meals are covered so he shouldn’t have too many expenses. I think we will give him a lump sum of $150 and let him manage it. Good training for college. Now I just need to teach him to do laundry. He scoffed when I suggested it and replied, “I’m sure I can find some girl to do it for me.” I was horrified until I realized that was what his dad did in college - and “some” girl was ME!</p>
<p>Walker at some schools, those couple points could mean a larger scholarship. For example, at UA-Huntsville, a 32 would get full tuition, while a 34 would get a full ride. I just learned about a new scholarship at Ohio State a 34 is required to be considered. I dont know how often it matters one you’re in the 30’s, but you cant go wrong getting higher! </p>
<p>Anniezz Best of luck with your appeal. That sounds like total BS!</p>
<p>MDMom lol @ acquire currency. My S says lots of things that would mortify other parents - we’re pretty open around here!</p>
<p>Ahsmuoh congrats to your D on the book awards! I never heard of them until today!</p>
<p>Nellieh lol @ I love you, man. In a couple years, youll have to let us know who was right. :X</p>
<p>Laurendog I hope the money does in fact turn out to be money well spent! I love hearing you talk about your step-D its so refreshing as my S has a true step-monster!</p>
<p>S had to open a checking account for automatic deposit when he started working. He was only 16, so we had to make it a joint account so he could get a debit card. I think its been a great learning experience for him. Since its a joint account, I can transfer money into it. I put a cushion in there for him then if I need him to stop and pick something up for me, its easy! :)</p>
<p>Megp my husband has never in his life done laundry. I had to give my S a quick tutorial last year before he was gone for 4 weeks. Ill have to give him a refresher course this year before he leaves. Like I told my S, times have changed good luck finding some girl to do his laundry!</p>
<p>Ahsmuoh, congratulations on your D winning the book award! I remember getting one a couple of centuries ago!</p>
<p>I am gradually getting S12 to do more around the house! He has graduated from laundry and is pretty good at taking out the clothes that have to hang dry (mainly his sister’s clothing). He can cook the basics, especially things that he likes to eat, and he does an adequate (if not enthusiastic) job of cleaning. I would like him to tidy his room but he says he doesn’t want to disturb the bottom strata by excavating! D13 is more conscientious but has been studying so much recently that her room is starting to look a little like her brother’s!</p>
<p>I’m mean. My daughters have been doing their own laundry since 6th grade. They also have to help around the house with cleaning and mowing our 2.5 acres with our crappy riding mower. For minimal work, we cross their palms with the princely sum of $100 a month each. They also have a car to share, a gas card and paid insurance. As long as their grades and general conduct remain stellar, our deal will stand. They do have summer jobs and have since beginning HS. We require that they deposit half of any paycheck over $20 to their savings. They have a checking account and debit cards. I think we are generous to a fault!</p>
<p>Hello, Terinzak, we are hosting a foreign exchange student, too. He is from Italy. So at least he is not applying to college! I have painted a room for him and cleaned out the closet. </p>
<p>Congrats to ashmouh’s kid for the book awards. Thanks for explaining these, I had never heard of them.</p>
<p>I just wish they’s hurry up and tell me who we will be getting as an exchange student. I’d like to have my DS skype/email with him so they will have “met” before he comes over. Oh well, good things come to those who wait.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! Sorry, I can’t keep up to answer everything individually.</p>
