Ask Rene:
A Lawyer Or An Actor
And Who Pays The Student Loans?
Hi Rene,
Oh boy have we got a tricky situation!
We have two sons, Michael and Paul, the latter of whom has been at law school and just passed his bar exam.
We’re a simple family who doesn’t have much money in savings and we’ve literally sunk every penny we have into Paul’s education, as well as taking on a second mortgage and a lot of debt.
Now that Paul has finished his education though, he’s decided he doesn’t want to be a lawyer anymore and instead wants to act! My husband is furious and not speaking to our son. We worry how he’ll ever repay the student loans he’s accumulated – or why we put ourselves into so much debt for seemingly nothing. And it’s not like he’s leaving law for a stable career… it doesn’t make any sense!
We don’t want to push our son into a career he doesn’t like – but is it too much to expect Paul to at least try this career for a few years to pay off some of his – and our – debts? Maybe he’ll like it…
We’d really appreciate your take Rene…. Are we being selfish?
Yours truly,
Caroline, Connecticut
Dear Caroline:
Oh there is so much here, Good Enough Mother is not really quite sure where to start. What screams out to me is that it appears you and your husband were far more invested, literally and figuratively in your son becoming a lawyer than he ever was. That’s a big problem. And now he’s an adult, getting ready to make some decisions and you, because of your investment are raising your hands and saying, “Now hold on a minute.” Here’s how I see it breaking down.
1. The Money For His School
