Dad Spends Daughter's College Fund 24 Hours After She Mentions She Might Not Want To Go
Parents try to keep expectations in check when it comes to their kids, but we'd all be lying if we said we didn't have some "plans" for them and their futures. Often, they blow right over those expectations, but as long as they are safe and happy, we usually try to go with the flow.
That's exactly what one father thought he was doing when he learned his daughter didn't want to go to college, but turns out, ended up making a mistake instead.
He explained that since his 18-year-old daughter was born, he'd been saving for her college.
While he wasn't comfortable disclosing the amount, it was enough to pay for school at a good university and all of her supply needs.
"My wife and I both went to college, and we were expecting our daughter to go as well," he admitted. "So you can imagine our disappointment when she told us that she wasn't going. However, we respected her wishes and didn't make a big deal."
So the dad decided that instead of paying for her school, he'd treat himself.
"The day after she told us, I bought a boat," he confessed. "My wife and I have been wanting one for years now, and so I finally bought it. It cleared out most of our daughters college fund, and we put the rest in savings."
A few days passed and the family was gathered together for a small backyard celebration where the boat came up.
"My daughter was there, and when we said that we bought a boat, she asked where the money came from," he said. "So we answered, and she absolutely lost it. She said that she had changed her mind and was going to announce it today, but now she can't go since we spent it."
So the dad wants to know: Was he wrong for spending that money on himself?
People didn't think that it was an issue he spent money on himself, it was when he did it.
"She's an 18-year-old ... and you didn't think she might change her mind or reconsider," asked one flabbergasted reader. "H--l, you clearly didn't sit down and [talk] with her to figure out what she does want and what her plans are. You gave her a day, and then said [expletive] it and bought a boat and didn't even bother to tell her that her college fund was gone."
So in short? Heck yes he's wrong!
They also chastised him for not thinking it through ... at all.
"You waited less than 24 hours before you bought a boat with the college fund," another reminded him. "Wait six months, a year. I mean two of my kids took a gap year before college, which they actually found very helpful. Plus things are a literal mess right now and it is really hard for college freshman to make decisions. I have one kid who is an incoming freshman. School is shut down. Everything is happening through email in terms of enrollment and the wait times are long for responses. Like I said, you should have given it some time. It seems like you just couldn't wait to spend the money you supposedly set aside for your child."
And ultimately, Redditors determined he was being unfair in not even letting her know how final her decision was.
"I also think if you were saving that money for her ... if she didn't want to go to college at least some of it should still be hers to get her started if she was going to move out or maybe do a technical degree of some sort," wrote another reader.
"Anyway, I'm not even factoring that into my decision because it's your money, your rules," the reader continued. "You should have made sure she understood you had money saved for her college and only for education and that you need to know if she intends to go or not as this isn't an offer on the table forever (or I guess in your case is like 2 days which is crazy but again, your rules) so that she understood what she was really saying and it wasn't just a casual convo."
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