The show’s hosts try to give Kim the benefit of the doubt. She’s come to them (for some untold reason — perhaps a financial aid officer would have been a wiser choice) in a time of great need and they at least want to try to help her.
But what followed has to be one of the most painful interviews that has ever been aired on national radio. 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. You can listen to the full interview online at TheBertShow.com, but we’ve shared the highlights of Kim’s cringe-inducing description of her predicament below.
"Years ago my grandparents set up a college fund for me, which was amazing, and I haven’t been very good with my budget for school. The first payment for my senior year just arrived and I don’t have the money basically. I’ve just been avoiding it. I knew the bill was coming.”
“I used it to budget for school clothes and college break money. I probably should have not done that. I took a trip to Europe. The Europe thing I thought was part of my education and that’s how I tried to justify that.”
“Maybe [my parents] should have taught me to budget or something. They never sat me down and had a real serious talk about it.”
“[My parents] said there was nothing they could do for me. They’re not being honest with me saying they don't have [money] because my dad has worked for like a million years and they have a retirement account.”
“Then my parents suggested I go take out a loan at a credit union and I’m, like, how am I supposed to do that?"
“I have to go inside the bank to get a loan?”
Bert Show co-host Jeff Dauler: "You could get a job for the school ...maybe the cafeteria's hiring."
Kim: "That’s embarrassing."
“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."
Post by downtoearth on Jul 17, 2015 13:37:39 GMT -5
Man, you guys are so mean, I mean, it's going to affect her grades and stuff to be all, like, working, at a, like, job. Plus it sucks when you have to work b/c you can't go shopping, like eva, except for food and you might have to wear the same spring formal dress to two different formals! Plus, like, it's so embarrassing to work when it's not your career, ew.
But seriously, my parents taught a lot of financial stuff and checked in on us as young adults. Out of three kids, one was responsible, but followed her heart and not the money in her career, one has always been responsible and is doing well, and one was mostly responsible, but did get in a little credit card debt in undergrad that she needed help from her parents to work her way out. And seriously, we always knew what they made and how to budget. Sometimes teens just don't listen to their parents or think they know better.
The "well they have a retirement account, so they have money!" thing reminds me of a post on ML yesterday. Her 16 yo had wrecked the car they'd given her, and the 16 yo couldn't figure out why they weren't just buying her a new car because she knew that they had "a lot" of money in the bank.
Post by cattledogkisses on Jul 17, 2015 13:43:47 GMT -5
Her parents created this monster. I'm with whoever else it was that said "Team Nobody" in this scenario.
If they bail her out, this is just going to happen again. At this point some tough love is the only chance she has at redemption. Time to let her sink or swim, and figure things out on her own.