<r><COLOR color="black"><s></s> I have been in my step-son life for 10 years. He is now 18 years old and my wife and I are at an impasse on how to handle the next phase of his life. My step-son is very creative and bright young man, but as all 18-19 year olds lack motivation. He does have a job at a local arcade make min wage. Well time came to enroll for college and he didn’t enroll, but kept telling us he was going to handle it. Well, here we are 2 weeks from the start of school and he told us that other night that he wants to work for a year and then move to LA to be model (never modeled before in his life). Needless to say we were a bit shocked, chances are in a year from now he will have changed his mind, but that’s another story.<e></e></COLOR><br/>
<COLOR color="black"><s></s> I am a bit of an old school thinker, I mean I still do hand written thank you (a lost art in this day and age). My thought is that if he is in school he can stay here as long as he wishes, rent free. If he does not go to school then, he either needs to move out and get on with life or pay us minimal rent a, work hard, and enroll next semester. My wife feels a tad differently. She feel that he should be able to stay here as long as he wishes, rent free, just pay for his own car insurance (which we were paying $50.00 of) and make him pay for his cell phone. I am really fine with that because that is like paying rent anyway. My issue is what is that teaching him? Since we all know nothing is easy in life, what message is that telling him? I truly believe that he will not enroll in college next year and we will be in this same boat next year.<e></e></COLOR><br/>
<COLOR color="black"><s></s> He is a great kid, but he has already crashed his car twice in 20 months. He dresses so sloppy, baggy pants, no show laces, messy hair; no one will hire him for an extra job<e></e></COLOR><br/>
<COLOR color="black"><s></s>I guess I just don’t know what to do? Like I said, great kid, dresses like he hasn’t done laundry in a year, rolls in to the house around 2am 3-4 nights week, believes everything is going to be given to him. His uncle gave him 20k for college in which he already bought a new Macbook (2k) and now wants a 15k car. Yet, he doesn’t do drugs nor drink, he is what kids today call straight edge.<e></e></COLOR><br/>
<COLOR color="black"><s></s> <e></e></COLOR><br/>
<COLOR color="black"><s></s>Just need some direction, <e></e></COLOR><br/>
<COLOR color="black"><s></s>Thanks for your time and reading this<e></e></COLOR></r>
<COLOR color="black"><s></s> I am a bit of an old school thinker, I mean I still do hand written thank you (a lost art in this day and age). My thought is that if he is in school he can stay here as long as he wishes, rent free. If he does not go to school then, he either needs to move out and get on with life or pay us minimal rent a, work hard, and enroll next semester. My wife feels a tad differently. She feel that he should be able to stay here as long as he wishes, rent free, just pay for his own car insurance (which we were paying $50.00 of) and make him pay for his cell phone. I am really fine with that because that is like paying rent anyway. My issue is what is that teaching him? Since we all know nothing is easy in life, what message is that telling him? I truly believe that he will not enroll in college next year and we will be in this same boat next year.<e></e></COLOR><br/>
<COLOR color="black"><s></s> He is a great kid, but he has already crashed his car twice in 20 months. He dresses so sloppy, baggy pants, no show laces, messy hair; no one will hire him for an extra job<e></e></COLOR><br/>
<COLOR color="black"><s></s>I guess I just don’t know what to do? Like I said, great kid, dresses like he hasn’t done laundry in a year, rolls in to the house around 2am 3-4 nights week, believes everything is going to be given to him. His uncle gave him 20k for college in which he already bought a new Macbook (2k) and now wants a 15k car. Yet, he doesn’t do drugs nor drink, he is what kids today call straight edge.<e></e></COLOR><br/>
<COLOR color="black"><s></s> <e></e></COLOR><br/>
<COLOR color="black"><s></s>Just need some direction, <e></e></COLOR><br/>
<COLOR color="black"><s></s>Thanks for your time and reading this<e></e></COLOR></r>