Lemme Hear You Say Truck Yeah

Mongoose,
My grandson just turned 16 and he's begging for one of those big diesel trucks. He doesn't work, in fact, I'm not sure the kid has ever got his hands dirty. What's the big deal with these big trucks?

Dear What the Truck:
Fads will be fads, and this diesel truck thing is certainly that. I've seen plenty of kids driving these things around, and I know their parents are footing the bill. Back in my day, everyone wanted a Monte Carlo or a Buick Regal, jacked up in the back with big tires.  My parents couldn't afford to buy me one; that's why I drove an '81 Datsun...(it's what you buy when you work part-time at a gas station).  While I have no idea why anyone would drive one of these trucks unless you are either: a farmer, a construction worker, or a transporter, in which all three jobs require hauling equipment and/or heavy loads, I'll never understand parents furnishing the money for the fuel they guzzle and insurance, much less the costs of the trucks themselves. Most of these things get about 10-12 mpg and they're not easy to drive. My thoughts are this: it's another way parents can make up for a life they didn't live as teens or for the dads to make up for their very small... ability to teach work ethic and responsibility, which will get kids much farther in life than fads.