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How do I convince my parents...

Let's define need before we start saying we only buy what we need.
We need:
•Human company to stop us going crazy
•Shelter
•Clean water
•Some form of food, leaves, small rodents.
Let's say we are all doing a little better than that. Let's say we have dependent needs. We need a computer for studies, does it NEED to be a mac? No. Would we rather a mac? Hell yes.

Somebody tell me the point of this post, because I forgot
 
It's funny how ADD works sometimes.

You can't concentrate on some things, but also become totally focused on
other things to the point of obsession.

This time, I think your parents are correct, wait!

Not only is the MBP a REV "A", but many of the applications have still not been released in Universal Binary versions.

We haven't seen what Apple will do with the rest of the portable line-up yet.

You need your letter of acceptance from your chosen college or university
before you can qualify for the education discounts.

I know it's hard to wait when you're stuck with a P.O.C. , but you'll be glad you waited for this years cram and jam back to school specials.

Hang in there untill you actually NEED your new computer this summer.
 
Interesting thread for sure, demonstrates how people and families differ around.

I think that for starters it would be better to discuss the matter through with your folks, even when you're 18, just to keep good relations with them. But you can still just buy it when you're 18 and just tell them that you bought one because you need one, it's your money and it's your birthday present for yourself and you'll be careful with the distracting effect and try to actually get some work done on it. Maybe you'll endorse a few of your own restrictions for yourself, just as a token or peace offering.

What I'd do would be probably considered "lobbying" as in politics. I need to discuss most of my (well, our family's since I'm the mastermind behind the IT systems here) purchases through with my dad because no way I'm spending any of my precious (and ultimately too few) euros on IT. I just sort of tell him what we need or want and he gets it when he understands the grand plan. To his credit I must say that he's no anti-computerist for sure. When he doesn't understand my point I just creep enough references to good points about a product and he starts slowly to give in. By this I don't mean any childish references, just some well thought out points every now and then. I'd have a great example of this tactic when I lobbed an Intel iMac for myself when I could have gone for a 2000e computer upgrade anytime but I'll save that story for later.

I personally think your parents are a bit strict but then again ADD does make your life different in a way I have no clue about. Being willing to compromise is a good sign and you have some good points in which you're willing to give in. Discuss the matter, no point in wounding family relationships over a computer, even if it's a Mac.
 
I think the MacBook Pro in this situation should be considered as a reward. I mean, you do have to money to buy it, but the way you are telling us the story is : I'll get the MacBook Pro, then my grades will be better. Why not the opposite ? That's how I work. I have this Rev. A iMac G5 picture on my desk since ... August 2004 with "This is your motivation for the semester" written on it. Although I never bought one, it was darn good motivation for the first year :D. Also I read you were somewhat impatient when new things come out. That's funny because I'm kinda like that, but only the first week. Then, the "new thing" just become a "Hum, that would be great to have". Even if you are "impatient", take your time; College is still in 6 months ...

Btw ... I'm 18 and going to college to, I kinda know what you feel.
 
Agurri said:
you are telling us the story is : I'll get the MacBook Pro, then my grades will be better. Why not the opposite ?
Click to expand...

That would be the point of the usage restrictions. I'll buy the MacBook Pro, and then save for very, very specific uses which my parents and I will work out, I won't get it at the very earliest until 3/31, and that's only if my grades are sufficient enough for my parents.

Motivation has actually been a bit hard for me lately. I kind of feel that nothing exciting has really been going on in my life, except for getting into Cal Poly (I got an acceptance letter, so the Edu. Discount is valid). I really think that having the MacBook Pro actually there, something that I can feel and touch and whatnot, will motivate me more than having to look at some picture on my desk.

Let me make something clear. I think that my parents, after hearing me ramble on and on about how cool the MacBook Pro is, understand that it's the right computer for me. The issue in this case is mostly getting them to understand that it would be more beneficial more me now, to a certain degree, and if under the proper conditions/restrictions, than later (i.e. I wouldn't have to deal with the Dell, etc.). Most of the apps I use are Universal Binaries anyways, with the exception of Photoshop and MS Excel.

