Bad Choice (Long)
By breepeace
@breepeace (3014)
Canada
April 23, 2007 12:01am CST
I am so angry with my younger brother.
He's a university student studying to become a teacher, my parents have financed his entire first year at university -- books, food, tuition, fees, dorm rental.. everything. He lives about a 10 hour drive from my parents.
Since January, they've been in discussion with him about his intentions for the summer. My dad pulled a few strings and got him a job at the mine he works at, driving equipment. Essentially, at the end of the summer he will be leaving to go back to school with at least $15,000 in the bank -- enough to cover all next year.
He was, however, a bit worried about one thing. His girlfriend, whom he's been seeing for a little over a year (it's his first girlfriend, her first boyfriend). Mom told him that she would be able to find work for his girlfriend, too, and that it might even be possible Mom might be able to employ her herself once she gets word on a contract she's waiting for. They both seemed to think the second option was best, and were waiting to hear the word on that, despite the fact that job's in my parents area pay very well (salespeople at Walmart get paid $14/hr, chambermaids in the hotels, $18/hr)
Anyway, he takes his last exam in 4 days. In 5 days, my dad is supposed to drive down there to pick him and his stuff up. Mom still has heard nothing on the contract, and they estimate they won't have a final answer until next month sometime.
She passes on the word to him, and he gets all angry, like he assumed his girlfriend would just work for mom all summer. Then he asks if mom could just take the summer off so his girlfriend could have a guaranteed job. My parents just bought a second house as investment income, so with 2 mortgages, a kid still at home and their own financial obligations to meet, this is just not a feasible option. And a little unreasonable of him to ask.
He says if his girlfriend can't get on with mom's company this summer, she won't come. Mom says that's fine, she can come and visit every 3 weeks when you're off work, or you can fly down and go see her.
So he sends mom an email tonight -- he's not coming home this summer. Instead, he's going to stay there in the university town, try to find a job (if it's even possible, since school's out in a week and the town is sort of depressed job-wise anyways) so he can stay with his girlfriend. She got on at a bank part-time and will be making less than $12 an hour. And they're planning on getting an off campus apartment together in the fall.
So my parents cut him off financially. He sees nothing wrong with this, feels he can get a few student loans, work 2 part-time jobs over the summer, one in the fall and still maintain a 3.4 GPA all next year.. all so he doesn't have to be gone from his girlfriend for 3 weeks at a time for 4 months this summer.
I want to call him and talk some sense into him, because to me, this all seems so silly and irrational. It's not romantic, it's just stupid.
What's everyone else's view on this? Any ideas on what I can say to him?
Sorry for the length...
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