By Rabbi Yakov Horowitz
Issue of Feb. 20, 2009 / 26 Shevat 5769
Dear Rabbi Horowitz,
You [have written] that, "Your primary responsibility is to provide
for the needs (and wants) of your children." Do you feel that this
applies to grown children as well? When a child is over 20 and capable
of earning a few hundred dollars a month, but it will take up much of
his spare time, should the parents still be expected to fund the
"wants"?
Our at-risk son is resentful because we aren't funding his wants. He
is clothed, fed, and has all his medical needs taken care of. If he
needs to see a doctor, my wife or I drop everything and run for him.
He drops off his dry cleaning and gets it back all nice and paid for.
But there are some things I just won't fund. (And I can't.) In the two
years he was in Israel, we spent more than we can afford on his
schooling, planes, health insurance and monthly spending stipend of
$120 plus $50 toward his phone. (We are in debt about $10,000 right
now.)
He feels resentful that we aren't paying for his wants and therefore
he must spend leisure time to work to provide for his other leisure
time. (He's said hurtful things such as, Why did you have me if you
weren't going to pay for me?) Therefore, when he does come home for
Shabbos, he will hardly lift a finger to help in the house.
I think that since we are broke, we should let him grow up and learn
some restraint. Perhaps I should just tell him to drop the program
he's in and work full time and do night school. But in the meantime, I
also think he is wrong not to offer assistance when he is home.
Rabbi Horowitz Responds
I know that the thrust of your question was about your financial
obligation to your at-risk teen son, but I strongly feel that you
would be best served by taking a step back and addressing the broader
question of how to best assist your son regain his footing and get
back on the road to a productive life. From what I read between the
lines of your question, it seems like your relationship is rather
strained with him at this point in your lives. I respectfully suggest
that you consider working on understanding your son before dealing
with the X's and O's of the monetary matters.
Imagine that you went for a walk one winter morning and found your
neighbor sitting in his car, vigorously turning the steering wheel,
while the engine is shut off. When you ask him why he doesn't start
the car, he responds to you that his battery died, and he will soon
get jumper cables to 'give it a boost.' However, before he does that,
he would like to turn the front wheels away from the curb so that once
the car is started, he will instantly be able to pull out of the
parking space and get to work.
I think that this analogy sheds some light into my overall line of
thinking regarding assisting at-risk teens. Very often, and
understandably so, parents would like to start helping their kids by
addressing the antisocial behavior (for example, drug or alcohol
abuse) or the rejection of Torah values (for example, not keeping
Shabbos). I have found, however, that the most effective thing that
parents can do to really help their child is to assist him or her in
getting their lives in order. Once that is accomplished, it is far,
far easier to help with the other matters.
You see, as long as your teen is unhappy and/or unproductive, it is
as if his or her life is on hold –– the vehicle is stalled. The 'power
steering' that enables positive change to occur and a sense of
spirituality to develop can only kick in when the engine of
accomplishment is turned on. You can exert a great deal of force
turning the wheel while the engine is off, but you will be draining
your energy, shredding the tires and digging trenches in your driveway
while this is going on. It is much wiser to work on helping your teen
achieve success first. The rest will follow, with the help of Hashem.
I often tell parents of at-risk teens to follow the sage advice of
the Kotzker Rebbe (Reb Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, 1787-1859) who noted
that the Torah informs us (Shmos 22:30) "V'anshei kodesh te'heyu li –
people of holiness shall you be to Me." The rebbe pointed out that the
Torah places the word Anshei (people) before kodesh (holiness), in
effect telling us to be a 'mentch' before attempting to achieve
spirituality (his exact works in Yiddish were, "kodem a mench un nach
dem heilig – first [become] a [refined] mench, [and only then [strive
to become more] holy).
While the rebbe did not express these thoughts in terms of at-risk
teens, I feel that this though represents by far the most effective
way for parents to chart a course for the lives of their at-risk kids.
Help them become 'mentchen' –– functioning, productive young adults
who have a reason to wake up in the morning, who feel that each day is
a gift that ought to be unwrapped as the treasure that it is –– before
you work on the at-risk symptoms. For once they become happier and
more productive, you will find it so much easier to 'turn the wheel.'
In a very practical sense, it means to help your child get a GED or,
better yet, help resume schooling in a mainstream setting. Send them
for career counseling and get them a job. Tell your child that you are
in this together and you will always love him or her forever (you may
get a roll of the eyes, but I can assure you that your child will be
forever grateful for this). Get your child into therapy if there are
'issues' that need to be resolved. Show leadership and express your
love by going for counseling yourself to help you effectively parent
your child through this challenging stage in his or her life.
Please print this line and affix it to your desk or refrigerator. It
is one of my favorites and I tell it to parents every time that I
conduct a class on parenting at-risk teens. "No One Ever Changed the
Oil in a Rented Car." That means that the more ownership your teen
feels in his life, the more likely he will be to avoid reckless and
life-threatening behaviors. Giving them the keys to their lives will
give them the 'boost' they need.
I would also suggest that you carefully study the theory of Abraham
Maslow on "The Hierarchy of Needs." He suggests that there are five
sequential 'needs' aligned like a pyramid. Once the more primitive
needs are met (safety, security, belonging), a person can begin to
work on achieving success (self-actualizing). As with all theories,
you need not agree with it in its entirety (I don't), but there are
profound lessons to be learned from his thoughts.
I will close with a final thought and plea. Please, please ignore
your neighbors and societal pressure and, l'maan Hashem (for G-d's
sake), do what is right for your child. I have seen far too many
children sacrificed on the altar of "what will the neighbors say?"
Keep your eye on doing what is right for your child. That's all that
really matters.
Rabbi Yakov Horowitz is the founder and menahel of Yeshiva Darchei
Noam of Monsey, and founder and Director of Agudath Israel's Project
Y.E.S.
Adapted from a parenting column