As time passes and we grow older, teenagers begin to be exposed to the real world. We are given more responsibilities, we pick up jobs, and we are expected to carry our own weight in a household.

Or maybe not.

Over the years, there has been a shift in the dynamics of the household. Children are not as independent as one may like.

Teens are now more dependent on their parents than ever. They are provided cars, money for gas, and in many cases, these same people do not pick up an after school job.

According to a survey given to 96 students in four homerooms, only approximately 11 percent of the population of students who have cars pay for their own. The other 89 percent of students expect to get a vehicle provided by an outside source, such as a parent or relative.

Vehicles are fairly necessary in the Hereford Zone. Teenagers may have to drive between home and work, to school in the mornings, or to other obligations.

Or so one may think.

Only about 54 percent of the student population has a job, so what is the need for a vehicle?

“Gaining money provides a teenager with an understanding of the value of money and how it should be limited.”

Many would say that they do not want to ride the bus, or they play sports, but cars also satisfy their social needs.

Well if many students do not have a job, and they are expecting to use their car to primarily go to and from social events, shouldn’t they pick up and job and pay for their own vehicle?

This may seem like a straightforward question, but today’s generation of teens expects to be provided a vehicle from an outside source.

Well, if children are getting cars from another person, they are at least paying for gas, right?

About 50 percent of students who have a vehicle pay for their gas, the other 50 percent are also provided gas money by an outside source.

So not only are many children getting cars provided for them, but many are getting gas provided for them, and they have no job to support themselves.

Jobs provide students with hands-on learning of what the real world is like. They teach responsibility, teamwork, and dedication.

A greater appreciation for money is also accumulated by having a job.

Gaining money provides a teenager with an understanding of the value of money and how it should be limited.

So having a job will not only make you less dependent on your parents, but they will also provide you with a profound understanding of money and materialism.

Ron Lieber of the New York Times in his article, “The Risk of Material Parenting,” states that “materialism isn’t ideal, and research over the years has tied it to gambling, debt, marriage conflict and decreased happiness, among other things.”

Lieber believes that parents who “spoil” their children are just causing them to be more materialistic in the future, which has obvious downfalls.

Teenagers expect too much from their parents, and their parents facilitate it. Children these days are becoming too spoiled and demand too much from others.