Reality + Adult Kids

The truth is that my kids were only expensive for 1 year - the year we moved and had to scramble to find housing for them because they needed to be in the city and didn't have enough warning about the move to prepare. For the boys, it's a matter of pride to not need money from the old people and Paula just accepts tuition, books and health plan benefits. It's more a realization of what it could have cost if they'd been different. And I'm still secretly or not so secretly hoping that Peter and John will want more education. David's always taking classes through the navy, John's taking many mini courses through his union and Peter is always researching something for his writing so they're pursuing alternative paths to learning and that's a good choice too. Peter and Paula made the choice to not buy a car until they actually could afford all the related costs which explains how they manage. The unknown is the weddings but they've been practical about everything else so it's likely they'll be practical about that as well. Peter lives at home but he certainly is an asset to have around.