Money vs. Jobs vs. Parents

            I have always been a supporter of teenagers having a job and making some of their own money.  However, recently I have started to think that even though making our own money teaches responsibility, there is a point where as teenagers we are still in school and have other things that we do with our time and parents should still help us out some.

            From the kids I have talked to, I have been unable to really find many parents that are willing to meet in the middle and help their kids out; they all either spoil their kids rotten and give them everything they want, or no matter how busy they are they have to buy everything on their own and if they run out of gas in the middle of the road… who cares?

            Personally, my parents are the later of the two described and as a teenager this can be very difficult and stressful.  Not only are my parents like the later of the two described, I work two jobs during the summer to save money for the busy points during the year when I can’t work but I am not allowed to spend any of the money from the higher wage earner of the two.

            Currently I work every Friday and Saturday night, as I cannot afford to take anytime off which hurts the possibility of any social life for a teenager during the school year.  While I work, I make minimum wage and usually about a dollar in tips a night.  This means that each month I make about $130.  Before you have to start paying for gas, you may think that $130 isn’t that bad to get by, but if you figure that my car gets 22 mpg and every day I have to drive to and from school which is about 10 miles all together, and work is about 20 miles away one direction; so almost all my money goes right to gas.  The little bit of money I do have left goes to the food I have to eat that my parents also won’t pay for.

            I want to know where enough is enough.  Personally, at this point I feel as though I should move out and get a job that I will work later at nights and school nights which my parents won’t allow.  I already pay for everything on my own anyway, all I would be adding is rent.  But is there a point where parents are too controlling and too expecting of their children? It sure feels like mine do.

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