Parenting is a difficult and demanding job. It is also a job that you cannot retire from. Even when your children are grown, living on their own and making an income, you still feel a sense of responsibility and a need to give advice. We have found that our children are once again interested in our input. For a few years anything that we said held little or no value to our children but now that they have completed college and are taking on more responsibility for themselves they are eager for advice.
Our oldest son is quite independent. He has always been a very hard worker and is the most frugal of our children. He liked to save money and is a great comparison shopper. He has never been one that has felt that it is important to have brand name clothing or shoes. He has a very practical side to him. Because of this I was surprised when he told me that he wanted to buy a new car. He has always been the one to talk about how quickly new cars depreciate and how you never make up for that depreciation. When I brought this up to him he said that he did not care. He is making a good income and he has scrimped and save his entire life, so he wants to buy a new car as a treat for the hard work he has done. He said that he knows that when he decides to get married and to start a family he may not be able to afford to buy a new car so he wants to do it now.
I told my husband about the conversation I has with our son. My husband was upset that our son would go into debt for a new car. He thought there were other ways he could spend his money. I told my husband that at first I felt the same way, but then I remember the first and only new car that I purchased. It was fun to know that I was driving a car that no one else had driven. Once we were married and started our family we could not afford a new car, we always bought program cars to get a better value and additional equipment. After listening to me my husband agreed that everyone should own at least one new vehicle in their life time.
A couple of weeks past before our son drove up to our home in his new vehicle. He chose to buy a new car that is a hybrid. He is getting great gas mileage and the car has a nice sporty feel and look to it. He said that the reports are favorable for the car to hold its re-sale value, and there are enough of the hybrids on the road so most of the bugs have been worked through. It is neat to see how proud he is on his ability to buy a new car and save money at the fuel pumps.
