Do you think parents should pay for their childrens college education?

I dont think parents have to be responcible to foot the entire bill. I think if a kid wants to go, and the parents have the ability to help, that's great. I think that a kid who wants it enough to work their way school will put more effort into it. My parents told us they would help as much as they could. They did help my sister. They paid about 1/2 untill she got a job that paid really good. Neither my brother nor I went to college.

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It actually works out quite the opposite. A kid who has to work to put food on the table works harder to eat than to study. My dh didn't pay a dime for school, through to his Ph.D. (M.I.T. and U of I) and he did much better than I did because I was too worried about making a living than studying. There is plenty of time to be an adult and learn life's lessons. Most kids aren't going to learn much about life at 18 any differently than they would at 22 anyway, in the whole scheme of 80 years on the planet. Might as well help them any way they'll let you as a parent.

Yes, if possible and as long as the child keeps a B average. If necessary, the child should work summers and holidays and pay for what he/she can.

Ditto.

Nope!!

I didn't pay for my kids.Me and my DW paid for her to go to College.

I didn't go to College,but I did go to Trade School and paid for it myself.

Oh I don't pay for Weddings either!

big rockpile

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Yes, as much as you can.

I had a full-tuition, half room-and-board scholarship, and a few miscellaneous scholarships, plus an Oklahoma Grant when I was in school full-time. Plus I worked 20 hrs./week. My parents supplied me with car insurance, clothing and money if I ran short. When I moved into an apartment, they supplied me with food when I came home - sending me back with meat, eggs and veggies when they had them from the garden. I took out one loan for $800 and two years later talked my dad into letting me cash in a bond my grandparents bought for me when I was 3 months old and paid it off. I finished after I was married, my husband and I paid for the last few classes as I was working full-time and taking night classes.

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A wise man speaks because he has something to say; a fool because he has to say something. - Plato

If you can afford it, yes, within limits. We sent our first son to state college, lived at home. We paid for college, books, transportation. He came to me when he was 3 months from graduating and suggested that he quit, get married and work. I hit the roof and reminded him that we had paid for everything for 3.5 years and he would do this to us ending up with no degree; what a slap in the face. He finished, in fact with honors. He has never regretted it. Our 2nd son got a late start after first marrying, having 2 children, then college. He qualified for assistance and grants but now we are paying his loans for him. We are very proud of his accomplishment late in life and since we can afford it we do it. You do what you can do.

I think it's a parent's responsibility to either pay for college or trade school. A parent can't expect their child the day after high school graduation to suddenly be able to support themselves. I suppose there's factory work, Wal-Mart, or the chicken plant, but who wants that for their child? If you bring a child into the world and expect them to succeed in life you need to provide the proper tools.....in this case, an education.

We were fully prepared to pay our son's education, but he chose the military instead.

Yes depending on the child. If a child makes noises that "they don't want to go to college" and the parent is the one "living life through them" and wants them to go..then yes, the parent should pay every dime because I can guarantee 95% of that money will be wasted.

If a child wants to go and puts the effort forth to make good grades to get into college, get scholarships and grants, and is still short, then yes, the parent should pay what the parent can afford to pay and let the child assume responsibility for the remainder either through a part time job or loans. Some parents still have children at home, no savings, lost a job, etc. It is not always possible to pay in full, but paying for books or dorm costs or cost of insurance for the car, etc. may be within reach.

I set aside money since my son was small for his education, even so, we won't have enough even at the cheaper Universities (public) much less a private one. However, he has a 3.5 GPA right now, works part time and saves 1/2 his money and I intend to help him all I can in addition to what I've saved. If that means selling two more horses and not taking lessons and cutting back on other things, so be it. As long as he keeps his grades up, and works for his "extras", I will help him.

Guess I just want to be sure that my child has the best opportunity with the least amount of debt. I did build character..I worked full time, went to college full time at night, and had my twin girls to raise..yep a whole lot of character building went on there..was it the right thing to do? I don't think so, as I was away from my children much more than I was home for 3.5 years. My parents were also of the "builds character" mode and though they could afford to send me to school, they said I would "appreciate it more". I was too tired to appreciate anything including family time and now don't really look back on college as a "good" experience, merely one that had to be endured so I could get a better job. I do have a good job thanks to college, I can afford things I couldn't afford otherwise and one of those is to help my children go to college.

In my company one can't be a secretary without a 4 year degree - what worked when we were young just won't cut it anymore in the business world, and even many trades are now requiring a trade school degree where they used to let people "learn on the job". So times change and one thing that hasn't changed is that college has gotten increasingly expensive - I can help out some and he helps out some and maybe even his granny will help out and he can graduate without any loans. I hope so..

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We have a savings account set up for all three of our children. We apply funds evenly to all three each year and as they age, it will build up to a nice size for them. These funds will be given to our children to use as they wish. If they want to go to college, they can use those funds to pay their way. If they want to use the funds for other things, such as a down payment on a house, a new car or to start a business, then it's available for them. However, if those funds are to be used for something other than an education, they can't receive those funds until they reach 25.

I believe this is the best option for my children. If one decided to not go to college, then they shouldn't feel neglected if the others did and had it paid for by mom and dad. Not all children are college material, and some are bright enough to start their own business without the expense of a four-year degree. This way, they all get funds to use as they see fit, none of them will feel "left-out".

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Joy at Secretplace Farm

We only have one child. I told him if he did not have a major decided, he would go to jr college until he got an A.A. Degree b/c of money. I saved money from the day he was born in savings bonds. My wish is for him not to have a loan when he graduates. He chose to go to local university & live at home. He has a part time job & pays for gas. He's frugal & responsible.
I put myself thru and have a masters. My parents helped a little but I did not ask. I got grants, scholarship, sm loan & always worked. It was hard. My main stay meal was green beans, rice & dash of beef boullion. Times were different when I went & cheaper! My loan was written off over 5 yrs b/c of where I taught...no such loan today.
My husbands parents never helped & I think he might have been happier w/degree. So he went a couple yrs & quit.
I think it depends on whether the parent can afford it. Do what you can...those little gifts f/my parents were SO appreciated. I am proud of my degrees & I got them on my own!

