<p>Ultimately, that’s what it comes down to; the Golden Rule. S(he) who has the gold makes the rules. The way it works in this country, parents are the ones who are primary in terms of college payment most of the time. If your parents CAN pay, you can’t get any financial aid, if they won’t pay, or if they won’t fill out the forms, you get zip too. College is really on the parents.</p>
<p>As to when and where to draw the line, it isn’t a hard and fast rule, in my opinion. I give my kids latitude in their college choices even though I am paying for it, but there are rules there. If the performance or behavior doesn’t meet certain standards, the payments stop. It is an investment of sorts, and i do monitor it as such. But the bottom line is that I do want my children to have a good college experience and I feel that having choice in where they want to go will help that. When your kids are in college, it’s really on them if they are going to succeed or not. Though you are responsible for paying the college costs, they are considered adults by society in other ways. It’s really a gray area and a very tremulous time for a family.</p>