When I left for college, I didn’t get any advice from my parents other than the usual, good luck and I’ll miss you. With my son, I wanted to do something different.
This morning, I gave some advice to my son that will last him a lifetime.
You see, he had to go to work but there’s a flat tire in the car he drives. So I drove him to work and gave us 20 minutes together.
It’s not always you get that one-on-one time with your teenager.
In the car, you can listen to music and say nothing. Or you can make the most of it.
Today, I chose to give him some advice that will stick with him forever.
This is advice I never got but learned on my own.
This fall he’s headed off to college. He’s not going far away, but I’m sure our time together will be limited.
One, he has a job.
Two, he’ll start going to college.
Three, he’ll meet new friends.
Even though he’s not going far away, it will be a change of life. His routine will change and some days will be hectic driving on the roads here.
On the drive, there were many things we could have talked about.
Finding the right people to hang out with
Taking care of himself — self-care
Listen to his gut and do the right thing
There are so many things but there was one I had to bring up.
I remember when I went to college, many companies offered college students credit cards. That’s when I got my first card and it was a Discover card.
CNBC reported young adults had an average credit card debt of $3,261. That’s not bad, but it’s also not good.
I said to my son, he’ll possibly see credit card offers at school. I added if you decide to get one and use it, he needs a plan on when he’ll pay off the card.
If you see something for $300, ask yourself, can you pay it off this month?
When money is low, you may want to wait. You don’t want to carry a balance.
This does more than add debt that you can’t pay immediately.
It affects everything.
Carrying debt affects your credit score.
This hurts your chance of getting a good rate on car loans. It’s the same for applying for a home loan, as well.
The higher the debt you carry on a credit card and other bills, it lowers your credit score. This then affects your interest rate on other bills.
If you have a higher credit score, you get a better rate on these loans.
This is one of many discussions you can share with your teenager. Graduating high school is one accomplishment, but it doesn’t end there. Now, they are about to enter the real world.
You need to use any time you can to your advantage. Teenagers don’t always listen, so you may have to repeat the topic a few times so it sinks into their heads.
If you are stuck on what ideas to ask, then use A.I. You can ask ChatGPT or Gemini for suggestions on what to talk about to your teenager.
Pretty soon your teenager will be an adult and you don’t want to waste the time you have with them. One day they’ll move and live in their own place.
You probably have many stories can share with them. A few of the stories they need to know before they enter the real world.
Getting your child through school is an accomplishment for you and them.
Giving them worlds of advice is the second accomplishment.
It’s a scary world out there and they need all the advice you can give them. So make the most of your time with them.
If you had a teenager, what advice would you give them?
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