She want's a motorbike for her birthday but has no licence.....

[meatboy]

You think to much, just get her the scooter and she'll never ask you to buy anything again.

you are not thinking very much,

the step daughter wants a bike,then a car,then a house if it was me I would tell her "mai me satang".

I was making a satirical comment about the dangers of letting a 16 yr old drive untrained on a motorbike in Thailand, but I can see how that might go right over your head.

there isn't any danger,10,12,14 yr.olds ride around every day ALL UNTRAINED

[samran]

I don't even know why the op posted the question. The answer is obvious, unless you are a doormat.

[Bluetongue]

She will already be riding other bikes unlicensed and unhelmeted, this is a fact of life in the country.

Kids in school uniform are unofficially exempt from enforcement as far as I can see.

Young girls are more likely to be cautious at first but after a year or two are riding one handed the same as the rest while

yakking on the phone

Of more importance to me would be the girls activities which you don't mention, is she going to school? does she help granma

at all? has she got an attitude when you and wife visit?, if you answer no to the first two or yes to the last, then it is a

no brainer. And even if you do her gratitude will last five minutes.

Plus her boyfriend will be riding it for sure, she will have three of her friends on it and any family member will ride it and probably any friend as well.

Around here there are two distinct crops of new riders, the month before western New Year and the month before Songkran, kids who must have been promised "you can ride the bike new year" and get it a bit early. You have to watch out for the 10 year old boys especially as they have no road sense at all.

But the Thai kids don't usually get a motorbike given to them they are usually family bikes they are riding.

[473geo]

Not an unusual request, many school children at the age of 16 ride to school on new motorsi, gives them a bit of status, and I guess it would be a little embarrassing to turn up on a pedal cycle when all your mates have motor power. My niece got a brand new bike at 16 and uses it sparingly, her 14 year old brother nips about on it and is probably not quite so careful. I tell my kids to wear helmets all the time but I know they don't.

I can not understand the crap about getting the blame if she has an accident, might have to contribute to medical expenses depending on your situation, is all

By all means make every attempt to have her take a test, but either buy the bike (Give your wife the money if you feel you might be 'blamed') or go for the safety of an IPOD, she has been very fair and given you a choice, anything less would be an insult

[marko kok prong]

I had the same request about a year ago from my step daughter, i pulled out 3000 baht and gave her that,the bike was never mentioned again.

[evadgib]

"Four wheels and a roof" is what i use as a rule of thumb, but in the case of a 16 yo a pair of trainers will suffice.

OP: Who gets the bill(s) when she piles in?

[transam]

Not an unusual request, many school children at the age of 16 ride to school on new motorsi, gives them a bit of status, and I guess it would be a little embarrassing to turn up on a pedal cycle when all your mates have motor power. My niece got a brand new bike at 16 and uses it sparingly, her 14 year old brother nips about on it and is probably not quite so careful. I tell my kids to wear helmets all the time but I know they don't.

I can not understand the crap about getting the blame if she has an accident, might have to contribute to medical expenses depending on your situation, is all

By all means make every attempt to have her take a test, but either buy the bike (Give your wife the money if you feel you might be 'blamed') or go for the safety of an IPOD, she has been very fair and given you a choice, anything less would be an insult

Farang WILL get the blame.....Money from farang..............He will get the blame...........

[choochoo]

buy her a helmet too and make it clear if she rides without a helmet you take away the key.

buy her some condoms toos. A girl with a scooter will attract horny thai boys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[choochoo]

buy her a helmet too and make it clear if she rides without a helmet you take away the key.

Buy some condoms also. A 16 year old girl on a scooter will attract horny boys!

[PeVee1st]

Talk to her and let her give her views openly, but insist she get a licence, wear a helmet, do not lend the bike and discuss the repercussions of failing to ride safely.

Talk to her as an equal, that you trust her and know she will be responsible, but make her aware of the consequences of reckless behaviour, such as death, loss of limbs, disfigurement, etc.

That is all you can do, if she does not listen, then it is up to her.

