Here is a good example of how difficult child just doesn't think like we do.
The car she is driving is ten years old. We bought it for easy child when she turned 16 and then passed down to difficult child who trashed it in a matter of months. It has had so many parts replaced and has dents all over it, including a smashed front headlight which I'm surprised has not gotten her a ticket. We decided not to put any more money in it because it's just throwing it away, the car is about to die. It needs new struts and we were given estimates anywhere form $1200 at an auto repair shop to $500 from a friend who would do it on the side and just charge for parts. We decided not to do it and just let the car die.
So difficult child calls me last night and says she is at her friend's (male of course) and he just got new struts on his car at this shop and it only cost $100. I told her that was impossible and how did she think they were going to do it that cheap if the parts themselves cost more than that. Of course she had no idea but swore it was true. I asked for the name of the shop, nonexistent in the phone book. I explained that they were either stealing the parts and installing them or they were a chop shop and tearing apart stolen cars for their parts or they weren't going to do the work but say they did and you would have no way of knowing.
Now what makes this even more concerning is that just the other day when she brought all her paperwork over we discovered she overdrew her checking account because some guy she knew asked her to deposit a check for him in her account and withdraw $200 and she did it. She didn't look in the envelope and if she had she would have seen there was no check in it. She just deposited it and withdrew the cash and was left with an overdraft charge and out $200. We just had a long discussion about scams and how if it sounds too good to be true it is and that no one offers you money for nothing and yadda yadda.
She is a prime candidate for every scam out there and just illustrates to us the need for her to get some life skills training because she doesn't have the common sense to question these things herself.
The car she is driving is ten years old. We bought it for easy child when she turned 16 and then passed down to difficult child who trashed it in a matter of months. It has had so many parts replaced and has dents all over it, including a smashed front headlight which I'm surprised has not gotten her a ticket. We decided not to put any more money in it because it's just throwing it away, the car is about to die. It needs new struts and we were given estimates anywhere form $1200 at an auto repair shop to $500 from a friend who would do it on the side and just charge for parts. We decided not to do it and just let the car die.
So difficult child calls me last night and says she is at her friend's (male of course) and he just got new struts on his car at this shop and it only cost $100. I told her that was impossible and how did she think they were going to do it that cheap if the parts themselves cost more than that. Of course she had no idea but swore it was true. I asked for the name of the shop, nonexistent in the phone book. I explained that they were either stealing the parts and installing them or they were a chop shop and tearing apart stolen cars for their parts or they weren't going to do the work but say they did and you would have no way of knowing.
Now what makes this even more concerning is that just the other day when she brought all her paperwork over we discovered she overdrew her checking account because some guy she knew asked her to deposit a check for him in her account and withdraw $200 and she did it. She didn't look in the envelope and if she had she would have seen there was no check in it. She just deposited it and withdrew the cash and was left with an overdraft charge and out $200. We just had a long discussion about scams and how if it sounds too good to be true it is and that no one offers you money for nothing and yadda yadda.
She is a prime candidate for every scam out there and just illustrates to us the need for her to get some life skills training because she doesn't have the common sense to question these things herself.
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