Me Buying A More Expensive Pen Than My Dad?! Please Help Me!

[IrishEyes]

Ask your dad what he'd think about you spending money on an expensive pen that's worth more than one of his, since it's obviously a concern to you. Most dads will talk frankly about what they think (although perhaps not so much about how they feel....) If it doesn't bother him, don't let it bother you. Get the pen you want if it's your money and you can afford it. Learn how to treat it well so that it lasts a long time. Learn to use your disposable income wisely--most young people don't have a lot of that once they finish school and join the ranks of working people--at least, not for awhile. If you spend some of your disposable income (or save it) wisely, on something that will benefit you for years to come if you take good care of it, you've done well, whether it be a pen, a car, or a college education :-).

Edited May 23, 2016 by IrishEyes

[C-town]

I'm 16 and own a homosapiens and 149. My dad has a TWSBI 580. No guilt here lol. I wouldn't worry about it. If you enjoy it, just do it!

[Flippy]

H

 

Get the pen.

 

50 years from now, when you're 55 years old , you will look back at it and fondly think that it was the first really nice pen you bought when you were young and how much pleasure it has brought you over the years. Those are the kind of sappy memories that mean a lot when you get older!

Thanks! I'm not exactly five though....

[Flippy]

I got my first Al-Star in 2012. I was 62. (I've been using fountain pens since 1964, with some gaps after the early '80s.)

 

If you can afford the pen, and you're going to use it and maintain it well, go for it.

 

As others have mentioned, keep the nice pen at home (and use it lots), use the Lamys (or inexpensive Pilots or Jinhaos) at school.

 

Hang around, we might have cookies. I keep hoping...

Ouch. My teacher HATES PENS! (One of the more reasons I don't like school) She forbids my other classmates from using pen and strictly restricts us to pencil (There are only so many things one can do with a stick of wood with a graphite core.

[Flippy]

I'm 16 and own a homosapiens and 149. My dad has a TWSBI 580. No guilt here lol. I wouldn't worry about it. If you enjoy it, just do it!

XD a 149 at 16?! Well, I have a Platinum 3776#! Take that! (Platinum gets rekt.)

Edited May 23, 2016 by CaptainRollerball

[Arkanabar]

Ouch. My teacher HATES PENS! (One of the more reasons I don't like school) She forbids my other classmates from using pen and strictly restricts us to pencil (There are only so many things one can do with a stick of wood with a graphite core.

Only pencils? And only wooden pencils, at that? No nice Pentel S55 or Sharp Kerry or Pilot Twist-Erase 3 or even Zebra M-301? Is she worried about getting blamed for your ink messes? Or is she worried you'll all turn into Gangnam styling status-obsessed social bullies?

[praxim]

Locally, one can find a brand of small leather goods, "Status Anxiety".

 

The designs are quite good.

[sirgilbert357]

The entire premise of this query is quite strange. Why are you asking a bunch of strangers on the internet? You need to talk to your dad. He knows you better than anyone here could hope to. He might frown on you spending that kind of money on a pen -- and not because he doesn't have one "nicer" (which is all in the eyes of the beholder anyway, eh?). He might have more practical ideas for the money, or he may be just fine with you getting it. Perhaps it would make a great birthday present (from your father) and you could request it well in advance (even if your birthday is 9 months away) to gauge his reaction, as a starting point; eventually leading up to you mentioning you'd quite like to buy it for yourself if he doesn't mind, etc...

 

And buying a pen - no matter the expense - in no way means you have surpassed your father in any manner, even if he writes with a Parker Jotter. To measure a man, one must look at far more than a pen, or even material possessions in general, no?

[Raif79]

Just do it! I'd love to be able to say that I own a more expensive pen than my dad. I currently own two MB 149's. He had several back in the day. The most expensive pen I ever owned was a MB 1912. At one point my dad owned a solid gold MB that once belonged to Burt Reynolds. I don't think I have a snowball's chance of ever outdoing that. Currently he has probably a few hundred pens, but nothing of serious value like he did back in the day.

[ele]

Just to throw a monkey wrench into the advice pile...I am too under 20, and when I was probably your age, I got a Pelikan m400 in blue, and brought it to school every day. If you are vigilant and strong willed, I think it can be done. Life is too short to use a mediocre pen in public "for safety."

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

I don't think there is anything wrong with having a nicer pen so long as you can afford it. Depending on the kind of place where you go to school, as others have mentioned, you may want to be careful with what pens you bring with you. In my experience, more discreet or less flashy is better, and if you can go for silver trim, that usually goes over better. It may save you trouble of getting your pen damaged or stolen. Sometimes other people see your pen as interesting and try to ask you to borrow it or outright take it and play with it. That said, I have taken all sorts of pens with me. I do make sure that if I'm going somewhere where things may not be the best not to bring anything that may be easily damaged. Definitely ask your dad or mum about what pen you are thinking of getting and any advice they may give. A lot of the time parents can be helpful in this situation.

 

Dillon

Edited May 27, 2016 by Dillo