Mom Backed for Why She's Refusing to Give 'Entitled' Daughter College Fund

A mother has been backed on social media for refusing to give her teen daughter her college fund money unless she attends college.

The mom, who has been saving for her daughter's education since she was a newborn, said she faced a dilemma after her 17-year-old asked to access the money before deciding on her educational path.

Currently in her senior year of high school, the teen expressed a desire to take some time off from education after graduating and explore job opportunities while deciding if or when she wants to attend college.

"We have almost $200,000 in the account," the mom told Reddit in a viral post. "And while I fully support her decision to take an unconventional route after high school, I am reluctant to release the college fund prematurely."

The daughter told her she wanted to purchase a new car and other items, arguing that the college fund was intended for her use and therefore should be given to her even if she decides not to pursue higher education.

"She says that she is entitled to the money because it was meant for her, and she should still be able to have it even if she doesn't want to go to college," the mom wrote.

The average cost of college for students attending a four-year school, including tuition fees, on-campus room and board, books and supplies, was $35,551 in 2020-2021, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Over four years, the total comes to around $142,204.

For those without a college fund, the interest rate on federal Direct Subsidized Loans and Direct Unsubsidized Loans for undergraduate students rose from 4.99 percent for 2022-23 borrowers to 5.50 percent this year. That means U.S. borrowers will have to pay back thousands of extra dollars in interest alone.

Responding to her daughter's request, the mom said: "I told her no, because if she does choose to eventually go to school, I still want there to be money left in the account, so I'm going to hold on to it for a bit longer."

Parenting expert Georgina Sturmer told Newsweek, "All parents make their own decisions based on their own values and personal circumstances, and we all have to accept that other people might resent us for the decisions that we make.

"But if you've made the decision in their best interests, then you should feel confident that you've done the right thing," said Sturmer, a counselor registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.

In more than 6,000 comments on the post, people backed the mother's decision, with some praising her for refusing to give her daughter the money.

"If it's for college, it's for college. If she chooses not to go, then you can decide what to do with it as it's your money. It's not her money," wrote Electronic_Fox_6383.

Proof-Butterscotch17 said: "A 17 year old with 200 grand is definitely 100 per cent going to fritter that money away until there's not one pence left then come crying to mummy and daddy dearest that she has no money for college that she so desperately all of a sudden wants to go to."

ArtsySwan agreed, writing, "Now it's the car but next it could be clothes, makeup, traveling...5 years later she is broke and without a plan."

Sturmer had some advice for keeping the peace in a situation like this.

"Even if there is no way that you'll change your mind, it's still important for you to listen to what your child has to say. We all have to learn that we don't get everything that we want in life."

Newsweek reached out to poster u/Immediate-Sector-114 via Reddit for comment.