HS Teen questions

[mysteriouswife]

It’s been a min since we had a teen post. My questions are more about HS and graduation.

1- are class rings still a thing? I got an email today bout ordering one. I never had one and feel it’s a wasteful purchase.

2- if your child plans to go away for college in a big city where they do not need a car are they getting their license? DD is talking about not getting hers since the plan is to use public transit. She wants to ultimately reside in a large city.

3- how did we get to this stage in life? 😭

[Jalapeñomel]

Not a mom of, but a teacher of teens!

1. No one here gets a ring

2. About half the students here get their license, the other half just take PT and get rides from friends

[Roc A Bee]

1. I don’t think they are a thing. My SKs haven't mentioned them. DH also teaches HS, and they aren’t a thing here. Jostens is still sending emails about them though!

2. SD is 16.5 and we are waiting til 18 for a license mainly due to costs and wanting SD to have a job first. I have no idea where she will go to college, but we live in CA where public transit is laughable.

3. No idea. Teens are hard.

[Deleted]

1. I actually don't know if kids around here get rings. DD is a rising Junior so expect that this will come up this school year.
2. I live kind of in the boonies, in that, there isn't much that you can walk to with ease, so all the kids that I know get/got their license as soon as legally aloud to do so, DD literally got hers on the first day she was eligible. A lot of kids around her also seem to get their own car as soon as they start driving. I've been in my house for 8 years and the amount of cars parked on the street has tripled due to all of the kids getting their licenses and own cars.
3. I'm trying to live in denial but it isn't really working. 

[mysteriouswife]

Jul 18, 2023 9:47:23 GMT -5 @sameoldstory said:

1. I actually don't know if kids around here get rings. DD is a rising Junior so expect that this will come up this school year.
2. I live kind of in the boonies, in that, there isn't much that you can walk to with ease, so all the kids that I know get/got their license as soon as legally aloud to do so, DD literally got hers on the first day she was eligible. A lot of kids around her also seem to get their own car as soon as they start driving. I've been in my house for 8 years and the amount of cars parked on the street has tripled due to all of the kids getting their licenses and own cars.
3. I'm trying to live in denial but it isn't really working. 

We live in a suburb of Nashville. We cannot get anywhere without driving. I hate how sprawled out it is here. There are no good options. So I get it.

[waverly]

1. I don't know. I never got one, and I don't regret not having one.
2. We lived in NYC for 4 years, many people did not have their license there. If one lives there probably the main reason for the license would be to rent a car and go on a weekend trip. For smaller cities, I would probably recommend a license, but in NYC it was not necessary. I do have one friend with no license in Chicago, but they have a spouse that drives and has a car.

[chedifuen]

1. I don't think he'll want a class ring and I don't think they're much of a thing with his peers. He's a rising Junior though, so I guess we'll see what next year brings.

2. I have no idea where he'll go to college but he is getting his license on Monday. In my state, drivers ed is only available to 15 to 17 year olds. I feel like it's so important that he take drivers ed and didn't want him to age out of that. He's 16 right now and will have his license on Monday. Because of DE, he doesn't have to do the test with DMV. He gets a graduation certificate from DE and we just take that in to DMV.

3. no clue!

[madringal]

1) no ring, thank god. The letterman jacket almost bankrupted me and I still have 3 years of adding patches to the dang thing.

2) yes. There is a long time between now and where they MIGHT go to college.

[InBetweenDays]

1. I haven't heard anything about class rings. Not sure if they aren't a thing here or if it's just that no one does them.

2. DD got her license as soon as she could. We live in an urban neighborhood with decent public transportation but there are still lots of places -including her job - that are difficult to get on a bus (or would take much, much longer).

3. I know! We were working on the Common App last night and it's freaking me out!

[mysteriouswife]

Jul 18, 2023 9:58:36 GMT -5 madringal said:

1) no ring, thank god. The letterman jacket almost bankrupted me and I still have 3 years of adding patches to the dang thing.

2) yes. There is a long time between now and where they MIGHT go to college.

And the jackets are ugly! DD won a scholarship to cover the cost of the jacket. We are paying for the patches and having them put on. It is not cheap!

[nsl]

1) Rings really aren't a thing here anymore either. I'd say over the last 17 years I've been an educator I've seen rings go from being very popular to something only a handful of kids are interested in getting. Letterman's jackets are still quite popular, though.

2) Driver's ed is offered as an elective at school here, and I'd say ~75% of our students graduate with their license. My own kid will be 16 next month and has zero interest in getting theirs, but we'll probably insist on it before they go to college.

