Convincing my mom to let me buy an atv
 

I'm 17 and about a year or more ago I moved to a new area, everyone here has quads and dirt bikes. It's a pretty small town so people don't really mind if you ride on the back streets. There are plenty of trails around the town. We don't have any cops besides state police. The state police don't mind the riding that goes on as long as you have the right safety gear. I have a job I do good in school and have enough money to buy the quad and equipment myself. I have no idea how to convince my mom. I can get a quad and leave it at my dads but there's no point since it's a bad area and will get stolen. Plus there's no where to ride at my dads. I don't know what's holding her back. I could imagine most parents would be fine with it as long as their kids bought it. It gets boring here when I see everyone else out riding. That's not the main reason I want a quad. She knows I can ride a quad just fine. Any ideas on how to convince her to let me buy one? I even went the extra step to tell her what I would do if I got one, and if I didn't go through with that she could sell it and keep the money. Any advice would be helpful.

That's a tough one, my mom was a bit like that when I was your age, I have a brother that is 5 years younger. Seems like my mom wouldn't let me have anything, then my brother had snow sleds, a 400 cc Suzuki Dirt bike that he nearly killed himself on. Even when I got a car, the parents pressured me to get something kinda slow. Had a 1966 Mustang 6 cyl. When I came back home from a stint in the Army, my brother was driving a beautiful 1968 Dodge Charger RT with a 440/6 pack. Bet he wishes he'd kept it. I guess, I'd say you are really lucky to have a mom that cares about you. You have your whole life to buy an ATV, heck, I'd never ridden one until I was 62 and got my Arctic Cat 500 for fixing a guys Dodge PU. Trust me, having a parent that gives a crap about you is worth a lot more. You are a lucky guy.

Your mom is probably pretty conservative about spending money. She probably sees the atv as an expensive toy that you don't need. She would rather you save your money in case something bad happens instead of spending all of it on something like that.

If you haven't taken a safety class, go ahead and take one so she knows you're serious about safety when riding. Most states offer them free. Other than that, not sure what to tell you. Momma bears are really protective of their cubs.

Why don't you set her down for a serious talk and ask her why she won't let you? Perhaps you can help to convince her that her worries are not real if your willing to ride safely and stay out of trouble. When I turned 18 and graduated from high school I wanted to buy a new hot rod car, I was working at a good job and had saved most of the money, only needed a small amount to make the purchase but Dad said no-way. One day I ask him for a serious man to man conversation as to why, we both addressed our issues and he ended up giving his approval and even co-signed for the additional small amount needed. But then I also lived up to my word and we never had any more issues.

When I was in my late teens, my friends' parents thought I was the responsible one of the bunch (didn't really know me I guess). Was chatting with the parent of one of two of my buddies named John. The quote that rings in my head is: "When John and John get together they breed stupidity." The point I'm getting at is every caring parent thinks the worst about what can happen to their children and tend to be protective. "Riding with friends", may be translated to, "Doing every crazy stunt on a quad we can think of", to a parent. It's tough to change their minds.

Well young man, it isn't about age, ability etc. It is all about acting responsible and her being able to trust your judgement in challenging and some times dangerous situations. When I was 12, I worked my butt off mowing grass, selling popcorn and drinks in the grand stands at my local race track, and at the end of the year, I had the cash to purchase both a snowmobile and a dirt bike for cash, that I had earned. THAT shows commitment, and responsibility. And I am certain that is what she is looking for. Not sitting in front of the TV or playing video games all the time. It is hard work, but if you really want to get one, then show you are committed to it. And be respectful and show some maturity. That goes a long way with helping parents make big decisions like this. What you don't realize is that an ATV has the potential to kill or severely hurt you. THAT is what is going on in your mom's head. She is being the parent, and you have to accept that, and respect that. It is up to you whether you have the discipline to follow through or not.

Hey moose, I'd add something here as well. Too often a parent looks at an ATV as something that the kids will jump on and disappear. Legally they are required to be present, but that usually goes in one ear and out the other on both sides. I get it. I did it as a kid. So I understand the hell I put my mom through worrying about what I was doing. Now that I am in my 60's, and have raised two boys, I made it a point to be there on the trails with them (Second childhood) But it went a long way towards being accepting of this. Of course it helps being someone who would rather ride for hours than stop and eat.... that fit right in with the boys. But I also cut our rides short when they lost concentration and didn't follow my rules too.

I had ridden before but never got a quad until a buddy and his son got one. As soon as I saw my son wanting to ride we got into it together. Took the safety class together and rode together with friends. Many years of good times. Not sure if the original poster has two parents at home or not. Sounded like separated with his mom being the house near his friends and trails. I hope they can come to some kind of agreement.

Yeah I agree. BUT, in my experience, there are things he can do to help his case with mom too. All too often, our youth these days are prone to pushing the easy button and feel they are entitled to everything without putting any skin in the game. That I think is the difference between youth today, and youth in my day. We just accepted the fact that if we wanted something, he were going to have to work for it. And most times it would take us a year or two of hard work and saving our own money to make it happen. I think I took way more pride in having it after laying down the cash I had earned to make the purchase. Showing commitment, and growing up a little in the process whey a long way with my parents. It took a long time for me to save up the cash to buy a new snowmobile when I was 12 years old. But I did it. So can this young man. Instead of whining to mom about how cruel she is, he should be looking for ways to earn the money himself and get to work.