We had an interesting discussion in the lunch room today. Who should be responsible to cover the costs of school and school supplies for a variety of ages and stages of schooling? Here are the scenarios we faced: 

-         A 16 year old, who had her first full time job this summer, whose parents paid all of her costs previously. Should she be expected now to cover her clothing, school supplies, and extra school activity costs such as band? 

-         A first year university student who saved well during the summer, and can cover personal costs and extra-curricular activities, but cannot cover the books and tuition. Should his parents be picking up those costs as well as the cost of feeding and housing him at home? 

-         A post-secondary student, who earned well but did not manage money well enough during the summer, and now cannot cover his school term costs. Should parents provide the money to ensure that their child gets the education they need, or should the parents expect the child to earn and manage better and save to enter school next year? 

What do you think? Weigh in on our discussion. And watch for information on various school topics in the next few blogs as we get ready to showcase our “Back to School” seminars in September.