Age-related Questions 31-40

THE QUESTION:
A40: What do teenagers in Sweden do?
POSTED FEB. 22, 1999
T.J. Weickum <Hollywood_tj@hotmail.com>, Wewela, SD
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THE QUESTION:
A39: What kinds of things do Italian teenagers do that would compare and contrast with American teenagers?
POSTED FEB. 22, 1999
Cody B. <c_bertram@yahoo.com>, Colome, SD
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THE QUESTION:
A38: To parents: Why do you complain if your kids want only name-brand products?
POSTED FEB. 4, 1999
T. Flores <ttjap@hotmail.com>, Oceanside, CA

ANSWER 1:
1) They’re expensive. 2) The reasons for wanting them – “everyone else has them, I saw it on TV” – are shallow, and I expect better reasons than that for spending money.
POSTED FEB. 5, 1999
Andrew, 35, father of two <ziptron@start.com.au>, Huntington , NY

FURTHER NOTICE:
Money. They cost more.
POSTED FEB. 5, 1999
31-year-old dad, San Diego, CA

FURTHER NOTICE 2:
Parents resent that advertisers are manipulating their children, especially in a way that causes the parents to pay an extra $10 to $50 per garment over equal quality but non-namebrand merchandise.
POSTED FEB. 5, 1999
B. Hale, father of four <halehart@aol.com>, Hartford, CT
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THE QUESTION:
A37: Why do so many young adults become confrontational when asked to turn down extremely loud music? I’m talking car stereos so loud you can’t carry on a phone conversation in the next building. Where do they get the idea they have a “right” to implode my eardrums?
POSTED JAN. 13, 1999
Alma, white lesbian with sore ears <pridewks@seacove.net>, Kempner, Tx

ANSWER 1:
At 29, I just finished my first enlistment in the military, when first enlistments typically end at 22 or 23. Non-confrontational ones play their music loud, as well as the confrontational ones.

I think all human beings, young and old, to some degree, desire to be the center of attention. I think the younger ones, and too many of the older ones, have not yet acquired the discipline to handle the nagging fear that we might not be the center of the universe. To take our mind off the unpleasant sensation, we crank our music too loud, take drugs or have an illicit affair with an intern.
POSTED JAN. 14, 1999
Mike <leungm@ix.netcom.com>, Minneapolis, MN

FURTHER NOTICE:
I believe the behavior you describe is due to a failure of many parents to teach their children proper manners and appropriate behavior. I see so many parents today allowing their kids to run wild in restaurants, talk at full volume in movies and act disruptive in church. Is it any surprise these children show no consideration for the feelings of others when they grow to their early teens and twenties? I understand that many parents are exhausted after a hard day’s work, but both of my parents worked full time and I was taught how to behave. Come on guys, show some backbone!
POSTED JAN. 14, 1999
Stacee, 30, female, Houston, TX
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THE QUESTION:
A36: Why do so many senior citizens buy such large automobiles? With having a reduced family size, wouldn’t it make more sense for them to drive smaller, more economical cars? I’ve also observed many an older adult struggling to maneuver these large cars. Are senior citizens just showing off their disposable income? It seems to me that on many levels, smaller cars would make more sense for their driving needs.
POSTED JAN. 8, 1999
R.J., 36, male, Cincinnati, OH

ANSWER 1:
As a member of a senior family that has just purchased a minivan, I can tell you our reasons for wanting a larger vehicle: We upgraded from an Acura Integra, a small, three-door auto. Space-space-space, and comfort. If you have spent three or four days in an automobile traveling, you would understand the need for a comfortable ride and the necessary storage for clothing and other necessary items. In addition, most small cars are very low to the ground and do not afford much in the way of being able to see the surroundings and other traffic. When you are traveling on the Interstates at 60-70 mph, you have a lot more confidence in a larger vehicle.
POSTED JAN. 12, 1999
White senior citizen <JPHILJONES@AOL.COM>, Port St Joe, FL

FURTHER NOTICE:
I think many senior citizens know that their reflexes are slower than they once were, and drive larger cars because they provide more protection in case of an accident. One other explanation is one of traditionalism. Since most of the older cars were large, lots of today’s elderly drivers like to display the fact that they are “From The Old School” by driving big automobiles.
POSTED JAN. 12, 1999
Dan B., male, 26 <MookieB21@aol.com>, Tucson, AZ

