Are parents justified in pressuring their teenage children to get a college education?

by Ryan Zinn

Created on: April 18, 2010   Last Updated: July 25, 2010

From the very moment when a child is born, parents are introduced to a whole new kind of responsibility; totally different from anything they have experienced before.  With great power comes great responsibility right?  Well parents do have power, therefore great responsibility must be given to them.  Not just for the child's needs, but also for their future, their life, and every way of thinking. Now, not only are the parents responsible for their own actions, but now they are responsible for the mistakes and actions of their child, whether good or bad. Throughout childhood, parents are required to teach their kids right from wrong and what is morally acceptable and what is immoral. And there will be times when the child screws up, but the parents still have to take responsibility for it by disciplining their child. Despite these frequent mistakes, the parents are also thinking about the child's future. If the parents were not thinking about their child's future, then there would really be no point in disciplining the child, because being disciplined helps the child learn and prepared for the future. A big part of preparing for the future is college and a career.

Now as you know, most careers require some kind of college degree, therefore it is only right for a parent to pressure their child to go to college. It works just like a math equation: If A equals B and B is exactly C, then A must equal C. Since parents want and desire for their child to have a successful career, they feel the need to urge their child to go to a good college where they can get a good education. The parents are perfectly justified to do this, because they have been watching out for the child ever since they were born. They have watched the child grow from diapers, to walking, to first day at school, to graduating high school; and now they have to watch as their child go off to college. It is only logical that the parents want to make sure that their child goes to a good college where they will not only be educated but also be safe. Parents are concerned about all aspects of the college which their child chooses; they want to make sure their child stands the best chance of obtaining a great career.

Even though children may disobey their parents from time to time, the parents still possess an enormous amount of love for their child. This love comes with protection, worries, and is unconditional. Parents are perfectly justified to pressure their children to go to a good college so that in their future, they will stand the best chance possible of grasping a good career.

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