Fine. I can't help but bite.
This has been an interesting thread to read, and I am quite honestly surprised by some of the responses to this thread.
I have never been particularly the conservative types who pride themselves on independence for its own sake. I don't agree with the hard-line approach. I can only speak for myself personally, but if my parents were as no-nonsense in their approach with me as was described, then I would:
- grudgingly comply due to lack of alternatives
- find a means of independence as soon as reasonably possible
- after escaping from an unreasonably authoritarian situation, the relationship with the offending parent(s) would be damaged, potentially irrevocably
Understanding independence and personal responsibility is all well and good, but people giving themselves pats on the back just for being "independent" is... well, I don't really get it. Let's take the worst case scenario: you're working a job you absolutely despise, and you're living in a dump where your income barely trumps your expenditures. But hey, you're "responsible"! Who cares if you're happy, or even if you're making a positive contribution to the world? A lot of retail jobs are simply generation of wealth for its own sake. I daresay I would have more respect for someone choosing to pursue their passion - something personally meaningful or something beneficial to humanity as a whole - as opposed to the person who achieved financial independence at a young age simply for the sake of being able to write their own rules.
It's awkward, because I can easily see myself in the 19 year old's position. I'm 25 now, myself, but truthfully don't feel massively different. I stayed up until the early hours then, and I still do now - the only difference is that now I pay all the bills. There are no circumventions short of physically turning off and removing the router that would have deterred me from getting access, though I would have preferred not to go down so confrontational a route unless as a last resort.
However, there are a few important differences. I was always respectful of my parents due to the relationship we had together. You know, they actually spoke to me as an individual, and we worked things out together. Things were far from perfect, but I knew they cared in their way, and so I reciprocated emotionally. I'd always try to be quiet, and had no problems abiding by the rules - though it depends on how it's portrayed. "Please stop using the PC so late at night because the noise keeps me awake and I have to go to work early" would have been a lot more effective than "You need to get off your backside and stop being such a lazy ungrateful arse".
In this case though it seems like OP has tried all that so I can understand his frustrations. To be honest I would be asking why the 19 year old is spending so much time on CS in the first place. Is he hoping to go competitive? There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of sponsor interest left in it. It might also be a significant social outlet for him as that was the case with me, as there don't appear to be many people I meet in person that I seem to really click with. One thing I don't relate to is getting fired, especially from a low-end retail job, as I strongly believe in giving your all to everything you try your hand at - even things you dislike.
I think there comes a point when you can have serious discussions but a lot of addictive behaviour becomes a rut and a routine, and it sometimes needs an initial kick before you can break free from it. He needs help to cut down on his hours but I wish you good luck with that. Speaking purely from a personal point of view, he needs to find something else that resonates with him on an individual level - something he's really passionate about. I don't know him or OP so can't give personal advice and don't want to be "holier than thou" - but in the long term I would be tempted to ask why things have turned out thusly.
As for the router access, other members have already mentioned suggestions. MAC's can be spoofed, and unless you're going to allow access for only individual IP addresses and remove the rest of the address pool (or block access to everything else) it would be difficult to filter only a specific address as it could be changed.
If I was in the situation described, I'd be tempted to issue an ultimatum - saying that he's had more than enough chances to turn things around and if things don't change then physically remove the router when you go to bed every night until he's willing to be more reasonable. Above all else be consistent in everything you say you'll do.
Anyway that's my £0.02.