FURTHER NOTICE 2:
I think it is because most senior citizens grew up and matured during the time when very large cars were the norm, prior to the gasoline crisis of the1970s and when large families were common. It simply is what they are accustomed to having. Also, they may feel that a large car is a safer vehicle for them. And yes, maybe they are showing off their income, but probably more likely feel like they have earned the right to purchase whatever car they wish. Unless they are asking for someone else to pay for it, I say more power to them!
POSTED JAN. 12, 1999
Kathy, white, 46, Springfield , IL

FURTHER NOTICE 3:
As people age, the body takes longer to repair itself. With that in mind, I think senior citizens choose larger cars because they provide a higher degree of safety than smaller ones. Additionally, larger cars usually yield more comfort and are roomier, features I believe mature folks value above economy.
POSTED JAN. 12, 1999
Alonzo C., male, African American, Jacksonville, FL

FURTHER NOTICE 4:
They are showing off disposable income and/or wealth. Fifty years ago, prestige was driving a big car.
POSTED JAN. 12, 1999
B. Hale, 43 <halehart@aol.com>, Hartford, CT

FURTHER NOTICE 5:
Many older people prefer larger motor vehicles because, in the event of a collision, they are safer for them than smaller ones.
POSTED JAN. 12, 1999
Michael, 34, male, Syracuse, NY

FURTHER NOTICE 6:
It would make more economic and environmental sense, but many older people feel safer in a large car. Statistically, they are – bigger cars tend to protect passengers better in a crash. I think that’s part of why you see many younger people in oversized Sport Utility Vehicles, too.
POSTED JAN. 12, 1999
Gene, 32, male <geneand@ix.netcom.com>, Oakland , CA

FURTHER NOTICE 7:
Also, as you get older, you lose your flexibility. It really is difficult for older folks to get in and out of the smaller cars.
POSTED JAN. 12, 1999
Carlos C., male <cjcaro@msn.com>, Colorado Springs, CO

FURTHER NOTICE 8:
I believe the reason is twofold: 1)When those who are now senior citizens bought their first cars in the 1930s – 1950s, every car coming off the assembly line was approximately the size of a small aircraft carrier. All kidding aside, these cars were built to last, explaining why you still see them on the road today. Bigger was better back then, and the prevailing attitude was that no one built them bigger or better than the good old USA. Many seniors may still feel that way today and express that with their car purchases. 2) Seniors I know who buy large cars have indicated they are doing so for improved safety. Let’s face it, with the explosion in Sport Utility Vehicle sales, they may be onto something! And besides, if they can afford a big road boat and it makes them happy to drive one, so what? I’ve never seen it as flaunting wealth, exactly for the reasons I’ve given. If anything, Boomers are the worst offenders of conspicuous consumption from what I’ve observed, not seniors.
POSTED JAN. 12, 1999
E.J., 39 <bugz2@ix.netcom.com>, Nashua, NH

FURTHER NOTICE 9:
Old people only appear to drive large cars. There are several phenomena at work:. First, old people drive very slowly and, as hypothesized by Einstein and proved by Doppler in his seminal work Aunt Tillie’s Studebaker and the Reverse Doppler Effect, slow-moving objects appear longer than fast-moving objects. For example, orbiting Space Shuttle astronauts reported difficulty distinguishing between the Great Wall of China and John Glenn’s wife driving her Honda Civic. In addition, old people shrink, making the car look larger. Beyond simple vertebrae compression, there is the plastic surgery scandal comprehensively explored on a recent episode of Leeza. When senior citizens get a facelift, the sagging jowls actually remain in the same absolute space, while the rest of the face and skull is scrunched down, inadvertently resulting in a shorter person. The effect is compounded by the metal detector syndrome discovered during the trial bar’s research into electromagnetic fields. It seems that metal detectors emit magnetic radiation that pulls downward on spare pocket change, jewelry, belt buckles and other metal adornments, accumulating so that the equivalent of triple G force is pressing down on the scalp. It’s not psychology. It’s simple science.
POSTED JAN. 18, 1999
B. Hale, 43 <halehart@aol.com>, Hartford, CT

FURTHER NOTICE 10:
Kudos to B. Hale. Is there any other way to see it?
POSTED JAN. 19, 1999
Mike, 32, white, Southfield , MI

