<p>So I’m 16 and I’m considering getting a job at Ross or Kohl’s to buy myself a car, and I’m curious of what rules you’ve put down for your children.</p>
<p>My parents don’t particularly care as long as I follow state laws, get home at a reasonable time, and get my schoolwork done so I’m curious of what restrictions or rules all of you have put down.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Our kids didn’t actually work during school when in High School, but they DID work in the summers. Any money they earned…well…1/2 went into an account we held in our names (the parents…less assessment when time for FAFSA) for future college expenses. The other 1/2 was theirs to spend. Truthfully, we would not have allowed either of them to purchase cars as we view that as an unnecessary purchase for a high school or college student. We had an “extra car” that the kids were able to use when they were in high school. It was a rather old “beater” of a car…but it worked. </p>
<p>I will say…my kids did discuss purchasing their own cars. We made it clear that if a car was in THEIR name, so was the insurance and all costs related to the car (maintenance, gas, new tires, whatever). If they drove the “family junker”, we kept it on our insurance, and paid the maintenance bills. They paid for gas. Our kids realized that owning a car was going to be a money pit for them.</p>
<p>So…I guess one of our “rules” was…don’t plan to buy a car.</p>
<p>Well the problem is, we only have one car as I live with one parent (my mom) and she uses that car all the time for work and the like.</p>
<p>I would pay for half of the car and she would match it.</p>
<p>For summer jobs, the only real rule was that the family had to be able to work out transportation (we have fewer cars than drivers in the family), which proved not to be a problem.</p>
<p>Only one of my two kids worked during the school year. His first job was as a library page, where the kids customarily worked for two- or three-hour periods after school or on weekend days. This did not interfere with schoolwork, and we imposed no restrictions on how many days he could work. (The library limited the kids to eight hours a week anyway.) </p>
<p>His second job was in a retail store, where part-timers were expected to work six- or eight-hour shifts. My husband and I insisted that during the school year, he would only be allowed to work on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, and his employer (after some griping) agreed to give him a suitable schedule. Usually, he worked from 3 to 9 on Friday (after the school day) and a full eight-hour shift on either Saturday or Sunday, for a total of 14 hours per week.</p>
<p>We would not allow him to work on Mondays through Thursdays because the store did not want people to work for less than six hours at a stretch, and working that much time on a school night would not have allowed time for homework.</p>
<p>What my son did with the money he earned was his business (most of it went for computer hardware and software). We did not require him to save any of it or pay any of his own expenses because we considered working optional. He started working at 14 and worked almost continuously until the day he started college, but that was his decision, not ours. His sister, on the other hand, worked for pay only during the summer between high school and college because she had other things that she wanted to do with her time. That was OK, too. Requiring our son to pay for some of his own expenses and not requiring it of our daughter would have been unfair, in my opinion.</p>
<p>I have a job at the local general store in town. I’ve been working there since the beginning of junior year (I’m a senior). My parents were iffy about both me and my brother working in high school at all, but my brother wanted to work there and the owner is a family friend, so they were okay with it (I started working there soon after). My parents wouldn’t let us work too much though, cause they wanted us to have some time for fun and school and such. My brother worked weekday mornings before school three times a week, and Sunday mornings (before he went to college). I work Saturday and Sunday during the lunch time rush, and random other days when needed (usually 9-14 hours/week). All the money we earned was ours to do with it what we want. </p>
<p>As far as cars go, we got a car for my brother when he first started driving, and when I got a license we shared, but it’s basically mine now since he’s away at school. However we live in a VERY rural place where you can’t get anywhere without a car (not even the neighbor’s…), so it’s pretty necessary for our family.</p>