3) Don't remind me. It's bizarre having spent so much of my professional life teaching other people's teenagers, and now I have one of my own who's experiencing all the high school stuff for the first time. I have to hold myself back some days from trying to micromanage their experience.

[SusanBAnthony]

1. Rings- I don't think so.

2. We are "making" DS learn to drive. Who knows where he will end up. I'd rather spend some time teaching him now, rather than him having to get it with no support to learn how to drive. He is uninterested but not necessarily opposed.

[devonpow]

Rings are not a thing here. Nor letterman jackets or anything affiliated with high school pride lol

We live (next to) a big city and on the subway etc. DS1 is 16.5 and hasn’t even thought about drivers ed really. I would say about half of his peers get their license “late”. It’s just not necessary here since they get everywhere walking or taking the T, plus most families don’t have parking for extra cars. We want him to get his license before he leaves for college but he won’t have a car/I doubt will need it that first year necessarily. It’s not even just urban schools - I won’t to a tiny liberal arts college in New York middle of nowhere, but freshman weren’t allowed cars on campus. Maybe not even sophomores now that I think about it.

[definitelyO]

DS is a rising Senior

1- are class rings still a thing? Not around here - I don't know of anyone in his HS that has ordered a ring (and DS would never wear one)

2- if your child plans to go away for college in a big city where they do not need a car are they getting their license? Yes!  Where he goes to college doesn't matter - he needs a license now.  DS turned 16 his sophomore year.  there was no way in heck I was going to keep driving him to school and practice and fun.   Even if he goes away to college in a big city - we don't live in one now.  I guess I don't understand this question - unless you're in NYC or somewhere like that with amazing transportation.  We need the transportation now.

3- how did we get to this stage in life?  We gave birth 15+ years ago...

[cjcouple]

1. My son didn't want a ring. He did however get a letterman jacket. That was over $300 all in (with school name, patches and his name added)

2. Yes, he got his license. I think going through drivers ed was worth the expense and he went though with classmates. He gained a lot of knowledge, experience and independence. He doesn't have a car but he does sometimes take ours. He goes to the gym, practice, the store to get a snack or a drink, to the park to a friend's, out for coffee or food through a drive through.

I personally feel its an important part of growing up. I know some kids are not ready and it's ok to wait a little bit but I'd highly suggest having it before she goes off to school.

That said I know there are exceptions. Places where public transit is the major form of transportation and they gain their independence by going on that transit on their own so I can see why they don't need it as a HS kid. That feels different though because they grow up with it so they are prepared that way. I wouldn't want my teen going off with no experience of independent transit. It may not make sense though. haha.

[litebright]

1. Rings - no idea. I don't think they are a big thing.

2. License: yes. We live in a semi-rural area and I have no idea where DD1 will end up for school (or if we'll even let her take a car), but she will get her license no matter what. DD1 just turned 15 and a half, and already has her permit. We're in no rush for her to get her license (she has to have her permit for 9 months before she can test for her license anyway), but we want to ease her into it with lots of practice over time, and have already started taking her to big parking lots on the weekends. I don't expect her to get her license until sometime next summer, but I do expect her to get it.

She'll do the classroom driver's ed in school as part of PE this year, but to get all her official driving hours, we'll probably have to do a private driving school.

[bex1973]

To ease minds & potentially save some cash - I've worked in higher edu for 25 years and can count on my 2 hands the number of letter jackets I've seen on campus. And probably fewer rings but of course those are not as easily noticeable - but I employ a number of students each year and none of them wear HS class rings. I had one and I have no idea what happened to it after HS. I think Jostens is just trying their hardest to keep making money - they try the same tactics for university class rings with even less success.

[cjcouple]

Jul 18, 2023 10:38:57 GMT -5 bex1973 said:

To ease minds & potentially save some cash - I've worked in higher edu for 25 years and can count on my 2 hands the number of letter jackets I've seen on campus. And probably fewer rings but of course those are not as easily noticeable - but I employ a number of students each year and none of them wear HS class rings. I had one and I have no idea what happened to it after HS. I think Jostens is just trying their hardest to keep making money - they try the same tactics for university class rings with even less success.

Yeah, my son specifically asked for a jacket. If they don't ask, I wouldn't spend the money on it. A bunch of the Seniors get them here.

We did it as a Christmas gift last year so it would be ready for his senior year.

