Reply to Do you agree or disagree with this: Parents should pay for undergrad tuition

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Well....I think that the experience my children will get in earning what they need will stand them in far better stead lifelong than a few years of living off my bounty. After a bit of independence no need to consider my income. [/quote]

I'll acknowledge upfront that it isn't written that you must pay for college.  But I agree with the PP that said if you can afford it and you aren't paying a dime towards it because you want your kid to understand the value of a dollar and how to work hard ...that lesson should start at 6, 8 etc., not 18.  When your kid asks for things that are luxury, not necessities, do you have them use their own money or part of it? When there is a trip somewhere, say NYC, do you write the check or expect your child to work to earn the money.  Does your child have a part-time job during highschool?  I remember my mom was good about offering to pay half for something I really wanted (say an expensive summer camp), but didn't need.  It actually inspired me to work hard to earn the money because it wasn't as overwhelming as paying the full amount, not as discouraging as a flat out no, and felt like I was leaving money on the table because here my parents were offering to help.  My mom made sure it was something I was willing to work for, not one of those things that I wanted if someone else was paying but not enough if I had to use my own money.  I also had to prioritorize how to use my money because I had a finite supply.  I would think of things as how many hours did I have to work as a cashier to afford X.  Oh and she didn't allow me to use my money for something frivolous like a leather coat or in brand sneakers because everyone else had them.

Anyway, a lot of people I know are hard working and do not have their parents financially supporting them post 4 years of college even if parents helped out some for college.  We all had jobs before college, work study at college, jobs during the summer, and yes some loans.  Our first car was purchased with our own money post college.  The people I knew that had to do everything for themselves in college, knew the value of a dollar before they even got to college.  The only difference was their road in life was that much harder when it didn't necessarily have to be that way.  In one case it took the person years to get into her field because ironically the money was so good from the job she had virtually full-time to pay for college that it would have been a step down in money to start entry level and without work experience in her field, it was hard to get that first job in related to her major.  There are some people that do need the hard road because there is no telling them anything and they have to learn for themselves, there are other people that don't need to go to the school of hard knocks, they are already prepared to work and support themselves and that little bit of financial support for college ensures they stay on point and don't get overwhelmed and can better support themselves at 22.  If you are flat out raising a pampered pooch and then expect them to fend for themselves at 18, you are making the road that much harder because you didn't prepare him for life then put him out in the cold.   It's like declawing a cat and having it live indoors for the equivalent of 18 human years, feeding him expensive cat food, the kicking said cat outside and expecting him to hunt for food and fend for himself.[/quote]

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