Giving A Teen Valuable Life Lessons On Debt With Credit Cards
Many people will notice that more and more teenagers are getting credit cards even when they are not legally able to own one. This is possible because many parents often attach a teen to their account to allow for authorized charges to be made by the signing teen responsible. This may have varying degrees of severity, especially when your trust in your teenager is lacking.
Credit cards are a very big responsibility no matter who you are. A teen that sees it as free money is more likely to make a bad mistake when using credit for the first time. Letting a teen make a mistake is one of the ways that they can learn not to continue to make those mistakes.
You might think that it is a bad idea to give a teenager a credit card, especially if you do not have funds to cover any mistakes they might make. Do consider this though, have you made a mistake because you took out a credit card application and were accepted then having a shopping spree only to fins out a few minutes later that you went over the limit? If yes then you could tell them about your experience and how you do not want them to go through that.
Credit card companies want you to share accounts with spouses or family members, this makes it possible to get a card for your teenager quite easily. It is always a risk to give a minor access to an account that has a high credit limit or high interest as if they go over your credit limit or make a mistake that you arte unable to pay for, you may end up with a blemish on your credit score. When this happens, it is usually a fight between parents and their teenage children over the responsibilities that one must take for their actions.
If you really want your teen to have a card for emergency purposes, then it is possible to discuss the importance of credit cards and the responsibilities associated with them. This allows them to take in a few moments of thought to process what responsibilities are and thus making them at least a little more responsible with the card when you give it to them.
You can give your teen options, such as an allowance for credit that they must repay, or understandable purchases that they may make every once in a while with advance knowledge of the charge before it is made. This can help build trust between the teens and parents.
Closing Comments
You can have a great teenager at home but at the mall on their own, they may feel the need to show off. This can be a bad thing if they have a credit card. Luckily, you can decide if you wish to let your teens have a credit card or not.
Credit cards are a very big responsibility no matter who you are. A teen that sees it as free money is more likely to make a bad mistake when using credit for the first time. Letting a teen make a mistake is one of the ways that they can learn not to continue to make those mistakes.
You might think that it is a bad idea to give a teenager a credit card, especially if you do not have funds to cover any mistakes they might make. Do consider this though, have you made a mistake because you took out a credit card application and were accepted then having a shopping spree only to fins out a few minutes later that you went over the limit? If yes then you could tell them about your experience and how you do not want them to go through that.
Credit card companies want you to share accounts with spouses or family members, this makes it possible to get a card for your teenager quite easily. It is always a risk to give a minor access to an account that has a high credit limit or high interest as if they go over your credit limit or make a mistake that you arte unable to pay for, you may end up with a blemish on your credit score. When this happens, it is usually a fight between parents and their teenage children over the responsibilities that one must take for their actions.
If you really want your teen to have a card for emergency purposes, then it is possible to discuss the importance of credit cards and the responsibilities associated with them. This allows them to take in a few moments of thought to process what responsibilities are and thus making them at least a little more responsible with the card when you give it to them.
You can give your teen options, such as an allowance for credit that they must repay, or understandable purchases that they may make every once in a while with advance knowledge of the charge before it is made. This can help build trust between the teens and parents.
Closing Comments
You can have a great teenager at home but at the mall on their own, they may feel the need to show off. This can be a bad thing if they have a credit card. Luckily, you can decide if you wish to let your teens have a credit card or not.
posted by Credit Counseling at
8:49 AM
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