Luxury of owning a car comes with a price

My daughter is learning the responsibilities of owning a car.

She's had to get four new tires and be responsible for periodic oil changes.

This summer, she's struggling with a short in the electrical workings of her driver's side window. We've taken it apart and bought a new switch. That wasn't it.

We've replaced all the fuses. That wasn't it.

Unfortunately, the summer has been a hot one.

If you've ever had to drive around with a window stuck shut, it's even hotter.

To make matters worse, something also is going wrong with the passenger side window. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

And we've been telling her for months to get the freon added to her air conditioner.

Well, after hearing several complaints about it, she's finally realized we're not going to fork out the money to add the freon for her.

You can call me mean for not wanting to help her out, but in reality, I am.

I'm helping her understand the luxuries of owning a car. Ownership comes with a price. That price is called maintenance. If we do it all for her (we pay the insurance) she'll never be responsible for it when it breaks down.

Well, this morning we are taking the car in for freon.

I'm just the ride to pick her up. She's paying the bill.

It feels good to see the light come on in your kid's brain.