兒子十二歲生日party

都好幾年沒給兒子開生日party了。每次到了生日，就給兒子選擇的權利：20或30塊錢，你決定拿錢還是辦party。財迷兒子一直挑選了拿錢。今年生日兒子早早就提出了要求：開party! 也好，馬上要進teenager了，該慶祝一下。

老爸老媽商量好，一百塊的budget，讓兒子自己安排，有節餘就進兒子的腰包。爭取把這個辦party的過程變成兒子學習個人理財（personal finance)的機會。兒子有自己的銀行戶頭，還有自己的小金庫，幾百塊的資金，知道了存錢，利息和銀行貸款賺利息差價的基本規律，但要是能學習計劃（budget)，就是一個新台階了。

老爸老媽跑腿，每張收據都要保存。從發請帖到網上定pizza,小人兒開始精打細算了--有沒有coupon呀？是不是可以打折扣呀？要看DVD，是不是可以上圖書館免費借？沒有再考慮租吧。最後是老媽從同事那裏找來了變形金剛3，連租金也沒有出。當然，老爸老媽的油也是要揩的--餐具一類就不算錢了吧？還有看DVD的時候吃的玉米花，是老爸從上門推銷的童子軍那裏買來的，免費算老爸的賀禮呀。

發了十四張邀請卡，來了八位，從黑到白，老印老中都有，不錯。清一色男孩子，老爸老媽一點也不吃驚。吃完pizza，唱完Happy Birthday,一人一把Nerf槍，就在房子裏吵翻了天。子彈橫飛，沙發椅子全成了掩護物，等到老爸老媽頭皮發麻的時候，終於達成停火協議。誰知看DVD更吵，電視的音量大，男孩子還坐不住，爆玉米花也塞不住嘴。看了一半，孩子們自己都受不了，決定出門玩football。長長的三小時，老爸老媽終於盼來了接孩子的家長。

讓兒子把一個一個同學送到門口說再見，感謝來參加party。等全部客人都走了，兒子拉著老媽算錢了：party開銷90塊，收到的禮物裏有商店的禮卡（gift card），折算起來有60，最後是老爸老媽還欠他70。這個party辦得合算吧。不急不急，有進有出，去同學那裏生日party，老爸老媽隻負責到20塊的禮物，超出部分該兒子自己掏的。

又長大了一歲！

（二0一一年十月八日）

[A-mao]

回複Lilac2003的評論:
Of course if I have opportunity once I can not hold this job. About 3 years ago, with friends' help, I had an offer from Novartis, and also possible offers from BMS if I told them I was available. However, I like my current position too much--flexible working hours, easy going boss, and my dreaming job on drug screening. So I turned down all of these offers and decided to stay. ( I left my current position for about 2 years to take a job in a small local company when my boss ran out of funding. Eventually he got new funding after my work got published.)

Great that your daughter found her dream job. I am still waiting for my daughter's good new on her job search. For my son, I don't mind if he decides to attend the college I am in, though we do not have such a generous tuition plan for employee's kids. The engineering college of this university is highly ranked. So if I am still here, and he wants to come, it would be great.

Have a nice day!

[Lilac2003]

Hi A Mao,
Sounds you and your family have a good plan.We have same concern about job security. Good thing is that my daughter already accepted a job offer she likes .My son can attend the college where we work (if he could get in or like to attend,it will be tuition free).However,we have to work on paying mortgage and saving RRSP. Have you ever thought to switch career? Even though I know it is not easy at this age,but just don't want to give up.As my daughter encouraged me "It is never too late to become what you might have been"( by George Eliot), I might have a try.

Let us stay positive way,and just believe God closes a door will open a window.

[A-mao]

回複Lilac2003的評論:
My pleasure. With the government budget getting smaller, NIH is going to suffer, and the funding from NIH is going to drop dramatically in next few years.

I am still focusing on my personal finance planning. If everything goes as planned, I should be able to pay off my mortgage in 2 years. By then if my wife or myself hold a job, we should have enough to survive. My retirement saving is a little bit ahead than I planned, so hopefully with 2-3 more year job for me, I can get my retirement saving done. The only thing I am not sure at this moment is the college cost for my son.

Life is tough. However, there is always hope!

[Lilac2003]

Hi A-Mao,

Thank you so much for sharing.I am in same boat with you.Having been research field so many years and feel current years are really tough. I am in NIH training grant. A PhD student at our lab just dropped and will switch to health care field (goes to nurse school)because she could not see her future in scientific field.She is smart.Cancer research should be easier to get funded than basic research. Good luck !

[A-mao]

回複suanliao的評論:
Yeah, tough year comes for dad and mom.:).

With humor, you will find a lot of fun to deal with teenager boy about money. I tease my kids all the time, and they fight me back. :(.

Enjoy!

[A-mao]

回複Lilac2003的評論:
Thanks! Wish you and your family a Happy 2012!

We have 2 more years funding from NIH. A DOD grant is going to expire soon. One RO1 is enough to cover me. My boss told me that I am his priority, and he doesn't have to take his summer pay if necessary. Students can take TA position if necessary.

I worry more about the longer future. After this 2 years, we must got new funding. On breast cancer front, we have one compound, which is in the stage for animal test. The mechanism about how this compound works is still not clear. If it works as we thought, we should have no problem to get another round of NIH funding. At the same time, I am starting a new research project, which I worked 5 years ago. At that time, the technology and science are not available for me to go deeper, and NIH did not give us the funding we applied. Now, we have solved a few technical issues, and the science in the field goes very well. We are hoping we have a better chance to get NIH funding. I am currently working on assay development, and hope by Feb. I have enough data for a high throughput screening proposal.

Life is tough, so enjoy whatever I can. Cheers!:).

[suanliao]

very interesting. my son will be 12 yrs after a few months - he is looking forward to his birthday party.

[Lilac2003]

like your articles. Have a daughter and a son,they are same age with yours.working as researcher also.How is your boss's funds? Hope everything is going well.

Happy New Year !