Why are today's teens putting off driving, dating and drinking?
Because todays kids are coddled and have a 'safety net' of being able to stay home and not join 'adulthood'.  I mean when I was a teen ager - my parents couldn't afford to support me.  I had no way of staying home and riding it out.<p>If I wanted anything in my late teens (car, fuel, guitar, computer, books, money for dates - etc.) I had to come up with the money for it - my parents provided shelter, food, clothing and a safe environment to sleep in. Everything else, it was unsaid fact I was going to have to provide myself.<p>This allowed us to be a lot more free - we knew at worst we would be like our parents. Make ends meet and eck out a basic living. It wasn't too bad as everyone else was the same. So knowing that doing nothing - would result in being where we were - the only way out was to do something. Take a risk, go out and see what the world offers.<p>Today, I see plenty of kids having iPods, Mac Book pros, flashy clothes and driving cars all provided by their parents. Why work hard? Why take chances? Life isn't that bad after all.<p>The starting point is so much more comfortable for all of these kids.