I had a paper route and babysat from age 11 until I started coaching and working in a restaurant my mom managed at age 14. I think we are all saying that instead of saving for an expensive puppy, OP should instead put that towards recouping costs of gymnastics before trying a new activity, OR accepting her mom's offer of the cheaper version of skating. I was older when I quit gymnastics, 17, and was also choreographing floor routines by then. When I quit gymnastics, I switched to a much cheaper school sport anyway so my parents were happy to pay the $75 fee for me to be on the track team.
Thank you for answering, I appreciate it.
Oh right, for us school was super intense so I was never allowed a job as a kid (rightly so imo, I'd have gotten burnt out). On a sidenote, I thought gymnast2009 was 13 because it sais 13 under her name, and where I'm from you'd make very little with a job at that age. I don't know US labour laws though.
Personally, I think it depends a lot on how much money is involved. If she'd have to pay 2 years worth of savings back to her parents, I'd think that's not a fair thing to ask.
However, if it's a lot less then I can see where everyone is coming from. Parent's are making sacrifices for you, and it's important to show them that you appreciate that and not just ask more and more from them when they're already giving a lot.
My personal advise:
I think some people here might come across a bit harsh by accident because they see the parents point of view strongly. I'll try and keep your side into account:
Your parents paid a lot of money for you, make sure you show them you appreciate this. Asking for money for something else right after you'd just quit gymnastics with those costs could be a bit hurtful to your parents, making them feel not appreciated.
If it's doable, I'd either buy the skates and get the dog later, or use rented skates for now. I don't think you'll learn bad habits in just a few classes, and you can always tell the coach your worries. If you can offer to pay your parents back, that would of course be a nice gesture that they'd likely appreciate. However I think you're the only one who knows just how long you've had to save up for the money and how much it is for your parents, so that's something I feel we can't judge.
As for 'I don't want to look spoiled/demanding' in general: kids/teens are like that sometimes, it's not the end of the world, but I think the more important thing is taking your parents' feelings into account.
I hope my take on this isn't too wild because it may just be my different background speaking...
