“Dad, you’re not going to believe this. I found gas for $3.50 today!”
I’ve never seen a teenager more excited about gas prices than I was a few weeks ago.
Our son recently turned 16, bought his first car, and has entered a new season of entry-level “adulting.” He now pays for his own gas, his own insurance, and his own extras. Yes, we’re old-fashioned like that.
What’s crazy is that this is the same kid who, just a year ago, expected his older brother to chauffeur him across town, across the county, and possibly across state lines… without once offering so much as a dollar toward gas. And when his older brother actually asked for it, there was weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth. Well, you get the idea. They butted heads over it more than once, and the struggle was real.
Fast forward twelve months. Now that it’s his wallet taking the hit, he thinks twice before going out. He agonizes over whether Chick-fil-A is really worth it (spoiler: it always is, but now he budgets for it). He’s mowing more lawns, looking for odd jobs, and… I never thought I’d say this… voluntarily checking gas prices.
My oh my. How quickly things change when you all of a sudden have to grow up, and you’re the one footing the bill.
This reminds me of 1 Corinthians 13:11, “When I was a child… I thought as a child… but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”
Time has a natural way of nudging our kids toward maturity, but we have an intentional role to play too.
Our job as parents? We raise them to release them.
That means preparing them for real life before the world does it for them, which is a much less gentle teacher (can someone say rent, taxes, and the ever-increasing price of groceries).
This doesn’t happen by accident. It happens intentionally and incrementally.
Here’s a list of practical and spiritual age-appropriate tips to help grow your kids.
No matter where your child is today, ask yourself: What’s the next step I’ve been putting off giving them?
Because the goal was never to raise kids who need us forever. It was to raise adults who are ready—financially grounded, spiritually rooted, and maybe, just maybe… genuinely excited about a good gas price.