FURTHER NOTICE 11
I see many older people driving larger vehicles as well, but I have spent a lot of time with my grandmother, and there is a reason for this. Many older people tend to have more problems getting into and out of vehicles. A larger vehicle normally allows them more room for moving in and out of the car. My grandmother could never get into my compact car because of some of the problems she has acquired with old age. It would not be practical for her to buy a small car.
POSTED MARCH 5, 1999
Stacia, 21, female, Madison , WI
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THE QUESTION:
A35: Everywhere we look, we see Senior Citizen discounts, for meals, hotel rooms and even in department stores. Do others, particularly Senior Citizens, view this as being age discrimination? Do you think this practice should be discontinued?
POSTED DEC. 16, 1998
K.Anderson, 42 <kda10@yahoo.com>, Fergus Falls, MN

ANSWER 1:
I am 58 and don’t use the senior service. Many I know think they earned it and many others need the financial break it offers. As for age discrimination, I feel it’s a positive discrimination. Yes, it should be continued, if nothing more then to say “you deserve a break for all you have been through.”
POSTED DEC. 18, 1998
G.C. Jenkins, 58,<garyjenkins@sprintmail.com>, Poulsbo, Wa

FURTHER NOTICE:
Senior citizens as a group will fail to outlive their savings and investment income. This makes them a most unlikely group to need a reduction in the price of anything. The senior citizen discount is used as a ploy to lure this group of people, who have discretionary income, to do business with the business offering the discount. To offer this discount on vacation travel, theater tickets, gourmet meals etc. is ludicrous. If a business has truly the will to give away part of its profit on a sale, it should offer a discount to the homeless, single parents or people on welfare. Even more bizarre is the fact that all these different businesses do not apply the same standard as to what age qualifies a person as “Senior.”
POSTED DEC. 18, 1998
Les H. <lphfla@aol.com>, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

FURTHER NOTICE 2:
I think you misunderstand the reasons for Senior discounts. Stores and restaurants and movie theaters do not give such discounts out of the goodness of their hearts, or because they love senior citizens. Rather, it’s an economic decision. Senior citizens tend to be more frugal with their money than younger folks, and are less eager to spend it. Senior discounts are simply a way to attract older customers, who might otherwise stay home. Senior citizens are far less likely to go to a movie theater than younger folks, and a senior discount may be just what it takes to get seniors to go to the theater at all. Depending on local demographics, a restaurant may find that offering a small senior discount brings in larger numbers of senior customers. Is this discrimination? Yes, but it’s not done with any bad intent. Businesses simply realize that it’s better to earn a small profit from many senior customers than to earn a large profit from only a few senior customers.
POSTED DEC. 18, 1998
Astorian, 37, male <Astorian@aol.com>, Austin, TX

FURTHER NOTICE 3:
Think of senior citizen discounts as an honorary reward/respect for their years of service in contributing to society (as you are doing now). They have kept this country up and running while you were too young to participate; now you’re doing the same. Leave their discounts alone, that you may have the same when you reach their age.
POSTED DEC. 18, 1998
Alonzo C., 32, African American, Jacksonville, FL

FURTHER NOTICE 4:
I think there are two reasons for offering senior citizens discounts. The first is that many of us “older” citizens no longer have the same size income to spend as when we were working. Secondly, as time goes by, the size of the senior citizen population is getting larger and larger. Therefore, as a group, we have quite a bit of money to spend. This is not a refutation of the first answer. With a large pool of money to spend, the commercial world is offering discounts to get us to spend, just as anyone with a product or service advertises on TV, radio and newspapers.
POSTED DEC. 18, 1998
Senior Citizen, Port St. Joe, FL

FURTHER NOTICE 5:
Many senior citizens are living on small, fixed incomes. As they are past the retirement age, there is practically no hope they will be able to improve their financial situation, unlike children and working-age adults. Should they sit at home and suffer poverty and boredom because of their age? That sounds more like age discrimination to me. I consider the reduced rates to be a small token of respect, and a reward for a lifetime of hard work, just as longstanding employees are paid more than the new kid fresh off the street. Most of us expect to be senior citizens ourselves some day, and taking away their benefits will only rob us in the long run. How can something be “discrimination” when we will all benefit from it in time?
POSTED DEC. 18, 1998
Colette, 33, female <inkwolf@earthlink.net>, Seymour , WI

FURTHER NOTICE 6:
Senior citizens, as I understand it, receive discounts as an honor for what they have contributed to society. Some have braved the second World War and have given more than we are willing to give to our country. The other side of the story is that some senior citizens rely on their pension. Their pension often is eaten by inflation. Not all seniors can afford to pay full price. Those who are financially endowed should pay the full price. But as a norm, I believe that senior citizens deserve the break that they get.
POSTED DEC. 18, 1998
Ronald V., 46 <draugas@mailcity.com>, Edmonton , Alberta, Canada

