Do you help support your graduate?

frazzled1
Sat, 06 Mar 2010 10:12:53 +0000

I don’t know how/why it happened, but D1 always pays for D2 whenever they are out.

My two oldest daughters always pay for the youngest when they’re out together. They call it the little sister tax. I wonder how long it’s going to last - probably until d3 is out of school and has a real job.

We would support our kids financially if they needed it. They know it and have never abused the privilege. Our oldest d returned home after graduation for a few months until a permanent job came through, and she was welcome. No one wanted her to be out on her own more than she did. We also let her take a 10-year-old car with 100K miles on it until she could afford her own, and paid the insurance on it for a while. She is 26 and has been completely independent for several years.

D2 (23) found a good position before leaving college and covers all her own expenses, though we did loan her some relocation money to help with moving costs. We’ll do the same for our youngest when she graduates - either welcome her home for a finite period, or loan her what she needs to get on her feet independently.

The days when a BA from a good college automatically conferred economic independence are long gone. The small amount of help we offered our kids didn’t stunt them professionally or emotionally, and I’m grateful we were in a position to offer it. And - however old our kids get, we’d pay for their health insurance if they didn’t have their own or couldn’t afford individual coverage. Thankfully, that’s never been necessary. But right or wrong, we’d do it.