Only if the kid cant work!!!! Or promises to never throw you in a nursing home as payback!

Somebody wrote that kids should work and pay their own way through college. I think that was a fine sentiment 25 years ago, but it is almost impossible to do the same thing today.

Even state schools will eat up $10-15K/yr, and junior cannot make that kind of money, and take any kind of course load at all.

I've put one through school, the other finishes next year. Their student debt is pretty minimal, about $6/child. Both of my kids went to state universities, both received multiple scholarships.

It is still horrendously expensive.

i can't afford to. my oldest is a freshman in hs this year. there's no way with 4 kids i can afford to pay her way and the other 3 as well thru college. not gonna happen. she's enrolling in a state program that will pay her tuition if she meets certain criteria throughout high school (grades and behavior wise) and she'll take some college credit courses while she's in HS. they'll all just have to have a part time job and do the state program thing (i'll not make more than the money limit-i'm a teacher) to pay tuition and then do the best they can from there.

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I really don't know what the problem is a young Adult of 18 has working and still going to College

Our Son didn't even think of having us pay anything.He was working for UPS and had his own Lawn Service.The only thing we did was let him use our address so he would not have to stay in the dorm.

At present his DW is going.They have 4 Children.He is making well into 6 figures,has paid all his Loans and is paying for his DW schooling,a New Home and all his other Bills.

And I would never expect my parents to pay for anything like this for me.I've always paid for my own.Other than when I was a very young child up to the age of 13.

big rockpile

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I love being married.Its so great to find that one person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.



If I need a Shelter
If I need a Friend
I go to the Rock!

I could not afford it and told them so from day one of school. They were going to have to get scholarships or work or both.

The one that has two degrees now, went on a scholarship at first then got married and left that school. Fast forward 5 years later, and she's divorced and back here. Has bought a townhouse, works a primary job, teaches ice skating on the side, and went to college. She now has 2 year in Pre-law and another in English. With honors. I'm very proud of her. ACT 29

other daughter did not want college, ACT 32 - is married and has 3 children. I'm proud of her also.

They did what they wanted to do with life.

I just helped get them the tools to do it with while they were growing. I'd have helped some when I could, but WOW, what they can accomplish!

Angie

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"Live your life, and forget your age." Norman Vincent Peale

I think parents who wish to give their kids the best possible start in adult life should make sure those kids do not start off with a large college debt on their backs right out of the gate.

That said, the way my parents and I did it was, I worked 80 hours a week, every week, at 2 jobs every summer and also worked every spring break and Christmas break, and saved every dime of that money for college. They made up the difference between what I earned and actual expenses, which I had to budget closely while at college.

Believe me, it taught me the VALUE of an education. And I graduated debt-free.

I just freak out to see in the papers that 18-year-olds each owe an average -- AN AVERAGE -- of $5,000 in credit card debt today. That's nuts!

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Jim Steele
Sweetpea Farms
"To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." -- Robert Gates

I paid for all of my own education after HS -- 4 years of Bible College, some graduate courses, and then trade and technical school. Worked and borrowed and is all paid off.

We know of several women who went to four years of college, either paid for by mom and dad or loans. They graduated, got married, and stayed home having kids. Total waste of time since they took degrees in things that they will probably never use.

We have a friend who went to college for four years for social work. He graduated and got a good job. He asked what he needed to get a raise. A masters degree was the answer. He found it would take 2-3 years at night to work for that degree and the raise would be a little over $1,000 per year. Not worth the time and effort. He went to computer school for one year and got a job making almost twice what his college degree job paid. He could have gone for that program right out of HS and saved four years of college and its expenses and would have been ahead of his peers.

For some reason people believe that they have to go to lots of school and get a job with a big title to be successful. However, in my experience, the people I have known who worked right out of HS are making more for themselves than those college people.

We have told our boys that they will have to pay for anything after HS and we are pushing them to take either trade or technical training, not college. lThey need how to do something to make a living, not take advanced basketweaving 105.

Ken & Sue in Glassboro, NJ

I used to think so. I paid my own way through college...worked like a mule to pay for everything. In retrospect, it built a lot of character and made me darn serious about my studies.

I teach night school at a local college. Used to teach during the day but became tired of the lazy attitude of those who weren't serious about their studies...I won't generalizer...not all of the kids whose parents were footing the bill were lazy.

I made a deal with oldest DD as she tends to coast for lack of a better term. So, I made her a deal...she takes out loans to pay upfront. If she graduates, I'll pay for up to four years of schooling...if not, the loans belong to her. I can tell you she was not a happy camper because she knows that she's going to have to pony up and work...congratulations on becoming a responsible adult!

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CJ

The cost of education has gone up. the cost of a private school such as what I went to in the seventy's has risen ---what got cheaper? I they want the big buck school they (the one attending) should be smart enough to pay for it. I really can not go with this doing so much for a child.

I have a brain damaged child (12) and even with that against him we are raising him to be self supporting to the best of his skills. I am hoping that his "age" will come the doc's think maybe at 26 ish so that is the plan we have 14 years left to reach that goal. Now if he can not do it YES we will be there.

If I paid for 3 private school degrees and I am stupid some of the kids getting mom and dad scholarships could be doing it.

Rockpile I am with you on the wedding thing too. So, much spent on one day in money and planning but......how much thought goes into who eles will be at the alter?