FURTHER NOTICE 7:
Senior citizen discounts are nothing but a transparent marketing ploy to attract the business of us old geezers. My attitude is that if some business wants to give me a discount, I’ll take it. As far as discrimination is concerned, if it does discriminate against anyone, it discriminates against those younger than 65. The last time I looked, this class is not a protected class to whom the anti-discrimination laws apply
POSTED DEC. 18, 1998
Jerry, 65, lawyer, FL

FURTHER NOTICE 8:
Being a 70-year-old so-called senior citizen, I’m of the opinion that discounts for us are OK. Many of us do not have the money we had when we were working, so in order to entice us to spend what we do have, places give discounts. Yes, I believe it has been earned, just by the fact that we have for the most part contributed a lot over the years to society. If places do not offer discounts, I’ll even have the nerve to ask.
POSTED DEC. 21, 1998
M. Vansweringen, multiracial female, 70 <MurielVS@aol.com>, El Paso , TX

FURTHER NOTICE 9:
As a senior citizen (how I hate that tag), I take no offense to discounts for children – or discounts for the military – or discounts if you purchase 30 or more. I think you get the idea. Discounts for seniors are not intended as freebies, but rather as inducements to eat, view or purchase at times when the mainstream public would leave their facilities vacant. Sorry, Virginia, there ain’t no Santa Claus.
POSTED FEB. 12, 1999
Jungle Jim, 74, male <nach@webtv.com>, Pompano Beach, Fl
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THE QUESTION:
A34: I would like to know if others in my age group agree with my observation that people in general are much more sensitive than they were 20 years ago. Do you think people get offended much more easily in the ’90s than they did in the past?
POSTED DEC. 11, 1998
29, white, Boynton Beach, FL
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THE QUESTION:
A33: Why is it that people are required to have a license in order to drive and to hunt, and you must be 18 to vote, but anyone may have a child? What do people think about passing a law that made reproducing a privilege, and what would be the impact?
POSTED NOV. 16, 1998
Julia S., 17, female <ming_tea9@hotmail.com>, Sutter Creek, CA

ANSWER 1:
I wish it were that easy. I wish anyone who wanted to have a child would be required to take classes, pass some sort of test or be scrutinized the same way that potential adoptive parents are. But if there were regulations, what would you do to the “non-licensed” women who got pregnant anyway? Send them to jail? Fine them? Take away their child? It has the scarey soundings of Big Brother. Maybe the solution is to require offenders of child abuse to attend classes and therapy before they can be around their child again, and to require all high school students to take child-rearing classes.
POSTED DEC. 4, 1998
Craig, 35 <cmorris@loft.org>, Minneapolis, MN

FURTHER NOTICE:
I understand the only country that has tried it with any energy has been the China, and from everything I have read, it has been a miserable failure. I think controlling the natural urge to procreate, much less to have sex, is almost impossible. I am not sure that it is even possible in the most controlled of societies.
POSTED FEB. 24, 1999
Rick P., 45, male <pearce1@erols.com>, Woodbridge, VA
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THE QUESTION:
A32: Why is it that a lot of younger people feel that hunting is wrong and immoral? If it’s something your parents and grandparents have been doing for generations, could it possibly be that wrong?
POSTED NOV. 2, 1998
R.J.B., MI

ANSWER 1:
My paternal ancestors lived in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. Many of them hunted and fished for their food. Others were farmers who killed animals for food in the course of everyday life. I don’t think hunting or killing animals in itself is necessarily wrong. I just don’t understand making it a recreation. Some hunters say that the point is to get back to our wilderness roots, but why don’t they just camp, or “hunt” with a camera? I feel “to hunt or not to hunt” is a personal choice. With all the violence in our world, I choose not to participate in a recreation that has at its center the killing of another living thing. Respect my values, and I will respect yours, even if I don’t understand them.
POSTED NOV. 3, 1998
Stacee, 30, white female omnivore, Houston, TX

