Your teen has been fantasizing about the moment she gets her first car long before she even starts driving lessons. Getting a car for your child is a huge decision that should be based on whether it is practical for your finances, how necessary it is for your teen and if you feel your teen has earned it. If you do decide to gift a car to your child, the red bow-covered car in the driveway is classic, but old. Be a little more creative and come up with ways that will make the moment memorable for your teen.
The Car Accessory Hint
A simple, (but always fun way) to surprise your teen with a car is by giving her car accessories she obviously would not need without a car. One idea is to leave different car accessories around your teen's room. For instance, you might put car freshener trees on her desk, car floor mats on the floor in front of her bed and an emergency car kit on her bed. As she looks at the items and starts to realize what great scheme you are planning, you could appear in her doorway jangling the keys in your hand for her. Another idea is to send her to an auto store on an errand, with a list of accessories to buy. She will wonder why you need all this new stuff. When she gets home, have the car waiting for her -- and her new accessories.
The Dealership Fakeout
Take the entire family to the car dealership pretending to need a new family car. Try a bunch of family-friendly cars -- enough so that your teen gets bored and is dying to go home. Insist on looking at one more, which is your teen's car. When she points out that the car will not be suitable for the entire family, you could say something like, "You're right, this one's for you," and give her the keys. Another idea is to tell your teen you are taking her car shopping, and then take her to a junkyard car lot. Tell the owner about it ahead of time, so that he enthusiastically shows her some horrible-looking cars. Tell her you want her to think about it overnight before she decides. As your dejected teen walks back to your car, have her car parked behind it, and then tell her she should follow you home in “her new” car.
The Fetch-Me-Something Move
Tell your teen you need her to get something out of your car and give her the keys to her own car. (She does not realize that these are not your keys.) Act rushed and fluttered -- as if you need the item right away -- so that she is not looking closely at the keys in her hand. The car should be in the garage with a bow on it or a "Surprise!" sign on the windshield. Or, if you have a long driveway, send your teen to get the mail. Put the keys in the mailbox in an envelope addressed to your teen and have his new car parked in front of the mailbox.
The You're-in-Trouble Tactic
Arrange to have your teen called to the principal’s office at the end of the day. When she gets down there, look at her sternly and say something like "I can't believe you. Let's go." Your confused (and possibly terrified) teen will follow you out of the school building where her car will be waiting. You could then say, "I can't believe you didn't guess I was getting you a car!" Another idea is to have the car parked on the street in front of a restaurant where you are having dinner with the family. Have a friend, posing as a parking enforcement officer, inform her that her car is about to be towed. When she says she does not have a car, he could shrug and say her name came up when he scanned the license plate. Have the "concerned" family follow her outside and yell, "Surprise!" when she sees the car.
FAQs
The stages of adulthood examined here include: Early Adulthood (ages 22--34). Early Middle Age (ages 35--44), Late Middle Age (ages 45--64), and Late Adulthood (ages 65 and older).
What are the steps to Adulting? ›
Home
- Tip 1: Clean Your Home Regularly. ...
- Tip 2: Learn To Do Minor Home Repairs. ...
- Tip 3: Learn Laundry and Mending Skills. ...
- Tip 4: Learn To Cook. ...
- Tip 5: Set At Least 30 Minutes Daily For Exercise. ...
- Tip 6: Schedule Annual Doctors Appointments. ...
- Tip 7: Create A Budget. ...
- Tip 8: Save For At Least 3-6 Months Of Your Monthly Expenses.
If you're adulting, this often involves necessary tasks to survive, such as:
- cooking.
- paying bills.
- managing finances.
- keeping up with laundry.
- resolving conflict.
Coping with adulthood
- Take responsibility. You have to take responsibility for where you are in your life right now. ...
- Live within your means. Spending beyond your means is not sustainable. ...
- Start saving for retirement. ...
- Allow yourself to sit with difficult or painful emotions. ...
- Clarify your values.
The stages of adulthood examined here include: Early Adulthood (ages 22--34). Early Middle Age (ages 35--44), Late Middle Age (ages 45--64), and Late Adulthood (ages 65 and older).
What are the 5 stages of adulthood? ›
Stages of Adult Development
- Stage 1: Impulsive mind - early childhood.
- Stage 2: Imperial mind - adolescence, 6% of adult population.
- Stage 3: Socialised mind - 58% of the adult population.
- Stage 4: Self-Authoring mind - 35% of the adult population.
- Stage 5: Self-Transforming mind - 1% of the adult population.
Learn to set boundaries and take care of yourself and others. Respect others: Learn to appreciate other people's perspectives and treat everyone respectfully. Maintain a routine: Build a stable, healthy routine that involves work or school, exercise, a healthy diet, and creative or active hobbies.
What is the hardest part of adulting? ›
“Adulting” is hard because it means having a point of view. Rather than relying on your parents, your friends, even your past life history to define who you are and what you're all about… Growing into adulthood means taking a stand for YOU: What YOU want for yourself.
What makes adulting hard? ›
Being an adult is very hard. You have these new sense of responsibilities such as paying bills, paying rent, maybe you own a vehicle, you have to go to work every day and there are expectations of you. You no longer get a trophy for just showing up.
What are the three types of adulthood? ›
There are three stages of adulthood including early adulthood, middle adulthood, and late adulthood where major physical, cognitive, and social changes occur. Early adulthood is the period starting at 18 years of age to the mid-30s. This is the time when people are healthy and physically fit.
Adulting includes things like keeping your home clean and paying bills. Fewer examples. Millennials have been complaining a lot about “adulting” lately, and the term has caught on. I'm not great at adulting. I do things like eat fast food while the fresh ingredients I bought rot in my fridge.
Why do I still feel like a kid at 25? ›
Key points. Societal shifts in development may partially explain the delay in feeling like an adult. Relative stability in certain traits and preferences may also be to blame. Childhood impressions of adults can create false assumptions and expectations about adulthood.
What is the golden age of adulthood? ›
According to Barnes (2011a), this age category spans the post-employment years until approximately 80-85 years when age-related limitations occur in the areas of physical, emotional, and cognitive development. Generally, this age span includes many positive aspects and is considered the “golden years” of adulthood.
Is adult life stressful? ›
Coping with life as a young adult comes with extra challenges as our world constantly changes. We can feel vulnerable, frustrated, and defeated, and when we compare ourselves to others, we may believe we are on an island alone with our struggles…that nobody else is experiencing life as we are.
What age does true adulthood start? ›
Age 18: Legally an adult.
When should adulthood begin? ›
Most countries recognize 18 as the start of adulthood by granting various freedoms and privileges. Yet there's no exact age or moment in development that we can point to as having reached full maturity.
Does adulthood start at 16? ›
Adolescence (generally defined as puberty through age 18) Young adulthood (generally defined as 18 to 22 or 18 to 25) Later adulthood (generally defined as mid-20s and older)
Is 21 early adulthood? ›
The beginning of early adulthood, ages 18-25, is sometimes considered its own phase, emerging adulthood, but the developmental tasks that are the focus during emerging adulthood persist throughout the early adulthood years.
