Not Keeping Up With Our Parents

[colmomto2]

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Is it really that or is it that we want to give our kids everything? And in some cases, the kids actually expect everything. I think most of us have some compulsion to provide our kids with most things they ‘want’ or in many cases, what ‘we’ want (many times it’s not the kid who wants the expensive college - it’s really the parents). It’s a compulsion but is it warranted and does it really make sense?

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<p>I know that is true for many families, but my kids definitely know the word, “No.” I’ve been a single parent for many, many years and have been “on a budget” most of my adult life. (I think much of this is due to my desire to earn an MFA and Ph.D. - always in school or working to go to school.) </p>

<p>We have no cable (or satellite), we have dial-up (although I am “borrowing” wireless at the moment), and the kids have basic cell phones which they got two years ago because of a problem that occured with a late school bus and no one knowing where the bus with our kids on it was located. I am very lucky b/c my children ask for very little and learned early on that “we are on a budget.”</p>

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Let’s face it, it’s not really so challenging to find a college that can provide an excellent UG education in most majors. I don’t think it’s really that challenging. Even very low tiered schools have professors who have PHD degrees in their fields who can teach the UGs just fine. Is it really about the education or is it about the perceived prestige? And is that perceived prestige worth it? People should really consider these questions before just assuming that a $50K/yr private can inherently do a better job of educating the kid than a <$20K public.

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<p>That is probably true for many majors, but for some reason our flagship U doesn’t have a strong ug aerospace program according to the Associate Dean of the College of Engineering at state U. My S is ubersmart (NMF), very focused, and I want to help him in any way i can get the education he is looking for. That being said, his brains are going to have to help him win scholarships/grants for the school of his choice. No free ride (or mostly free) then state school it is. I am disappointed in myself for focusing on my own educational goals and not enough on saving for the kids’ educations.</p>