I didn't get a car for my 16th birthday, and at the time, that was very disappointing. In fact, when I got my license, I wasn't allowed to use the car at our house whenever I wanted. I got to use it maybe once every few months.

I recently bought my first car because I'm going to need to get to school and work once I leave for college. I paid for it myself, and as I've learned more and more about what goes into owning your own car, I've realized something.

There's no way I would have been ready for a car at 16.

Sure, it would've been cool to drive my friends places and not rely on my mom for a ride all the time. But do you know how expensive a car is? Constantly putting gas in it? Repairs? Tires? Plates? INSURANCE? It is absolute madness!

And as a 16-year-old who only babysat occasionally, I just didn't have the funds to pay for all of that.

Now, don't get me wrong. There are some cases when it's necessary to get a car at 16. You work in the summer, and your parents can't drive you. Your parents want you to drive your siblings to school so they don't have to. You're helping your family out and making it easier on them. I understand that.

But I don't think that you need a car when you first get your license, just to drive around in it. If you need to go somewhere, I think you can ask your parents for a ride, or ask if you can use their car. I think it's unnecessary for you to have your own. #sorrynotsorry

Hate me if you want, but you don't need a brand new car the second you get your license.

I had my dad's old car that didn't even run. A couple months later, it was crushed by a tree when it was being worked on. Now, I'm driving a '99 Camry. It's nothing new, but I love it. And I know that after everything I put into it (all the gas money and insurance), I am ready for it now, when I wasn't at sixteen.

So if you don't get a car for your 16th birthday, don't be upset. Enjoy other people driving you around because, before you know it, you'll be driving everyone and paying for gas out of your own pocket.