The Talk

In a few weeks, my oldest child will be a college graduate. I blinked, and four and a half years has passed. Like all parents of college graduates, we are extremely proud of him. He didn't enter college with the HOPE scholarship, but he worked hard and as soon as he was eligible, he received the HOPE and kept it through the remaining years. In addition to going to school full time, he worked, sometimes upwards of 30 plus hours per week. He has lived on his own since he was a freshman so he’s had to learn how to manage the freedom that brings. He also had to learn to manage a checking account, how to pay bills and how to get along with roommates. He’s learned a lot of the valuable lessons we hoped he would over the past years. He’s a stable, mature and hardworking young man.

Now it’s time to have The Talk.

Along with that college degree comes new financial responsibilities. By being out of school, he’s not considered a dependent anymore. Along the way, we have made him responsible for more and more of his expenses from cell phone to car insurance and car payment. Slowly and methodically, we cut the financial cord. Now, it’s time to have the initial conversation of “financial freedom from the parents.”

I know he doesn’t want to have this conversation. His disposable income will be decreased, and paying for things like rent and student loans isn’t as much fun as hitting Taco Mac and getting an advanced Brewniversity degree.

When I graduated college, I didn’t have a job. I moved into an apartment in Denver with my best friend and a deadline. My dad offered to support me for a set amount of time while I found a job. But he made it quite clear that the gravy train had an end-date, and I became a very motivated job seeker.

I know we need to have the same grace with my son as he enters the “real world.” But we need to have a plan and in order to have a plan, we need to have The Talk.

Congratulations to my son and to all the December, 2014 graduates!