<p>We’re still debating the June ACT. The disability folks I’m talking to are advising against it though - once it’s given w/o accommodation (and she’s likely to still perform at or above average) it’s apparently harder to go back… </p>
<p>It’s great to hear all the prom stories. Hoping everyone has a great time with lots of good memories.</p>
<p>Exchange students, how exciting! I don’t think I could do it - I’m not good enough at getting dinner on the table every night, and I’d be terribly guilty. Maybe if we had a student who loved to cook it could work! lol</p>
<p>ETA: geesh, I just realized after reading this that I’ve got way too much mom-guilt going on these days. I DEFINITELY need to work on that!</p>
<p>Vandy, good luck with the CTCL session - let us know how it goes. They’ll be in our area next week, but it’s a bit of trek, and I’ve been debating whether or not to go with DD.</p>
<p>I love the “practice partying” and “anywhere but Utah” stories! Now that DS is away at uni, after seeing some pics of him that he’d have rather I not, he’s definitely in the “love you man” camp! Who knows with DD - I don’t think I can handle the thought of her partying in college just yet.</p>
<p>We had a great softball day today and DD’s team advanced against a tough team. DD still has some challenges running (that pesky neurological damage) but she still had a great hit and I don’t care what that ump said - she was SAFE! lol</p>
<p>An exchange student sounds so fun. I wish I were braver – and richer!</p>
<p>Ds got elected officer of one of his favorite clubs. So cool. But tomorrow he finds out whether he is elected president of another club. He’s not even sure he ran, he said. I think with all the APs and crazy schedules the past two weeks he lost track of his commitments. He was in a lesser position in the club this year, and he thinks the sponsor just assumed he wanted to be president. Argh. I really hope not, because next week he runs for student body president. Two lead positions is fine, but three? Overkill. But he won’t give up pursuing the student body president gig, for sure. It’s been his goal since freshman year.</p>
<p>I hope the basement and hot tub are ready. Who’s making the margaritas???</p>
<p>I’m wiped out. After getting the house and the yard ready along with hair, nails, dress, shoes, photos, more photos, Grand March, more photos…prom just wiped me out :D. The kids are coming here afterwards to watch movies. The girls all looked lovely, the boys very handsome. It was a bit warm for the photos but they suffered through. It just started sprinkling as we were taking the last photo so that worked out well. The kids were having fun taking photos so I am sure they will have a blast at the dance. No Proma here, which is good. I don’t do “drama” :D.</p>
<p>Youdontsay: It doesn’t cost to host an exchange student. Basically, I povide him with a place to live and food to eat–he pays for everything else. So all extra spending money, sports, vacations, etc. are his parents responsibility.</p>
<p>Yeah, I’ve had to start fixing my son’s dinner plate myself since he seems to think a 16oz cut of steak is for 1 person. But the kid is still wearing a 28 in pants!</p>
<p>My son’s excuses for eating so much today—I played tennis, I dont know if I’ll like the food at the party tonight, I’m bored, I’m going to tennis, I just woke up…</p>
<p>Today, I picked ds up from the club party, and he said he was stuffed on pizza. I then called dh to tell him to not rush dinner, and ds exclaims, “I didn’t say that I wouldn’t eat!!!”</p>
<p>DS’15 is my new diet plan. When we go out, he eats his meal, then half of mine, then half of H’s. And we have him at home for 3 more years! At least for now, we get a break because DD’13 doesn’t eat nearly as much.</p>
<p>Morning All…Whew I’ve been working these last few days…reading but unable to Post…
But I have been Laughing and getting teary eyed at all the news!!!
