Teenagers...When is enough, enough?
MoveCloseDeleteAdmin

TV ClubHouse: Archive: Teenagers...When is enough, enough?

Sherbabe

Sunday, October 13, 2002 - 12:42 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Here's the scenario. I've got a 15 yr old boy. Very good, most of the time. Biggest problem is sassy mouth. No drugs, no smoking, fairly good grades.
He wants a personal CD player for B-day. No problem, however, this will be the 3rd one I've purchased for him. First one, kinda cheap, did not last long. Next one, better quality. Now he wants another one. I'm leaning toward making him buy his own. How many of these CD players do teens go through nowadays? Anyone else with similar problems?

Zachsmom

Sunday, October 13, 2002 - 12:57 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Well.. you can always do what my parents did..set a standard price on what you are willing to spend..(say whatever the cheapest one is out there) and if he wants a better quality one he has to pay the difference..

but why does he want a new one?

Mware

Sunday, October 13, 2002 - 01:05 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I bought a CD player (just a basic model) more than 10 years ago, and it still works fine. I know there have been big developments in the field since then with features being added, but the premise of how the thing works really hasn't changed, I don't think.

I could certainly see replacing one for him as a present if the first one broke, but to replace the replacement seems a bit extreme.

I have the same question Zachsmom has- why?

And that's what I have to say about that.

Myjohnhenry

Sunday, October 13, 2002 - 01:05 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Sherbabe....wish I knew the answer to that question! Funny thing here is that I bought mine a nicer one with better anti-skip features and when it "quit" working one of the cheap ones miraculously started working again.

I say that if that is what he really wants for his birthday then so be it....makes your job easier! Then set the limits on replacement. (That is what I did...even though I still have to deal with the moaning and groaning "but Moooommmm")

Kearie

Sunday, October 13, 2002 - 01:32 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
What was the occassion for buying the first one that broke? Does this second one still work? does it really matter? (Ask yourself this)

Heck, I say he wants it as a gift, why not get it for him? I think a gift should be something the other wants, not necessarily what we want to get them. B-days are special for the person because it celebrates their life. I think at 15, kids feel they can't have enough music in their life.
And the coolest CD player is very important.

I guess I think he is requesting something that he places high value on. I think most teens value their music a great deal. My daughter was the same way with music and CD's. Now at 17, driving and prom dresses are much more important and the radio is just fine. <shrug>

However, I wouldn't replace it if this one broke...unless it was as another gift. His value of music will change soon enough and something else will become more important to him.

Whit4you

Sunday, October 13, 2002 - 03:32 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Well as someone who had one of those teenage-type-people ... if he were staying off drugs..and booze and getting semi-good grades... I'd get him as many cd players as I could afford to get him... you asked for opinions... that's mine. :)

Sherbabe

Sunday, October 13, 2002 - 06:50 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
zachsmom and mware,
both original cd players broke.
he takes it with him in his soccer bag, and may have taken some abuse.
or, maybe, it was just the smell of the soccer bag that killed it.
i know it does me, at times.

thanks for everyone's opinions.

Llkoolaid

Sunday, October 13, 2002 - 07:53 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Those things break real easy, just ask me, I have bought enough of them for my kids. An adult might keep one for years but a teenager running around to soccer and school and hanging out with friends is going to be a lot rougher on it and they are kind of fragile. If it is in your budget, I say get it, if not get him a gift certificate for the amount you are willing to pay and let him up the amount if he wants a better one. A little of his own cash might make him appreciate it a little more and be more careful with this one. That would be the responsible thing to do, but I am a soft touch with my kids so I would end up just getting it.

Ladytex

Sunday, October 13, 2002 - 09:24 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I have three teenagers and those things really don't last very long with my kids. They take them in their sports bags or backpacks whenever they travel with the team. They take a beating, let me tell you, but they do treasure them and they try to take care of them because I always make them wait before I get the new one. I guess maybe if I'd spent the big bucks on the first ones, they may have lasted, but then again maybe not. I just can't afford to buy three top of the line cd players, so they get what I can afford at the time.

Sia

Sunday, October 13, 2002 - 10:23 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Sherbabe, I think you've gotten some very sound advice from folks here; this forum is filled with lots of people with experience, wisdom, caring attitudes, and a willingness to share. I'm thankful for this message-board.

My kids are quite a bit younger, but the same question could be asked of their age-group, too. How many Power Rangers or Barbies are enough? Can you be too rich, too thin, and have too many action figures or dolls? LOL

Myjohnhenry

Sunday, October 13, 2002 - 10:32 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Sia...don't you know that a kid has to have every Barbie, Ken, Skipper, Kelly, Chrissy, etc etc that comes out. The sad thing is that it is often cheaper to buy another doll than to buy new outfits and besides how can you have conversations and parties if you don't have enough dolls. LOL

Wargod

Sunday, October 13, 2002 - 10:35 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
According to them, they can never have too much, LOL. Mine are 6 and 4, and want more and more...sigh.

This might be a good thread with Christmas coming up too. I've been wondering and wonderinng what I should be doing for the kids for Christmas...we are overrun in Barbie dolls and Matchbox cars.

