Yep, 'bought all 4 kids a decent used car in high school, as my father did. Wouldn't change that one bit. They all did well and graduated college.

Key. "They all did well and graduated college."

Nobody still plows mules Bill....

I gave each of my three sons $5k when they were learning to drive. They could buy any car they wanted for more or less money. I put in the $5k, they had to cover the rest, gas, and insurance on their own...

And I didn’t pay a dime towards their college. I invested 4 years of my life in the Army to be able to afford college. If it’s important to them they will work it out.

Oh, the oldest is married and getting a degree in mechanical engineering. Middle son enlisted in the Army. Youngest son working on a business/marketing degree.

We are there to help...but, it will be much more meaningful for them to do it on their own....

Our twin boys got my 10 year old Chevy truck to share the first year they got their drivers license. After a year they had to decide who got the truck and who was going to get a used vehicle. The first twin out of the oven kept the truck and his brother got a used Pontiac Grand Am that had hand crank windows. They had to get after school jobs in high school to pay for their gas and to start saving for college. When the younger bought a new car the used one was passed down to their sister. All three helped pay their way thru college bussing tables at Olive Garden, sure did give them an incentive to make good grades. All 3 graduated and have jobs. Electrical Engineer, Business degree and a Psychology degree for my daughter. She has admitted she made a mistake switching from Mechanical Engineer to a do nothing degree.
I went to trade school to be a machinist, then a maintenance mechanic apprenticeship, then was sent to non-destructive testing training classes and finally to get API-510 and API-570 certified. My out of pocket for all of this training was my room and board at the trade school, all of the other training was paid for by my employer. My electrical engineer son is getting close to earning what I was making when I retired 2 years ago.
Hard work and never turning down a challenge will carry you a long way in life.

Sounds like great parenting to me.

College will change, but it isn't going anywhere.

Yes sir, right hear.

x2!

Colleges are liberal conversion centers. The Dems wont let them go away

I went to college ..... signed up for engineering but then I found out I didn’t get to drive a train so I switched majors.

Sure miss the good old days of $4 an hour for tuition at state Texas colleges. My parents didn't have a penny to get me a car, much less pay for my college. After my 4-year stint I made it all on my own on the GI bill, about $300 a month. When I graduated from A&M, I left not owing a penny to anybody. I actually left with money in my pocket by selling the small trailer I stayed in while attending.

Went to D2 college on football scholarship...got degree and taught school/coached for 4yrs. No money in Ed and coaching was rather obvious compared to what I wanted in life. Jumped on some biz opportunities...quit the teach/coach thing and never looked back. Best decision I ever made. Loved college and playin ball but really did nothing with my degree but honestly, I loved the partying in college...what can I say.

Exactly right. But if the end result of sending my kid to 10 years if college is lower costs, then I am all for it.

They are not free when in high school.

Wish there was some way to reform our universities.

If it wasn't for meeting my wife and having a lot of fun, going to college was a complete waste of time for me.

I have two very bright daughters who will probably be able to go almost anywhere they would like. However, I have not encouraged them to go to college unless they know what they want to do, have a plan and it's required for them to get a job in that field.

I felt like over half my classes had nothing to do with what I was there for.

I'm afraid you're right. Where else will they be taught self-loathing and how to reject their parents' values?

Online is right - once the prof's realize they can record their boring lectures just once,
then just click 'play' year after year, and still collect a salary...( even after they're dead )

I just sat thru an 'interactive' training session - the lecture was pre-recorded but all the 'interaction' was processed by computer/AI.

That was my main complaint. I paid for my own college. The first two years were BS. I could have graduated with the exact knowledge I needed to start my career in computer science two years sooner.

Maybe you should be looking at different colleges? I, my wife, and kids (last one is a senior this year), went to Christian universities (albeit a couple of different ones) and it didn't turn out that way at all.

Like SMU or TCU?

Hell my wife, and son both graduated from a pretty liberal university UT, and both are conservatives..... and remember for the most part these kids come out and realize sooner or later that their values aline more with the republican party. Especially when uncle Sam starts taking their money. I think sometimes we forget how gullible we were when we were young.... How smart was the 21 year old you?

I say you gotta give your kids a little more credit... and maybe if four years of college is all it takes to convert them to lefties you didnt do a very good job instilling your views and beliefs in them before they shipped out. College never once had even the slightest effect on my political or moral views.

Do you want fries with that?

I love fries, yes please.