Hey, Cherie! by Cherie Bennett

Hey, Cherie!

As you may know, it is not easy to find a job these days if you are still in high school. Believe me, I am in 10th grade and have tried and tried. I feel like I do nothing but go for after-school jobs and weekend jobs. But whenever I hear about an opening, it is filled by the time I get there. Or there are about a 100 other kids who are applying and I never get it.

My problem is this. I am the age where I can get a driver's license. My parents have always been cool with this, and now I have my license. But they have also always said that I cannot drive their cars unless I am responsible for paying the difference in insurance. As you know, it's a lot of money. Probably hundreds of dollars ever six months, maybe even more. I'm not sure of the total.

My idea was that I could get a job to earn money to pay this difference. In this economy, there are no jobs. Cherie, I know that my parents have borrowed money from their retirement accounts because of the economy. What I would like to do is borrow money from my college fund. I will definitely pay it back, and in the meantime, I can use it to pay for car insurance.

I have not asked my mom and dad about this because I wanted to get your opinion first. So please give me your opinion. I swear I will pay it back as soon as I get a job.

— Will Pay It Back, I Mean It

Hey, Will!

Did you have to make such a logical and well-reasoned argument? You are making things hard for me.

Here's the difference between where you and your parents are. Your parents probably have 20 or more years between now and when they reach retirement age to pay back the money to their retirement accounts. I think it's pretty likely that the economy will be back on its feet by then. (Note to Congress: Jobs for young people should be a priority!)

You, on the hand, are in 10th grade.

That means that you will be reaching college age in two and a half years. Some people think that unemployment will be under control by then. Some people think that jobs will be the last thing to recover. And jobs for teens will be the very last thing to recover.

So, I can see where your parents might balk, and balk hard, at the idea of you borrowing money from your college fund. They may say the best way to ensure you will get a good job after college is to go, well, to college. What I would suggest is going to your folks and laying all this out for them. Make their argument for them. Then suggest that maybe they would be willing to lend you the money for a few months, while you look for a job or create a gig for yourself — to give you some breathing room to drive. They might not go for this, but it is definitely worth a shot.

Hey, Cherie!

This year, my family is going to some friends' place in another state for Thanksgiving. They are good friends of my parents but not such good friends of mine, and my dad wants to impress these people for business reasons.

I am a vegetarian and don't want to eat turkey this holiday. But my parents think that it would be rude not to eat at least a small piece of turkey, since I am a guest in someone else's house. Do I have to?

— Turkey-free Eater

Hey, Turkey-free!

In my opinion, you don't have to eat the turkey. You can be a beneficiary of the compassionate 21st century, where more people seem to have dietary restrictions and folks have a lot of sensitivity. I think all you have to do is tell the host or hostess before the meal, "I'm sure your turkey is amazing, but I don't eat meat for personal reasons. I promise to make up for it with everything else." You'll be golden. At least you would be at my Thanksgiving table.

Cherie Bennett is a best-selling author of books for teens and young adults. Visit her website at www.cheriebennett.com. To find out more about Cherie Bennett and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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