Queenfish

Saturday, October 19, 2002 - 08:28 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Sherbabe, With my teenagers, the portable CD players didn't last long. That's why I get the cheeper one's for them. If they are carrying them around in Gym bags, ect. They are gonna break no matter how much money you spend on them. Also, the cheeper ones play burned CD's where some of the more expensive one's don't. My 16 yr. old started working about a month ago. It is great. Now when she says, I want this or that, She knows I am gonna tell her to buy it herself. I think she has more money than I do actually. She came in from the Mall a little while ago with 4 big bags of clothes. I asked her if she was broke and she said, "No, I got enough to last until payday" Maybe I should get a loan.

Sia

Saturday, October 19, 2002 - 08:45 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Myjohnhenry, I haven't visited this thread in a few days. I've made a wonderful discovery: outfits that fit Barbie for $1 each at the dollar-store in a nearby town. Of course, they're made in China, which is not good for the U.S. economy, but isn't most of the Mattel Barbie stuff made there, too? Each outfit includes a pair of plastic shoes or boots. I've found these at Family Dollar; haven't really looked closely yet at Dollar General. The outfits are made for an eleven-and-1/2-inch cheapie doll called "Polly."

Neko

Sunday, October 20, 2002 - 07:11 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Haha!
Know, the teenager's point of view.

*Clears her throat*
I understand exactly where your son is coming from. My first portable cd player broke(Started to etch all my cd's, therefore, ruining them) so we took it back.
I of course, wanted to geta new one right away because I listen to my cd's on the 30 minute bus to school every morning.

So, if the first two have broken, I think you should buy it for him. But clearly state that it's a birthday present so don't go asking where some of the other presents/money ,etc, are.

That's what my mom does....
*Glares at her mom*
Oh...I know those little secrets..hehehe

Cdnjan

Monday, October 21, 2002 - 12:50 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Just an idea and perhaps not affordable. But are the MP3 players any more durable? Quite a different idea but as you have a computer might work.

Sia

Monday, October 21, 2002 - 04:52 am EditMoveDeleteIP
That's a good idea, Cdnjan, and good for people who like certain songs by a band, but not necessarily the whole album. I don't know anything about the MP3 format, however. I buy CDs and burn my favorite tracks onto my p.c.'s hard-disk to play back in WindowsMedia using my headphones so as not to disturb the rest of the household.

Djgirl5235

Monday, October 21, 2002 - 01:12 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
The MP3's the best way to go if you can afford the player. You just download the songs you want into the player (usually up to about 300 songs can be stored on the itty bitty player), and you can delete them when you get sick of them and download new ones. The cheapes MP3 player I've seen was $350 Canadian, which, if you're in the states, I'll gladly get the 350 from you and send it to you, (....I know neko's laughing right now!)

Anyway, I wouldn't go that route, only because I collect CD's, and until they become redundant and extinct, I will keep collecting...

Draheid

Monday, October 21, 2002 - 02:24 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I have purchased my 15yo daughter several mp3/CD players about a year ago. Took all but her current unit back because of problems with skipping. The one she has now does not 'skip'. What happens is the player reads up to 2 minutes of music into memory then stops spinning. Most of the units would 'skip' when they restarted the CD. I cannot find the unit she has but I did find a similar unit at walmart.com for less than $90.00US and includes a 'Car Kit'. Here is a direct link to the model I would suggest. Keep the receipt though, in case you have problems. She also burns her own CD's on the computer as well. She's 'recorded' (ripped) most of her music CD's to make compilations that she likes to listen to. Hope this helps.

Djgirl5235

Tuesday, October 22, 2002 - 09:14 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Oh no Drahied - I had that exact model, and within 6 months, the thing was skipping songs, refusing to play anything that I had burned, and then finally refusing to play ANY CD... And an MP3 player doesn't accept CD's, just the actual downloaded data from the internet - hence the size of them (think almost pager size)...

Draheid

Tuesday, October 22, 2002 - 09:55 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Djgirl5235: I am sorry you experienced problems with the unit I pointed to.

My daughter has had a Phillips model Exp-201 CD/MP3 player for over a year now and it's never failed to play for her. The 'MP3-Only' players you are talking about are memory based devices and can be much smaller since they have no moving parts. They are also limited by the amount of memory built into the unit (unless you get a very expensive hard disk based unit). Some of the 'fancier' units have removeable or upgradeable memory as well.

The EXP-201 plays both audio CD's and MP3 CD's which can be created on your computer if you have a CD Burner installed. I only pointed to that unit since I wasn't sure if the EXP-201 was still available. I had *hoped* that this was an equal replacement for it. Apparently not. I have located two different on-line sources for the 201, Gearshark.com for $59.95 or Fry's Electronics Outpost.com for $49.99.

I do have some suggestions on things to look for when trying to decide on a device of this type, if anyone is interested.

Sherbabe

Tuesday, October 29, 2002 - 06:06 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Draheid,
Thanks for your advice. I ended up ordering from outpost.com.

price seemed good for a 2 in 1 type of a player.
thanks again.