Kids+Money, A Short Film

Stumbled on this short film on the New York Times site. It's a documentary with teens about money -- mostly about spending it and the pressure to fit "in."

Where are we living, what are we doing and what are we teaching our children?

That's what I wonder.

How is it that you need a double 6-figure income to live in a normal house in a normal neighborhood? How much is enough? Where does it end?

I've spent so much time wondering how this all began but I realize it doesn't even matter. Here we are. We live in California and it has "so much to offer" that it costs a very high price. I don't think Hollywood forces it on us per se, as one teen said in the film. We CHOOSE to live this way. We accept it, we encourage it and we keep it going. Everyone has a part in it.

I, for one, want to throw up. I was never sure I wanted to be part of it here. I knew I wanted to be near family, that's all. It's just too damn bad our family didn't settle in Oregon, that's all I'm saying.