I've been told that parents are never truly empty nesters. Acquaintances who have children older than ours say things like, "They still need us even after they've moved out," which is fine, and "We spend a lot of time babysitting the grandkids," which is also fine, and "They keep moving back home!" which I'm not so sure about.
But in a few short weeks we are going to have a very, very empty house.
And on one hand, I kind of feel like our job as parents is mostly complete - it's their life now and they will have to make of it what they will; hopefully we've taught them well. But on the other hand, we're still their parents and we still love them and want the best for them. So we worry about getting them through college.
Of course I realize that college is not for everyone - a lot of people do just fine without it and I have no problem with that. But many parents want to see their kids get a college degree, and in case you haven't been paying attention, college costs have been going through the roof. Our kids were looking at tuition costs of anywhere from $10,000 to $26,000 per year, with room and board at most colleges being another $12,000 per year.
So, just as a way of generating discussion, here's a poll for all parents or parents-to-be regarding how you paid for, or are planning to pay for, your kids' college expenses. After answering the poll question, feel free to leave comments!
