by wisconsin_cur » Sat 14 Feb 2009, 07:55:25
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TWilliam', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pops', 'W')hen it comes to writing a check for college I'd think an agreement it be repaid isn't unreasonable.
Personally I'd think long and hard about writing such a check in the first place.
It is my opinion, based on many years of observation and experience, that very few adults, and even fewer
young adults, appreciate and therefore make considered use of things that are handed to them, with little or no effort on their part required to attain them. Most college students I've known who had their way paid by mummy and daddy saw the experience as little more than one long social occasion, while those who paid their own way actually tended to make use of the educational opportunity.
I experienced a middle ground. Mom and dad help with a large percentage of the tuition and room and board, I had to come up with books and the rest plus all the additional money I spent on anything from order out pizza to CD's. I did not have a first hand CD player until I got married. The two summers I rented an apartment I lost weight (~20 pounds) because most of my calories came from wasted food at a local buffet where I worked. The illegal dishwasher and I split it up.
At the time I still did not completely appreciate it, I do think I did well by the opportunity. The parents did do the heavy lifting and I did not resent them because the "deal" was laid out well beforehand. I was resentful for a time of those kids who came from the suburbs of Chicago who with the decked out dorm rooms and spending money... took me close to a decade to come to terms with that... but in retrospect it was a good way to go about the whole college thing. If I have the opportunity I will try to do the same for my children.