Getting a MacBook Pro as a graduation present is probably not going to happen either, at least not with the MacBook Pro. My brother's Bar Mitzvah is this June, and my parents are going to be putting a lot of time and money into that. They support me having a new computer, and they think that it's good that I buy it myself, since it teaches me about financial management, etc.
 
We're probably going to have the discussion tonight around 7:30pm or 8pm. Does anybody else have any more tips/pointers, or even just things to keep in mind?
 
It is your money. Remember that. Don't shove it in their faces, just say respectfully that you will be more productive, and that your prowess in stock investing will be put to good use.

I think it is possible that your parents want to buy one for you as a graduation present. I am 18 as well, and just got into college, and it's an exciting time, but once you get into the summer (and past graduation) do you really need the latest and greatest computer? I mean, if I was given a choice to get a new computer in late June or in late August, I would wait because a) you don't need a great computer in the summer as a teenager and b)a new, cooler one might come out in that time.

You seem responsible, and unless your ADD is really bad, your parents are bringing that up for no good reason. I know plenty of people with ADD who have fully functioning computers that go online, play games, and print while still being productive.
 
asherman13 said:
We're probably going to have the discussion tonight around 7:30pm or 8pm. Does anybody else have any more tips/pointers, or even just things to keep in mind?
Click to expand...

keep the concept of compromise in mind. i know you really want it but it won't wreck your life to wait a bit and make life easier with your parents.
also don't be too neurotic about your reasons, it will make them defensive and they'll close their minds to the idea. be reasonable.

i still think summer is a better time to get it simply because i am certain that it will distract you, and better to have distractions while you aren't in school. it gives you time to enjoy the macbook without feeling guilty for it too. just be open to that possibility.

i think it's good that you're discussing it with your parents, i can't say i would have had the same respect back then, so thumbs up to you on that aspect. :)

good luck.
 
break the dell by mistake of course...and than state urt reasons to ur parents why the mbp hehe :Dthey might give in...
 
fisty said:
break the dell by mistake of course...and than state urt reasons to ur parents why the mbp hehe :Dthey might give in...
Click to expand...

We're supposed to be trying to help him get a MBP, not get in trouble with his parents and get no MBP. Besides, dells break themselves

I would try to compromise with them. I am 14 and my parents didn't want to let my get my mac mini... even though I had enough money for it.

I would also wait until summer. Like a previous poster said, you can use it all summer long without it distracting you from school. Also, Rev. B might be out by then... and the bugs (if any) may be fixed by then.
 
I guess you've got to respect your parents decision at the end of the day (though I do feel for you somewhat, my parents were pretty easy going when I was your age, but I also got good grades ;) ) - let us know how the meeting goes!
 
Wait til the summer so you can get a iPod with your MBP. As for your parents, you as a child know the weakness of your parents. My parents weakness is the report card. I drop my grades on purpose and raise them back up to get Powerbook. I know I will be able to get a MBP this summer but I do not know if I will allow my parents to get me one. They are not rich people but I still do not see a good reason why I need a MBP for college when my TiBook is doing so well.
 
fisty said:
break the dell by mistake of course...and than state urt reasons to ur parents why the mbp hehe :Dthey might give in...
Click to expand...
Want to PM me with instructions on how to do that?;)

mikes63737: MR's Buyer's Guide for Powerbooks (I'm going to use their statistics for this comparison) usually have a gestation period (time between updates) of about nine months. Nine months from January is Sept./Oct., at which time I'll already be abroad, in a country without an Apple Store, whether it be online, physical, or iTunes. Because of this, I might as well get this Rev. This size MacBook Pro is good because I want the ExpressCard slot for any hardware updates that I might want in the future, which will make it last longer (USB 2.0 caught my iBook unawares).

About my grades: They haven't been as bad as they've been in the past. I currently have a 3.8 (weighted) which is just fine with my parents (they don't know about it yet; I'm saving that information for tonight as well), but my 1st semester grades had two C+'s in my two hardest classes (AP Physics and AP Economics [now Government, and I have a B+]), and my parents weren't excited about that, even though they were fine for Cal Poly. My GPA was fine for the semester, since I'm taking three AP classes, but it wasn't anything to shake a stick at, sadly. There were some circumstances that caused it, some of which were out of my control, but I don't really want to go into them right now. The point is that my parents and I would determine a place where my grades should be by 3/31, and if they're below that, I wouldn't get the MacBook Pro until I am.

