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Whether he says it with his mouth or his eyes, it's "All my friends can afford it, why not me?"
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He looks at me now as if I am stealing something precious to him, and I stare back at him in the dwindling hope that he will toss a smile my way.
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<p>Agree with lonestardad. You're not stealing anything from your son. As the loving father that you are, all you owe him is an explanation of the reality of what's going on and the life lesson he needs to learn. Your only job is to raise a responsible, independent adult. </p>
<p>When our older son was 16 and in HS, he wanted a car. We told him we'd title it, but it was up to him to find the best deal, pay for it himself, and insure it. So he did. It wasn't easy, by any means. One day he said to us, "All my friends' parents buy them their cars, pay the insurance, and even pay for gas. Why don't you?" We told him we believed in giving him maximum freedom with maximum responsibility. We asked him to think about how independent and mature his friends really were. If their parents disappeared tomorrow, would they know how to find and keep a job, buy a car, shop for insurance, balance academics with sports and music activities and work? He'd never looked at it that way before. He realized he had accomplished a lot that his friends hadn't and had a lot to be proud of. He "got it."</p>