When do you start to feel the pain?

<p>WHen my D went off to college last year, (my only child), my mother reminded me of how all 5 of her kids ended up back at home right after they graduated and stayed for several years while each looked for a job, commuted to law school, saved for a house, etc.
When we are sad and feeling like our kids are leaving us forever, think about that. It helps ease the pain.</p>

<p>sunshadow - no, that doesn't ease the pain. I want them to be out of the house once they are out of college. What will ease the pain is the day when my kids will start paying for my dinners, maybe with a vacation or two thrown in there.:)</p>

<p>DadII, did you ever tell us where dd finally decided to go?</p>

<p>I have enjoyed a little mental game I play which is called "16 Semesters of Pain".</p>

<p>I have 2 in private college, back to back. The 16 semesters is the total number of semesters we have to pay for. Right now, with D graduating and S a senior this fall, we only have TWO MORE LEFT.</p>

<p>One of my favorite moments in the game was when we realized we were more than 50% there--having climibed to the top and now in descent down the other side of the mountain. The climb's been arduous, but we're in the flatlands now and can see the cabin-on-the-lake (our retirement home?) from here.....</p>

<p>What a great idea! I guess that I have six semesters of pain left - and that is past the halfway mark! (always look on the bright side of life..hmmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, - think Monty Python here)</p>

<p>When I was a freshman in college, my brother was a sophomore, my sister a junior, and my other brother a senior. This was after all of us went through private high school. Thank God we all got tennis scholarships, or we would be bagging groceries for a living.</p>

<p>3bm I so agree with your post. We won't get any aid. One child, two professional parents. DS may get some merit/scholarship money, but, although appreciated, it won't make much of a dent in the cost. We will have to sell off/liquidate some assets to pay for college. I cannot think of a better reason though to need to divest ourselves of assets. I believe that we are so lucky to have a healthy, bright, engaged, interested ... shall I go on?.... child that I am really happy to pay for his education.</p>

<p>DadII, if you've been a saver all your life, you won't feel any pain because you never saw or used those savings and it won't effect your lifestyle.</p>

<p>Aw, you mean we gotta pay now? Dang, well at least I can rent out his room to pay for his room and board!! lol</p>

<p>It'll be okay. You'll see. If you'd bought a car, it would get worse each year. She'll get smarter and more capable each year.</p>

<p>We to put our college bill on a ten month payment plan and with the $25k scholarships he received, the monthly bill was very managable. He originally was responsible for the tuition part of the bill, but on moving off campus soph year we took on the tuition part and he picked up the r/b share. It worked out a bit to his advantage that way.</p>

<p>An we never had any buyers remorse with the choice he made. He has been a happy camper all four years, has received a great education and wandered into a career path that he loves is very excited about.</p>

<p>If your child is really happy, and doing really well, you won't mind the bill.</p>

<p>Watching your kid "grow wings" is priceless.</p>

<p>yes, "if your child is really happy, and doing really well" then it seems all worth it.<br>
s is starting in the fall and this going away to school is totally new to me. I'm beginning to feel both kinds of pain and lots of angst already building up.</p>