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If a teen doesn't want to go to college but is pushed to do so by their parents, should the kid eventually have to pay the parents back for their schooling? That's the question being asked on Reddit this week by u/Disastrous_Half_187, who took to the AITA (Am I the A–hole?) subreddit with a question about who is ultimately responsible for paying a child's college tuition fees.
"My parents strongly encouraged me to go to college," Disastrous_Half_187 explains in the post. "We are from a wealthier background, but I was definitely the most apprehensive person in my family about not wanting to go."
Disastrous_Half_187 goes on to explain that their older siblings all went to college then found jobs in their fields of study, noting they all graduated before the COVID-19 pandemic and before artificial intelligence eliminated the need for many entry-level positions.
"Despite studying a pretty useful degree, I haven't landed a job in my area of study," the Reddit user continues. "I'm able to pay my rent and all my own expenses due to the two jobs I work as a bartender and shift lead at a salad shop, but money is extremely tight. My parents paid for everyone's college in my family and, out of all my siblings, are demanding that I am the only one who has to repay them. I'm sure this will come across as spoiled to some, but I don't think I should have to pay them back."
The college grad believes the parents are retaliating for their kid not having chosen a job in their field of college study. "I know they are embarrassed about what I do when talking to friends, but I don't make it anyone's problem and support myself financially," the post explains. "AITA for refusing to pay them back?"
The majority of the comments on the thread are supportive of the poster. "This is not how loans work," said one. "They can't pay for you to go to college and then post grad say, ‘by the way that was a loan.' You are NTA (not the a–hole). I wouldn't give them a dime."
"Your parents don't get to turn their gift into a loan just because they apparently see your education as a bad investment," said one redditor. Another said, "Unless they were explicit at the outset of your college career that this money was a loan to be repaid you do not owe them a dime."
