Should Parents Have Kids If They Can't See Affording College?

Didn't wanna hijack Atown's other thread about college with this question. So if a couple is planning to have a child....or has an early accidental pregnancy....should their foreseeing being able to pay for college factor into whether or not they should ahead and bring a kid into the world?

I'd sure like to know exactly HOW many parents HAVE foreseen being able to afford college 18 years down the road from their kid's birth before having kids, because I'm pretty sure that would be a small minority...if everybody waited until they were old enough, mature enough, responsible enough and financially well off enough to have kids, nobody would've ever been born.

Marc™ wrote:Didn't wanna hijack Atown's other thread about college with this question. So if a couple is planning to have a child....or has an early accidental pregnancy....should their foreseeing being able to pay for college factor into whether or not they should ahead and bring a kid into the world?

No.

Supernova wrote:I'd sure like to know exactly HOW many parents HAVE foreseen being able to afford college 18 years down the road from their kid's birth before having kids, because I'm pretty sure that would be a small minority...if everybody waited until they were old enough, mature enough, responsible enough and financially well off enough to have kids, nobody would've ever been born.

Yeah, Birth Happens!

(Sometimes it's planned)

Supernova wrote:I'd sure like to know exactly HOW many parents HAVE foreseen being able to afford college 18 years down the road from their kid's birth before having kids, because I'm pretty sure that would be a small minority...if everybody waited until they were old enough, mature enough, responsible enough and financially well off enough to have kids, nobody would've ever been born.

It's actually not that silly a question to ponder, especially if a couple is planning to have children. If would-be mom and would-be dad are trying to make a baby, then they should also be drawing up a rough outline about budget and future finances for the child, and that includes college.

Sure it's not a bad idea but would most parents actually be able to come up with that, and a semi-accurate one, before they decide to have kids?

I have to mostly agree with Supernova's reply....nobody knows what the situation will be almost two decades after they birth a child.

There are SO many reasons to not have a child...But, really, if someone that is childless thinks "I will never be able to pay for college tuition in 18 years...." then maybe they are self aware enough to hold off!!

Marc™ wrote:Didn't wanna hijack Atown's other thread about college with this question. So if a couple is planning to have a child....or has an early accidental pregnancy....should their foreseeing being able to pay for college factor into whether or not they should ahead and bring a kid into the world?

First off, as other posters have mentioned, no one can predict their financial situation in 18 years. Second, if a person thinks that college or no college should decide whether or not they have a child, that says how sick that individual is. There are many deciding factors in having a child, but college is not one of them. Third, just because parents may not have the finances to pay for college in 18 years, that doesn't mean that the child cannot work (I know, a wild concept for students) to pay for college themselves. That's what my Mom did - she was a full-time student and afforded it by working three jobs simultaneously and graduated in four years with a degree in Sociology.

To answer your question, no. That's like saying "If I can't send my child to college, they might as well be unborn." Now that is ridiculous.

Why would they? Why should they?

No - I don't think that should factor into things. It's something to consider, but many parents set up RESPs for their kids that at least will help. I don't think it's a reason not to have children and shouldn't factor into the decision at all.

Some things you have to play by ear, and college is one of them. But when a baby is on the way, parents should immediately start a college savings account, and sporadically put in as much as they can.

Chris wrote:Some things you have to play by ear, and college is one of them. But when a baby is on the way, parents should immediately start a college savings account, and sporadically put in as much as they can.

SO true, Chris. Most of my son's money goes into his college fund, and I add to it and have for years now. I couldn't start adding it myself until he was about four, but from birth, any cash he got went into the bank.

Chris wrote:Some things you have to play by ear, and college is one of them. But when a baby is on the way, parents should immediately start a college savings account, and sporadically put in as much as they can.

Which is exactly what I'll do when I get six months along. I have a friend who when her son was born, she started an informal college collection for him that consisted of pennies, nickels, quarters, singles, 5's, 10's, 20's, etc. that she'd randomly throw into this big zip purse. One day it was stolen and she was heartbroken. Of course I didn't, but I wanted to tell her how foolish she was to not start a savings account at the BANK, rather than to keep all that lose money in a home "piggy bank".