EDIT:

xparaparafreakx: I actually don't want an iPod unless it actually plays videos or something. I have a little flash drive that plays music, and right now that's good enough for me, if I can buy a MacBook Pro.

EDIT X2: Having just read another thread, I want to make something clear. This isn't a case of "oh I want a new computer, why can't I buy it, I have the money, oh oh I can't wait, why not?", rather, I understand my parents' reasons and whatnot for feeling that this isn't the right time for me to get a MacBook Pro, yet I respectfully disagree with them. I truly feel that getting a MacBook Pro, with the conditions I described in previous posts, would be beneficial for me at this point in time, and in many more in the future. I can see how this may read like a load of crap, but I really think that waiting to get it would actually be counterproductive for me, since a) I'll have to work with a bad computer which might die on me at any time, b) I'll be without lots of distractions, c) I'm going to probably get depressed if I have nothing exciting happen for a while, truthfully.

All that said, I really think that it's not an issue of lying to them that I can make things work, more so that I really think that this will help me make things work, and that they should give me a chance.
 
when all else fails...

beg

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Update

The meeting has been moved to around 10:30pm; my parents are going to see a movie beforehand. My dad said that they'll probably have a response within 24 hours; they want to talk privately and my "what do you have to discuss that I can't hear?" retort didn't work, so I'll hopefully have a result tomorrow night. I'll let you guys know how things go both tonight and tomorrow.
 
Good Luck and I'll hope the discussion is going to concince your parents how determined and focused you are to get this MacBook Pro ... even with this ADD :p
 
tristan said:
Just be patient dude - it's march. Angle for a June graduation present or an August off-to-school present. Say that you'll cover your college books if they cover the computer. You get the idea.
Click to expand...

I know, I hope the parents weren't delaying all this time because they were trying to surprise you with graduation present and now you're spoiling it. :(

Otherwise, both your parents and you sound very reasonable. A nice family.
 
In the same situation - with success

I am in the very same situation.

High school senior, accepted and enrolled at University of Miami (Electrical Engineering). I have ADD. Bad.

I talked to my dad today about getting mine, and the following is my argument:
1) I have a research paper coming up, and being under the conditions that I have ADD and I suck at writing, it would be benficial to have it with me all of the time. That way, when I think of something, I can immediately put it in my paper.
2) I am an avid bass player and I plan on incorporating it into my rig. I won't go into the details of hooking it up, but basically I'll be running through Logic Express to EQ and record myself. Then I can play it back later to help me practice.
3) My life is in order. I'm ahead of deadlines on all of the scholarships that it is going to take me to afford UM, I lead a Bible study, I have a job, and, most importantly, my grades are good.

He had previously told my mom "He's not getting it until summer." When he says it, he means it. After I talked to him today, he seemed very open to me having it in a few weeks.

good luck,
Nate
 
For students, I'd like to mention iCal.

I don't know for sure how it would work for students, but I put down so much of my schedule in iCal. Reminders, appointments, work to be done, etc. It's a great tool, especially with the alarm reminders.

Might be another persuasive argument. "I'm going to be on my Mac, so I'm going to be reminded about everything I need to do by that annoying popup."
 
powerbook911 said:
For students, I'd like to mention iCal.

I don't know for sure how it would work for students, but I put down so much of my schedule in iCal. Reminders, appointments, work to be done, etc. It's a great tool, especially with the alarm reminders.
Click to expand...

My ADD had me forget that reason:D

Seriously, though. My life is in my phone calendar - because I forget everything. Big problem however: about a week ago, I went to enter a new event in my calendar, only to see "No more empty space" :mad:

So iCal would be cool. :p
 
powerbook911 said:
For students, I'd like to mention iCal.

I don't know for sure how it would work for students, but I put down so much of my schedule in iCal. Reminders, appointments, work to be done, etc. It's a great tool, especially with the alarm reminders.

Might be another persuasive argument. "I'm going to be on my Mac, so I'm going to be reminded about everything I need to do by that annoying popup."
Click to expand...

I personally never use iCal. I spend too little time on the computer (parents allow me in only for an hour every evening). If I had a laptop with MY account, I would probably be using it.
 
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