report him to the police!

 

get him drunk and high on acid then take him on a crazy ride through the twisties. He won't ever want to do any of them again!

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by krhorrocks
[B]get him drunk and high on acid then take him on a crazy ride through the twisties.

 

I don't know! Do you trust your son? I'd ask him calmly and directly, see what his answers are! What's more important to you the car or the son? Was the car damaged in anyway? Or is it a dicipline issue? He's 18 years old and he can't drive the S2000? Sounds more like a trust issue. (No offense!) Is he a responsible young adult and maybe it's time you started taking the raines off a little. Sometimes, it's better to give them the responsiblity and not to make it a temptation. If they are made responsible and held accountable it is taken with respect. I know through my own son that when they are given such responsible they become more knowledgable and understanding, far more then we give them credit for. My son is 22 years of age and lives on his own, goes to school and works full time. I'm very proud of him and his accomplishments.

I gave him these type of responsibles at a younger age and he became more appreciative of what was required. I'm very proud of him and his dedication. You might try being more forgiving and concerned that he understands the reasons for not driving it without you being at home. Explain, to him the importance of care and maintenance. Also the costs involved ie., insurance, maintenance, etc. Explain the consequences of failure. Generally this is enough. I remember when I was 18 and what I was doing. I was given more responsibility at a young age, especially in the military. It did me alot of good.

Try a little diffrent approach and start treating him like an adult and maybe he'll stop acting like a kid. Been there, done this with two of my own. Dicipline is a wonderful tool if used correctly. Alot of time we don't think why and how we should apply it. I had to learn how to apply it. It's a tough thing sometimes to stop and think about when it's necessary and when it's not. Dicipline without direction is worthless. It teaches nothing. Giving direction and then reinforcing it with dicipline, works timeless wonders.
Anyway the bottomline is your call! Just remember he's not a child anymore, our job as parents is to help foster a sense of doing the right things.

Jeff

 

You've made an inaccurate assumption. He has driven it when I'm there.

This is not a matter of mistrust, nor of lack of responsibility. He and his younger sister were left alone for 5 days, and he was responsible for everyting. He had to ensure that she got to school Friday and Monday. We left written permission for him to make medical decisions for her should that have been necessary. We gave him cash for emergencies, and access to our credit card account should the cash have proven inadequate.

As for taking all the keys: what if something happened at home that required that he be able to move the car? (fire, or whatever) I appreciate the good-natured joking, but there was a good reason to leave the keys and expect him not to use them.

He is a relatively inexperienced driver, in particular in cars with manual transmissions. He has had a couple of accidents--one when pulling our van out of the garage when he was trying to avoid the S2000. Because of the tight fit in the garage, we were more concerned than usual. (My wife doesn't like to move cars in and out of the garage; she asks me to do so for her.)

I, too, am quite proud of my son. He's honest, hard-working, generous, and caring. He gets good grades in school, holds down a part-time job at a local deli, and tutors as well. He is not only my son, but one of my best friends.

I enjoy the wide variety of comments here. I was rather expecting someone to suggest that the obvious solution would be to buy him his own S2000 so that he wouldn't be tempted by ours. C'mon, guys! You're falling down on the job here!

Thanks!

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by dsp
[B]OK so he disobeyed your instructions. Maybe you should scold him or even punish him. But you misbehaved as well; you left a spectacular car at home AND left the keys. That is cruel, almost sadistic. I might suspect you of entrapment as well.

Put yourself in his shoes; he almost didn't have a choice. If he didn't take it out, he would regret it forever because you're too uptight (and distrustful?) to let him drive it ever, even when you're with him. If he does take it out to "get gas", he's exorcised that haunting regret at the minimal expense of a brief grounding or a halfhearted "I'm disappointed in you" talk. Do you really want your boy to grow up to be the kind of man who's afraid to take a chance on the unforgettable experience?

The kid's 18. What did you expect from him? Here's a suggestion: tell him you are disappointed, but give him a chance to redeem himself. Request that he demonstrate his responsibility in a way that is significant to you (extra chores, improve grades, etc.). Then, if he succeeds, reward him with the privilege of taking the S2000 to prom or for regular chaperoned "fill ups". This will achieve three things:

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by magician
[B]

You've made an inaccurate assumption.

 

Was it more than fifty miles to the gas station??

 

I can't tell you what to do to your son. As you've mentioned, there is much we don't know about your relationship, etc. I would like to pass on a similar story, though. My son was about 17. I had a blue RX7 that he wasn't allowed to drive without me in the car. The color was pretty uncommon and I seldom saw the same car on the road. Well my wife was out with a neighbor in an adjacent town and as they were heading home, she saw the blue RX7. She recognized it immediately and after they finished there errands, the neighbor dropped her off at home. She immediately went down to the garage and put her hand on the hood of the RX7 and sure enough it was warm.

She busted our son, but the funny thing was, the car she saw wasn't him. He admitted he took it, but was on the other side of town. Just really bad luck! I honestly don't remember what punishment he was given. He never did it again, or at least never got caught.

 

My parents used to go out of town a lot when I was around that age. Personally, I think they knew we were gonna drive their cars when they were gone. Sure, they'd tell us to leave their cars alone, but as long as nothing happenned to them, then they didn't really care. They knew that we knew there would be a significant punishment for us if anything bad happenned to their vehicles. So because of that they new we might take their car for a slight joyride here and there around the block, but there's no way we were going to pile all of our friends in them and head out to a party.

But that comes from my parents raising us to know the consequences would be bad if we made a bad choice. But they also trusted us enough to not mind a little cruise every now and then in their rides. If you're unsure about what your kid is capable of by the time he's 18, then how will you ever let him go off to college and be on his own, regardless of what he's driving?



BTW, why didn't you hide your keys if it was so important that no one drive the car? Hell, I do that with the roommates I live with and we're all 25.