FURTHER NOTICE:
Just because something has been practiced for many years does not make it moral or ethical. Our country also has a long history of racism that is shameful; it’s been around for a long time and it’s still not right. Years ago people hunted as a means of survival; they needed the meat and skins for their own nutrition and protection. Technology has eliminated the need for animal products for human survival (i.e. you can buy a warm coat at the store, fresh fruits and vegetables are available year-round). While hunting is far more humane than the more popular form of meat consumption – buying from stores – I think many young people have trouble understanding why anyone would endeavor to destroy a beautiful form of life. People who are bothered by hunting and still eat store-bought meat should look into where that meat comes from; it is a horrifcally cruel industry, far worse than hunting. As a fairly young person, I believe people who hunt do so because of the thrill of the kill, and that makes me question their general character. If it were just for sport or to control population, there are sterility darts that hunters can opt for, but very few do. Plus, many hunters use unfair means (like hungry dogs and spotlighting) that really take the sport out of hunting and reduce it once again to pure killing. I’m not trying to judge hunters, but this is the way I see the activity, so I hope this clears up some of your confusion.
POSTED NOV. 3, 1998
D.M.M., 24, white female <donikam@hotmail.com>, Charleston, SC

FURTHER NOTICE 2:
I think hunting is wrong and immoral because it is cruel, wasteful and pointless. So-called “sportsmen”‘ do not need to kill animals to survive; indeed, many “sportsmen” kill merely for the ego-boost of killing an animal. How moral is that? As for the idea that something could be right simply because generations of people have done it, that’s an argument without logic. Generations of people owned slaves. Is that right and moral? Generations of people believed in burning people of different religions at the stake. Is that moral and right? Past practice does not imply morality.
POSTED NOV. 3, 1998
Andrew, 34, vegetarian descendant of meat-eaters <ziptron@xoommail.com>, Huntington, NY

FURTHER NOTICE 3:
The mere fact that something has been done for generations does not make it right. After all, slavery used to be legal in the United States.
POSTED NOV. 3, 1998
Jerry, 65, white male, Tampa , FL

FURTHER NOTICE 4:
I believe the reason some young people think hunting is wrong or immoral is that they have had easy lives, where all food came from a grocery store. Some of the same people who think it is wrong to kill an animal for food don’t seem to mind eating steak prepared in a restaurant. As we all know, in the days before supermarkets, people had to hunt or grow their own food. Hunting is still cheaper than buying meat in a market, so for some people of limited means it is very practical. Also, when a person kills an animal food, that person tries to make a quick, clean kill, both to spare suffering of the animal and to preserve the quality of the meat. Some of the ways animals are killed in large commercial operations are a lot less humane and a lot more wasteful. To put it bluntly, I believe the young people you are referring to have led sheltered lives.
POSTED NOV. 3, 1998
White, female, Gen X-er, Northern California

FURTHER NOTICE 5:
This is a difficult issue. On the one hand, there is nothing wrong with hunting per se, especially when the hunting is done for the explicit purpose of obtaining food. On the other hand, many people kill purely for sport and neither eat nor keep the carcass, which to me is a disgusting waste. Why do this when you can get your food at the store, and when we as humans should realize the importance of respecting the natural world instead of going out and killing animals just because we can?
POSTED NOV. 5, 1998
Wendy, 24, white bisexual, semi-vegetarian <wiebke@juno.com>, Atlanta , GA

FURTHER NOTICE 6:
Why do people feel the need to pass judgment on what others do? Hunting, eating meat, not eating meat … who cares? People are individuals and are free to make their own decisions and live with the consequences. And why do some people feel the need to seek approval of others for what they do? The fantasy that if we leave animals alone to roam and do as they wish may lead to over-population that results in starvation. Hunt if you want, do not hunt if you want, but try to respect the rights of others to make their own decisions.
POSTED NOV. 5, 1998
Jean, Native American of French and white descent, Westerly, RI

FURTHER NOTICE 7:
Jean, it is one thing to pass judgment on other people as a whole, it is another to relay an impression of specific behaviors to those who asked. Plenty of people do not care at all about what other people do; it’s called complacency. People besides hunters (like campers, environmentalists, farmers, etc.) have good personal reason to care – one way or the other – about hunting practices. Everyone’s actions have effects that extend far beyond themselves.
POSTED NOV. 10, 1998
D.M.M., white female <millerdo@cofc.edu>, Charleston, SC

