2018May30

Keeping up with the Joneses


Keeping up education expenses that you can’t afford
If you find that you can’t keep up with education costs, consider if you perhaps stepped into one of the following traps:

  • Enrolling your kids into a school that you can’t afford.
  • Paying for extra-murals, sports gear or extra-lessons that you can’t afford.
  • Your kids are spoiled or you feel pressured to buy the most expensive sports gear or clothes, often on credit with a high interest rate.
  • You didn’t consider all the hidden costs (like uniforms, trips, stationery etc.) when you budgeted for education.

You can’t afford it and have to make a change, but what will this do to your kids?
This is what kids often tell me in my practice when they come for therapy to cope with anxiety or academic pressure:

  • My parents are struggling to keep me in a this school and I feel very guilty about it.
  • My parents are fighting about my school fees all the time. I wish I could rather be in a school that we could afford.
  • My dad says if he’s paying all this money I HAVE to do well.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t want to give your child the best possible education that you can afford, but I am saying that:

  1. The most expensive school is not necessarily the best school.
  2. A financially stable household means relaxed parents and a happy child and a happy child can perform well academically.
  3. Falling into debt for appearances sake, just to be in private school or because of the status that you want to have is not worth it.
  4. Financial stress can have a negative influence on your and your child’s health and performance.
You might also want to read about how children can learn about investments. 

Marinda Botha

Educational Psychologist

I started teaching in 2004 while still studying. After completing my Education degree at the University of Johannesburg in 2006, I took a special interest in psychology. I went on to complete my Honours and Masters degree at the University of Pretoria and qualified as an Educational Psychologist in 2009. I remained in the schooling system with my role changing from educator to school psychologist where I got the opportunity to address a lot of the issues I saw in the classroom on an individual basis. In addition, I also entered private practice and qualified as a BabyGym instructor in 2009. My focus was on developmental classes with moms and their babies, the prevention of learning difficulties, learning difficulties, emotional difficulties, career guidance, accommodations/concessions and school readiness. I especially enjoyed giving parents guidance as I felt that the parent’s role in the intervention process was crucial for success. The fact that parents often felt left in the dark with regards to their children’s therapy or the education system, sparked this interest on even further. Demystifying educational and developmental issues one parent at a time was very satisfying, doing it on a platform that could potentially reach millions of parents by writing about these topics is exhilarating.

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