Thanks for the stories…</p>
<p>Gotta go to work…tis morning…
but I’ll be sneaking a quick read…I even got the phone app so I can catch up…lollollol</p>
<p>Boys are SO Different than girls…the eating thing especially…</p>
<p>I haven’t read other threads…but this group is AWESOME…
Thanks for sharing and putting a Smile on my face…
I think we all have amazing kids because of who this group is…
open, honest, thoughtful,concerned,caring and too many more adjectives to write…</p>
<p>A week’s gone by so quickly…and we had a four-day weekend to boot, but I took advantage of the sun and cleaned up the back yard. We’re not allowed to run lawn mowers and hedgers on Sundays because of the noise, so between that and the weather, I always feel like I have to grab whatever chance I get to indulge in garden therapy…and since I’ve been trying to cut back on the alcohol so I can fit into my summer pants again, alternative therapy is needed! I got a good laugh at your tequila, bourbon, mimosas…I’d kill for a decent margarita on this side of the Atlantic, but it’s not meant to be! </p>
<p>Ama308, thanks for reminding us to stop and breathe once in a while. Longhaul, I’m glad to see you all came out ok from the chemical explosion - we just had one involving a train carrying toxic chemicals, luckily not close by. Nellieh, I’d love to know the school that’s considered “too Northface and UGG”, that was another good laugh Also glad to see lots of soulmates on the finance discussions. I remember my parents telling me they could only afford in-state schools (back when UC was in its glory, so not that bad), and then I insisted on going “back East” for grad school. The $13000 student loan I graduated with seemed HUGE in those days…I just can’t comprehend today’s numbers. Btw, what’s APUSH? AP US History? I read it in so many posts and couldn’t figure it out till just now (assuming I got it right!) What about “break-out party” kids??</p>
<p>Latest news here – son and girlfriend have broken up…I hate heavy drama right before exams But his appetite still holds, which is a good sign - he and his younger brother go through 4-5 gallons of milk a week in a country where you can only buy quart bottles, so our top fridge shelf is devoted to rows of milk…which my friends say is confirmation that they clearly have an American mother :-)</p>
<p>Have a great week everyone - like Ama, looking forward to more smiles and helpful insights as i read your posts at work!</p>
<p>Good morning! DD is off working a sports clinic for little kids, so I have a free morning. I’m sitting at IKEA, drinking coffee. </p>
<p>I have to laugh at the boys and food, so true!
When DS is home, I never know what will be left in the house in the morning due to his late night extra meals, and I have to shop three times as much. Yea, it seems like a gallon of milk a day gets consumed!</p>
<p>Ama, I agree, it’s a great group here.<br>
EM, sorry about the breakup. I think it’s so hard on them and it makes my mom-heart hurt for them.</p>
<p>earthmother- love that rule about no engines on Sunday; wish we had that here. I have a neighbor who appears to love mowing his lawn at 8am every Sunday on the dot, and then he gets out the weed wacker. Also, you got it right, APUSH is AP US History, which I think is the most popular AP for junior year, as most students have to take a US history class to graduate, but you probably know that, being from the US.</p>
<p>Love the stories about the boys and food; awhile ago there was a thread titled something along the line of “Schools For A Boy Who Needs to Eat Alot” or something. It made me realize that asking about the meal plans was very important for these big eaters. We went to 6 schools in southern cal over Spring Break, and two of them, Occidental and Loyola Marymount, charged points for everything that you ate, which would save you money if you were a teeny tiny girl, probably; the others were all you could eat. DS really liked Chapman’s the best, where you have all you could eat for a two hour window. So if you ate at the beginning of the two hours, then went back in at the end you could eat again, which would work for him, as that is about the time frame between meals. He did ask the tour guide if this was possible. CMC and Pomona had excellent food, all you can eat, and we didn’t try USC food, so couldn’t tell you there. DS took the task of finding out about the meal plans very seriously, and seemed to be more interested in checking out the food than the classes. </p>
<p>So he seems to have survived 3 proms, though he said he was feeling like Bill Murray from Groundhog Day, another Saturday, another prom. One good thing is that he has a better idea on how to make his school’s prom better, since that one was the worst out of the three.</p>
Also glad to see lots of soulmates on the finance discussions. I remember my parents telling me they could only afford in-state schools (back when UC was in its glory, so not that bad), and then I insisted on going “back East” for grad school. The $13000 student loan I graduated with seemed HUGE in those days…I just can’t comprehend today’s numbers. Btw, what’s APUSH? AP US History? I read it in so many posts and couldn’t figure it out till just now (assuming I got it right!) What about “break-out party” kids??</p>
But his appetite still holds, which is a good sign - he and his younger brother go through 4-5 gallons of milk a week in a country where you can only buy quart bottles, so our top fridge shelf is devoted to rows of milk…which my friends say is confirmation that they clearly have an American mother :-)</p>