Guy Fieri has revealed the number one parenting rule he has for when his sons get their very first car.
In a recent cover story for People, the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives star shared that his sons Hunter, 26, and Ryder, 16, must drive around in a minivan for at least one year before purchasing a brand new vehicle.
“Show me that you can spend a year driving the car, not getting any dents, not getting any wrecks, not getting any tickets. Prove that you’ve got it all together,” Fieri explained. “Then you can take your own money out of the bank and go buy a car.”
The chef revealed that his son Ryder, who turned 16 in December, now drives his grandparents old Chrysler minivan, with 259,000 miles already used on the car.
“I’m not buying Ryder a car, and I refuse to let him buy a car until he spends one year with no tickets, no accidents, driving the minivan,” he said.
Guy Fieri, who’s known for driving around in his own 1968 red Camaro, assured that the minivan is not a punishment for his children, but it’s a way to teach them responsibility.
“I want the boys to be self-sufficient,” he said. “It’s a rite of passage.”
The Food Network star, 54, has been married to his wife Lori Fieri since 1995. Their eldest son, Hunter, also told People how he drove around his grandfather’s 1996 truck with “no working windows” when he first got his license.
“He’s a great teacher and a great father and leads by example,” Hunter said about his dad. “He does the right things to train you for the real world. And teaches you discipline and hard work and to not give up, and that not everyone’s going to hold your hand through life.”
