I know what you may be thinking. You’re thinking she is going to say that the greatest gift her mother ever gave her was love or nurturing.
Or compassion, kindness, forgiveness, mercy, patience.
While all of this is true, I’m focusing on the greatest monetary related gift.
The greatest gift my mother ever gave me was a student loan.
Say what???
It’s true! So why was this such an incredible gift?
Since neither of my parents were able to get college degrees after high school, they decided that they wanted to provide the opportunity to their children. And so they decided that they would pay for their children’s college tuition.
But instead of getting personal loans to pay off over time, they took out a loan in my name.
Why would any parent take out a student loan in their child’s name if they were planning on paying it off?? And why would that be a good thing?
One word: Credit.
Many students that graduate college are not able to get a credit card, car loan, or home loan because they do not have a credit score.
The funny part is that when a new graduate applies for a credit card, they get denied because they have no credit, which results in a negative credit score because they were denied for a credit card. This logic makes no sense!
That is why my parents determined to take the student loans out in my name, so that I would have good credit after college. (Thanks Mom!)
My parents actually did this for 2 reasons. The second reason was because they were able to find student loans for me that did not have any interest for the first few years.
For many parents, the cost of college tuition can be overwhelming, especially if you have multiple students off to college at the same time.
Not many parents can afford college without a loan, including my parents.
Both of my parents worked 2 and 3 jobs at a time in order to pay off the loans. Besides, the best way to avoid empty nester syndrome is to stay busy!
For those of you who are already feeling overwhelmed, don’t worry! Only a few more years of the hustle and grind before they are off on their own.
To all the parents that are choosing to pay for their children’s college tuition, on behalf of your children, we thank you!
To all the parents. . . we thank you!
Stay focused and good luck!
Let me know what you think about paying for your children's college tuition. What has worked for your family?