Good luck

Sent from my GT-P7500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[oxymoron]

Things are getting tougher and you may find villages that do not worry but they are catching up just as when I grew up in Australia to get a licence in the country the first question the cop would ask was. Is that your car out front." Then "Did you drive it here?"

If you answered yes to those qquestions you left with a licence covering car truck and bike.

Now you are really showing your age.

[falkan]

you are not her dad so you won't have anything to say about it, family is family and you are the atm machine nothing else otherwise they would listen to you..

[wym]

Why would you say something specifically trying to be so hurtful, when you have no idea of the OP's actual situation?

If one's female family members aren't 100% obedient to the man's every arbitrary and unreasonable whim that means it has to be a rent-a-wife situation?

Sounds pretty twisted to me, I guess you've had some pretty bad experiences in life. . .

[falkan]

sometimes the truth hurts, to many walking atm machines in this country..

[papa al]

Buy her a 600 baht cell phone.

That's what I use.

Works great.

[Robininbkk]

So your Thai step daughter asks for a bike, and then an Iphone... Would she do the same if you were a Thai step father? No way.

Licenses and insurences are a joke here. Don't even bother, you are both not physically in the same place or even near to check it.

You have only 2 options really. Do it or don't do it. Comply to what your stepdaughter wants and get more happy time from wife or don't comply and get withdrawal of sex from your wife.

[sustento]

"No way she is getting an iphone, she would be a target for robbery, besides a scooter would be more practable."

She's less like to kill herself with an Iphone than she is on a motorbike.

[Nautilus05]

Tell her if she pays half, you'll pay half.

At least that way she has an idea of what it requires to raise the money to buy such a thing.

[harrry]

Tell her if she pays half, you'll pay half.

At least that way she has an idea of what it requires to raise the money to buy such a thing.

The thing is that here they do know how they can raise the money to buy the thing.

[choochoo]

A better ? is why does a kid see op as a ATM? The answer is probably coz everyone else sees him as ATM and treats him that way.

Kids pick up on things like that.

So now op should be asking is it time to do a RUN FOREST RUN!

[Robininbkk]

I really dislike this presumption of the Thais that all farangs are super duper hyper billionaires, like they see on television, and sees them nothing more than an ATM machine. It is because of the likes of the OP this image of farangs keeps validated in the minds of Thais and keeps treating us that way. These farangs keep throwing money around just because ''it is so much cheaper than back home''... foolish. Please educate yourself about local economics/micro economics. Overpaying locally is just plain stupid IMHO. Would you overpay in your homecountry? the hell you would, you rather cheap out on most things, cause that is the smart thing to do, so why being stupid in Thailand?...

Another thing is, the power of pussy. It is powerful anywhere in the world, but at least it is super cheap in Thailand, compared to western countries, and it's availability is in much greater quantity. So it has less power here, but farangs still have this ingrained in their minds that the pussy hold power over them, the power of pussy is strong in the West,. There is so much fish here, why would you be affraid to lose one?...

So the farang keeps overpaying, even for pussy, overpaying for what a particular pussy is worth. Examplem, paying millions in sinsot to marry a brown skinned ex bargirl with 2 children from her past marriage with a Thai guy... This is a classic, with many similar and variations and one of the most imprtant one why Thais think we are so stupid. We westerners do not grasp the concept of Asian culture.

Wake up man, this ain't the West, where you must do everything your wife wants, to have sex. If she doesn't respect you and your money, then get another one who does, there is plenty nice women out there, so don't be afrraid to ditch this one.

[falkan]

A better ? is why does a kid see op as a ATM? The answer is probably coz everyone else sees him as ATM and treats him that way.

Kids pick up on things like that.

So now op should be asking is it time to do a RUN FOREST RUN!

maybe the old man is alone and prefer to pay people to like him until death?

[NeverSure]

Who bought me a new motorcycle when I turned 16? I did. Who also bought me a nice used car? I did.

From age about 12 to 14 I had a paper route and saved money. Then I got lucky and got a job in a bakery and tripled my income. From about 14 I still saved. When I turned 16 I had the money to buy a brand new motorcycle (Honda 50, 5555) and a nice used car. I also paid for the licenses and insurance.

