July 18, 2015 5:21 AM

Today's Epic Parenting Fail: "Get a job?? That's embarrassing."

Atlanta radio show “The Bert Show” had a guest on this week who has managed to incite the rage of just about every millennial in the state of Georgia (and beyond, the show is syndicated in 11 states). The woman, a 22-year-old college junior named Kim…came to the three hosts with a confession: in just short three years she had managed to blow through a $90,000 college fund left to her by her grandparents. Kim has one year left of school and no way to cover her remaining $20,000 tuition balance…. Kim manages to personify just about every parent’s worst nightmare — an entitled 20-something who asks for handouts rather than face the very real financial challenges of young adulthood.

Never having had children of my own, I can’t in good conscience criticize parenting methods. Given that parenting is a results-oriented business, I can…and in this case, most definitely will…claim the right to examine critically the kind of person a child grows up to be. In the case of Kim…well, the results speak for themselves, dontchathink?

I’m guessing’s Kim probably never had to work for a thing in her life. I suspect that whatever Kim wanted, she got…perhaps because it was easier for her parents to indulge her than to set boundaries and stand firm when Mt. Kim erupted. Her spoiled, entitled nature speaks to someone who’s never been held accountable, never had limits set on her, and had something close to unlimited resources at her beck and call. She the sort of spoiled princess who knows the cost of everything but the value of nothing. Kim’s the living embodiment of the old saw, “Money can’t buy you happiness.” This is especially true when your parents never teach you the value of or how to handle money.

To be handed $90,000…and then proceed to blow it…is something I find difficult to imagine. The obvious question would seem to be, “Where were Kim’s parents while she was blowing through $90k?” Did they not bother to pay attention? Did they simply assume that Kim was a big girl and could tend to her own affairs? Did they inquire about what she was doing with the college fund her grandparents were kind enough to bequeath her?

Then, as if this story wasn’t aggravating enough, she has the audacity to lay responsibility directly at the feet of her parents:

Maybe [my parents] should have taught me to budget or something. They never sat me down and had a real serious talk about it.

We don’t have the parents’ side of the story, but my guess is that they never taught Kim how to handle and manage money- how to budget, how to prioritize, the importance of saving, etc.- and now she’s blaming her irresponsibility and lack of foresight on Mom and Dad. Classy, eh?

In fairness, Kim’s probably never been forced to have a responsible day in her life…so having to face the cold hard reality that decisions have consequences likely feels pretty harsh. Welcome to the wonderful world of adulthood, kid. No one’s going to kiss your ring.

If we had the parents’ input on Kim and how she was raised, I suspect the story would look somewhat different. We don’t, so we’re left to draw what conclusions we will…and given Kim’s predicament and attitude, those conclusions aren’t likely to break in her favor.

“I know they’re trying to teach me a lesson and blah blah blah and character building but, like, I hope they realize [working part-time] could have such a negative effect on my grades and as a person.”

Yeah, I’m thinking the “character building” lesson may be coming a decade or so too late….

So Kim’s admitting to blowing $90,000- no mean feat that- and she seemingly has no remorse for having done so. Oh, she feels bad about not having the necessary funds to cover her tuition bill, but recognizing her responsibility in this scenario has thus far proven elusive.

Her parents have chosen this time to draw a line (Better late than never, eh?), telling her that they won’t cosign a loan unless she gets a job. Essentially, they’re telling her that it’s time to find out what it’s like to live like virtually every other college student in America. It’s just too bad they couldn’t have drawn a few more lines and taken advantage of teachable moments when they had an opportunity to teach her how to be a good person who values what she’s been given and treats it with respect and good stewardship.

For her sake, I hope Kim manages to get her $#!& together, if for no other reason than to minimize the adverse impact she has on those around her as she stumbles through life. She’s finding out that no one’s going to step in and rescue her simply because she’s a damsel in distress. NO ONE likes spoiled and entitled…and I suspect the road in front of Kim, at least in the short term, is going to offer the promise of a bumpy ride.

Welcome to adulthood, Kim. Time to grow the #&$% up.

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on July 18, 2015 5:21 AM.

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