|
Issue date: May 2, 1999
"Money
helps protect you"
USA
WEEKEND's teen panelists discuss angst and allowance with Tipper
Gore.
Can money
buy happiness?
Special
Report: Teens & Money
 ike
any parent of four children in their teens and 20s, Tipper Gore
is an expert on the topic of this special report, Teens & Money."The
most important thing,'' Gore said, "is how you teach kids to make
decisions about spending money."
Gore's comments were part of USA WEEKEND's 12th Teen Panel. Gore,
wife of Vice President Al Gore, recently spoke with the Washington,
D.C.-area teens at the Newseum in Arlington, Va. The discussion,
excerpted here, also aired on the PBS show Freedom Speaks.
 Gore
moderates the teen panel discussion. With her: Elainia Ross
and Josh Chetta. |
TEEN
PANELISTS:
David Andrukonis, 16
Jaime Bullock, 16
Josh Chetta, 17
Kelly Cockram, 13
Kaitlin Kernan, 12
Elainia Ross, 17
Jabari Stewart, 15
|
Sources
of income
Gore: Do you have a job?
David: I run a lawn-mowing service in the summer. My parents bought me a lawn mower. And they said, "OK, you're off the allowance meter now." So I guess that was kind of the end of allowance for me. But I was glad, actually.
Jaime: Over the summer, I worked at a pool and got a little bit over minimum wage. Half of that, I put in the bank to save for college, and half of it, I was free to spend on whatever I wanted, which was mostly clothes.
Kaitlin: My brother and I have an investment company called K&B Chores Investments. We do chores, and then we invest the money in stocks.
Reality
bites
Gore: How much money do you make?
Elainia: I work at Discovery Zone. I get paid $5.50 for every hour I work, about $250 a month. I have enough money on a weekly basis. It's just for long investments that I don't think I have enough money. Senior year is seriously expensive. A ring costs you a month's worth of salary; [graduation] announcements cost you a month's worth of salary.
The lines
are drawn
Gore: Money-based cliques - tell us about those.
Jabari: At our school, it's very clear to tell the people who have the money. But once you get below the first couple of people who have the leather jackets and the nice clothes, below that it's really a gray area. Because sometimes people who have money would rather dress like they don't, just because it looks cool.
David: You can generally tell. A lot of the more wealthy families, their kids are in the higher-level classes.
Elainia: I think that's true. We have what's called the "Beverly
Hills" clique; they all have Lexuses. The only place where I see
my "Lexus" friends is in class. Like gym class is going be mixed,
because everybody has to take gym, right? But then my AP [advanced
placement] English class is going to have wealthy people in it.
Can money
buy happiness?
Jaime: I'm very materialistic. One of my favorite things to do is to go shopping, so at least once a week I go to the mall. And I'm not satisfied unless I walk out of there with something in my hand.
Gore: Anybody disagree?
Kelly: I do. There are some things you don't need money for, like being with your family and things like that.
David: My parents pay for all the things I need. But in 10 years, I'm going to be the one who pays for the food, for the house. At this point, I don't think I need the money to be happy, but in the future, it'll be more important.
Josh: I think happiness stems a lot from comfort, and you can't really be comfortable without lots of money. So as superficial as it sounds, I think we've been forced to group money and happiness together.
Jaime: I see how teenagers act. And if you don't have what they consider the best or acceptable, they're cruel. They'll tease people and make fun of them, and it hurts. Money helps protect you.
With Michele Hatty
Go to the top
Photo Credit: Molly Roberts for USA WEEKEND
|
