New Jersey Times Reader, Proudly Summering, Wins Ron Lieber Comment Award

Max Abelson — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 23:30:39 -0400

Earlier this month, Times columnist Ron Lieber wrote a memorable column called "'Daddy, Are we Rich' and Other Tough Questions," which began with a real-life story about the writer's own four-year-old daughter stomping her feet, turning red, and demanding to know why Mr. Lieber did not own a summer home.

He had a follow-up post today called "Kids’ Money Questions: Why Not Give Away Our Second Home." He asked his readers, "How do you justify it to a child who asks you about it?"

Pierre Lehu left the only, and therefore the best, comment. "Our summer home is just that, a cabin that is not suitable for year-round living. And though it's relatively close to the city, in Sussex Cty NJ, you need a car to get around," he wrote. "To go grocery shopping at the nearest A&P can't be done on foot. And the nearest bus stop is a good 20 minute car ride away. And between taxes and other upkeep expenses like electricity and gas for heating, a homeless person would need at least $10,000 a year to live there. So it's not suitable for homeless people who if they are ever going to change their status need to be close to where there are jobs and therefore my conscience is pretty clear."

Except for too few commas, Mr. Lehu's point was relatively reasonable. "I would guess that most country homes would pose the same sort of problems for a homeless person," he continued. "So while it appears to be a fair solution for the homeless, in actuality it falls far short. Does that mean society shouldn't provide suitable housing for the homeless. No, it only means that having a second home doesn't make you an ogre."

Summer house guilt, solved!

It isn't clear if the commenter is the same Pierre Lehu who co-wrote Fashion For Dummies (and, with Dr. Ruth, Sex For Dummies), but a number listed under his name in New Jersey did not seem to be working.

Ron Lieber’s 4-Year-Old Demands Summer Home Answers

Max Abelson — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 22:22:53 -0400

The week began with a very big magazine story about New York City parents who loathe parenting, and will end with an article in tomorrow's Times called 'Daddy, Are We Rich?' and Other Tough Questions by the Your Money columnist Ron Lieber. The piece, which is a much happier affair than its predecessor, opens cinematically: "[M]y 4-year-old daughter a few weeks ago stomped her feet, turned red and demanded to know why we did not own a summer house."

Kids today! Mr. Lieber reports that he was flabbergasted, but that his wifeTimes journalist and former power punk Jodi Kantor—had an answer. She calmly explained "that if we had spent money on a second home, our daughter wouldn’t have been able to go to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival this year or on a beach vacation."

The lesson of the week, obviously, is that parenting is hard, even true for adults with extremely comfortable living situations: Mr. Lieber ends his column with the story of two men whose children complained about extra real estate.

Observer » Ron Lieber

New Jersey Times Reader, Proudly Summering, Wins Ron Lieber Comment Award

Ron Lieber’s 4-Year-Old Demands Summer Home Answers