FURTHER NOTICE 8:
I think much of the hatred expressed about hunters and their lifestyle is based on misinformation by people and groups who fiercely oppose hunting. I am not a hunter, but I came from an area where hunting was a way of life. All of the hunters I knew and know (even the sportsmen) never left animals to die inhumanly in the wilderness, or the carcasses to rot. In fact, many of the hunters felt badly if they did not kill an animal in the most humane way possible. The hunters used every part of the animal that could be used. If they could mot use all of the animal, it was given to friends and family. Hunting, in my experience, is not “inhumane or immoral.” It is just a way of life.
POSTED FEB. 16, 1999
Fezz, 28, GenXer <fezzcom@hotmail.com>, IN
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THE QUESTION:
A31: What do you do if you’re a kid and have no money?
POSTED OCT. 23, 1998
Josh, 11, Gainesville, MO

ANSWER 1:
Well Josh, that would depend on what you need money for. One would assume that an 11-year-old would not need money for groceries, bills, house payment, rent, car payment, etc. So I would suggest you ask your parents for money in exchange for doing something around the house that would exceed the normal chores an 11-year-old would do for an allowance. Maybe ask the neighbors for some job you could do for pay. Wash the car, paint the fence, walk the dog.
POSTED OCT. 26, 1998
J.P., 36, still needing money at my age, NC

FURTHER NOTICE:
Get a job. Deliver newspapers on your bike. Mow your neighbor’s lawn. Save your allowance. Stay in school.
POSTED OCT. 26, 1998
Mark K., San Francisco Bay Area, CA

FURTHER NOTICE 2:
Most kids don’t have money. I guess if I were in your shoes (again,) I’d remind myself that most of what I truly need – and many of the things I want – don’t cost anything or don’t cost much, and I’d set priorities. And I wouldn’t worry about what kids who do have money think. You don’t value a person by their possessions.
POSTED OCT. 26, 1998
Andrew, 34 <ziptron@xoommail.com>, Huntington, NY

FURTHER NOTICE 3:
Well, there seem to be two options: One, you can come up with things to do that don’t require any money, and two, you can come up with ways to make money. I spent much of my formative years at the library, and the time served me well and didn’t cost me a thing. Time I spent in parks, hanging out with friends and such was for the most part similarly cheap. For the second option, when I was your age, I was well on my way as a babysitter. Yard work services are another easy place to start a source of income for younger people. Use your imagination, and then do your best to present yourself to potential customers in a professional and well-organized manner. Hand out flyers explaining your services, that sort of thing.
POSTED OCT. 26, 1998
Catherine, 25, computer chick <tylik@eskimo.com>, Woodinville, WA

FURTHER NOTICE 4:
There are plenty of things you can do to earn more money, even if you are 11. My own children earn extra money by doing odd jobs for me around the house; not their usual chores, but special jobs such as organizing a closet or cleaning out the basement. If you don’t have this option (perhaps your parents can’t afford to pay you), I am sure there are other people in the neighborhood whom you could approach. In this day and age, people work outside of the home, and many times all those little odds and ends around the house don’t seem to get done. They would probably be delighted to pay someone like you to rake their leaves or clean their garages. Good luck!
POSTED OCT. 26, 1998
Laura, 37, white female, Baltimore , MD

FURTHER NOTICE 5:
You don’t specify exactly what you mean. Do you mean “How can I get some money?” or “What can I do for fun without any money?”

There are very few ways for an 11-year-old to get money, and most of them involve living in a safe neighborhood. Some newspapers might be willing to hire you as a carrier. Try the once-a-week advertising papers. If you are in the suburbs, you can offer to do yardwork for neighbors for money, such as raking leaves or mowing lawns. You can ask your parents for extra jobs for which you could be paid.

If you mean what to do without money, there are plenty of activities that could lead to a more interesting life – and possibly even a career – which require only lots of practice. Like sports, drawing, singing, writing stories, learning to play an instrument (harmonicas are fairly cheap), juggling, doing magic tricks, baking (clean up after yourself or they’ll never let you do it again), acting, doing stand-up comedy routines for your friends or family… For most of these activities, the only instructions you need can be found in books at your local library.
POSTED OCT. 26, 1998
Colette, former kid with no money <inkwolf@earthlink.net>, Seymour, WI

FURTHER NOTICE 6:
Since you are only 11, you really can’t go apply for a job at a business. But if you live in a safe neighborhood and you know your neighbors, you could do odd jobs for them like mow their lawn, rake leaves, take out garbage or shovel snow. Also, ask your parents about getting a weekly allowance for doing chores
POSTED OCT. 26, 1998
Sam, 20 <SMF78@hotmail.com>, Redford, MI
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