[cmeon]

1. Nope. I don't think they were a thing when I went to HS either.

2. DS isn't in a hurry, but wants to have his license before he graduates. Drivers ed is nuts here, its funded with grants or donations which only cover 2 small spring classes a year (in a district with more than 60K students, they fill up almost instantly). We have several good independent driving schools, though, so we plan to just do that (most kids do).

3. Yeah, what?! ❤️

[mommin]

1) nope. I’ve seen a few lettermen’s jackets but no class rings.
2) yes. He works as a lifeguard at four different pools around town so he needs the transportation and he loves the freedom of being able to go places. Not sure where he will go to college yet but he wanted the license either way.
3) I ask myself this question all the time. 😫

[penguingrrl]

1) I’ve never heard of a HS ring, other than josten’s trying to sell them and make them one. Nobody I know gets them for HS, and few from college. I feel like a college ring was a big thing when boomers were going.

2) My oldest will be 16 in a few weeks and we’re currently working on getting them driving lessons so they can get their permit when they’re eligible. We’re in NJ so permit is 16 and provisional license is 17. They want to go to a big city for college (NY or Boston most likely, possibly DC), so we aren’t sure if they’ll have access to a designated 3rd family car (their sibling will be permit age when they move to college) or only drive when they can borrow ours for the year before going to college. Around here colleges usually don’t allow students to have cars before junior year if at all and permits are pricey. And if they’re in a major city a car would be more of a hassle than anything, so it’s unlikely they’ll want or need one for college.

[fivechickens]

Jul 18, 2023 9:38:43 GMT -5 mysteriouswife said:

It’s been a min since we had a teen post. My questions are more about HS and graduation.

1- are class rings still a thing? I got an email today bout ordering one. I never had one and feel it’s a wasteful purchase.

I had a class ring (1990) and I can confirm it is a waste of money (no idea where mine is and probably wore it for a month). I am so glad to hear they are not a thing.

[DotAndBuzz]

1) No one around here gets a ring

2) potential college location isn't a factor in kids getting their licenses here. Most of them do, since there's not a great public transportation system here, the townships are spread out, and our school system doesn't even guarantee buses for HS kids. And it's definitely not safe for kids to bike on all the roads. The city has started revamping their streets to include bike lanes, but once you cross into townships, it's more country, and even dirt roads.
3) It just hit me that I only have 3 more summers where my kid is likely to be guaranteed to be home, come on our vacations with us, etc. That hit HARD.

[krystee]

1. No one around here gets a ring.

2. Teens do get their licenses right at 16, for the most part. I know for sure that I would not want to have to worry about going back and doing it as an adult, so I would get it done in high school, regardless of future plans. (Assuming the teen is reasonably responsible enough to be a driver.)

[mysteriouswife]

DotAndBuzz- DD had a full blown meltdown and panic attack about missing Halloween this year. She realized she only has two more before she is out of HS. This year she leaves that morning to head to a leadership conference. She was sobbing uncontrollably about missing DS (8) and how she only has a few more of _____ or ____ . Then she realized we would start doing memories without her. I was fine in the moment. After she calmed down and went to bed I was a blubbering mess. H was not sure what to do.

[somersault72]

1- are class rings still a thing? I feel like I've seen one or 2 kids with one, but overall no. There's no way my kid will want one.

2- if your child plans to go away for college in a big city where they do not need a car are they getting their license? Yes, DS is 100% planning on getting his license. He can get his temps in November and get his license next May. He's very much looking forward to it.

3- how did we get to this stage in life? 😭 I don't know. :::sobs:::

[abs]

1. I don’t think rings are a thing here for HS. For college they can be—I’m thinking of Texas A&M specifically. Letter jackets for HS definitely a thing.

2. Unless you currently live somewhere with great public transportation I’d definitely encourage a driver’s license.

3. After age like 10 this all goes warp speed fast. I’m having so many feelings about it.

[orval]

My ds is 16.5.
No rings -- not popular here
No drivers license. He has had his permit for 1.5 years and has not driven at all. He needs to drive 60 hours before he could take the license test( he has driven 0). He wants to go to college in an urban area. He also has DCD/dyspraxia so the coordination of driving is difficult.

[gastro]

1 - no rings here
2 - getting a license later in the life might be hard with the time commitment, no parents to help get driving hours. I would get it now. You never know when you might need it- when traveling or in an emergency situation.

[gottadobe]

My son didn't want a ring, but did get a letterman jacket (that has since had patches removed and donated - waste of money).
He did want a college ring and I was happy to oblige (huge thing for Texas A&M).