The Bat Mitzvah

Dear LTKP,
     My daughter is having her bat mitzvah in a year and a half and I am already a wreck. The other moms are spending a fortune and I just can't compete. I don't want to disappoint my little girl, what do I do?

Please help,
  
Nervous in Timonium


LTKP: Dear NIT,   First, congratulations on this milestone.   Second, don't fret. You just need to sit your little girl (soon to be a woman!) down and say, "Sweetie, with this ceremony you are becoming a woman in the eyes of the Jewish people and as a woman you're going to have to get a job." 18 months worth of earnings can go a long way toward deferring costs.
   Enjoy these moments. They go way too fast.

Out To Dinner

Dear LTKP,
    My son just got home from his first semester in college. We want to take him out and do something nice for him. Any advice?

Sincerely,

A loving father


LTKP: Well ALF, assuming that you are paying for your kid's tuition, I have two pieces of advice:

1) Stop paying for your son's tuition. Let your kid pay for it.

2) Make your kid pay for dinner.