Ivor, I'm sure if, at the age of 17 you wanted to go through to fATPL and your parents could fund it, they would have done. We all have different circumstances, some may be harder than others.
I can commend this lad's dedication instead of the social pressures he was no doubt under to go out with his mates, pull and get pished!
Cheers
Whirls
PS - I'm following your option 2 by the way!!
PPS - even when I was at home, my mother mother stopped getting me my breakfast when I was about 8!!