If I had asked my parents for that Honda 50 for my birthday I would have been told to go wash their car.

What's with kids today? Do we just give them everything they want and think it's good for them?

[Neeranam]

Who bought me a new motorcycle when I turned 16? I did. Who also bought me a nice used car? I did.

From age about 12 to 14 I had a paper route and saved money. Then I got lucky and got a job in a bakery and tripled my income. From about 14 I still saved. When I turned 16 I had the money to buy a brand new motorcycle (Honda 50, 5555) and a nice used car. I also paid for the licenses and insurance.

If I had asked my parents for that Honda 50 for my birthday I would have been told to go wash their car.

What's with kids today? Do we just give them everything they want and think it's good for them?

Surely it's not all kids. My kids work for their money.

[wym]

Unfortunately, mostly yes.

Not just in Thailand but it seems particularly so here.

Your level of emotional maturity and financial responsiblity at 15 isn't hit here by most Thais until they're in their 30's, particularly those from non-poor families.

The very poor of course are sending their kids out to earn money to support the family by 13-14.

[BKK Blues Brother]

Who bought me a new motorcycle when I turned 16? I did. Who also bought me a nice used car? I did.

From age about 12 to 14 I had a paper route and saved money. Then I got lucky and got a job in a bakery and tripled my income. From about 14 I still saved. When I turned 16 I had the money to buy a brand new motorcycle (Honda 50, 5555) and a nice used car. I also paid for the licenses and insurance.

If I had asked my parents for that Honda 50 for my birthday I would have been told to go wash their car.

What's with kids today? Do we just give them everything they want and think it's good for them?

Indeed, i agree with you.

I too was working a part time job at 14.

Where the step daughter lives is a long way from the market where she has a part time job.

Hence the bike would be practicable for work and school

I believe now it should not be a one off gift but a part gift and part monthly return payments to make her value it and respect it.

In all honesty i can not see this working here though.

I am considering one posters advice of just sending a few thousand baht and having nothing more to do with the idea.

[Neeranam]

Who bought me a new motorcycle when I turned 16? I did. Who also bought me a nice used car? I did.

From age about 12 to 14 I had a paper route and saved money. Then I got lucky and got a job in a bakery and tripled my income. From about 14 I still saved. When I turned 16 I had the money to buy a brand new motorcycle (Honda 50, 5555) and a nice used car. I also paid for the licenses and insurance.

If I had asked my parents for that Honda 50 for my birthday I would have been told to go wash their car.

What's with kids today? Do we just give them everything they want and think it's good for them?

Indeed, i agree with you.

I too was working a part time job at 14.

Where the step daughter lives is a long way from the market where she has a part time job.

Hence the bike would be practicable for work and school

I believe now it should not be a one off gift but a part gift and part monthly return payments to make her value it and respect it.

In all honesty i can not see this working here though.

I am considering one posters advice of just sending a few thousand baht and having nothing more to do with the idea.

A few thousand baht is a lot of money. I'd ask your wife rather than here unless they're working as a team - I've seen this happen.

[Cosmo88]

Am i hearing this correct?

You just purchase the licence without a test on any instruction?

Are there any driving schools or road awareness course's here?

Thanks

It might be worse than that.

My GF told me she got her car driver's license without ever having driven in a real traffic situation.

They only test if you are able to park and steer around a few bolllards, on your own, in a completely sealed-off area. In other words a "driving license" is more or less only a "parking license". Apparently, this is the norm...

Perhaps someone can confirm this, or whether she managed to pull off something unusual (?)

[chrisinth]

When both the son & daughter (step) turned 15 and got their ID cards, they did their motorbike test within a week of those dates and I got them both their motorbikes. But, it was a stipulation that they passed their tests before I would let them go on the roads in town, and the first time I saw them without their helmets on they would be grounded.

In my case though, they had been practicing driving well before their test, they were fortunate to have that opportunity.

[choochoo]

For those of you who recommend a 16 year old vilage girl get a job. What kind of job? Im sure she sees all the girl with money arent picking fruit or rice.................lol.