Tuesday, February 25, 2014

On his game

I'm sitting here listening to my son in the next room talking to someone on the phone about his student loan. He wants to change his monthly payments to be income-based, and to find out if it is in fact true that EMTs and firefighters and others in the serving professions are able to qualify for loan forgiveness (they are, after making 120 payments that are income-based). My son makes very little right now, and actually qualifies for very low monthly payments, with no interest accruing, according to what the man on the other end of the line is telling him. I am very impressed with my boy, the way he handles himself, the clarity of his questions and the logic of his follow-ups, his seriousness of purpose yet conversational ease, and always his sense of responsibility to his commitments. It would be easy for me to say we'll just pay this for you for the time being, son, but he's taken it on with such integrity—the consolidating of the loans, the choosing of the payment plan, the endless paperwork and mailing documents in—and none of it is simple, this is the government after all, so it requires call upon call upon call to the various agencies, and call backs when the websites don't work as described, but slowly and surely he is making his way through. "What if my income increases before the year is up?" I just heard him ask. I love that he's planning for that, because it will increase, he will do well. It's how he sees his life unfolding and that is more than half of it. What a fine example he is for me.





9 comments:

  1. I am in awe of your kids. I worry so much about my own and wonder if they will be able to make it in this world but when I look at yours I see that young people today do in fact stand a chance.

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  2. He 's such a good person, proud to know him!

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  3. My husband handles things like that as well. And I am always so impressed when I hear him on the phone having these sorts of calls. And in awe. Because I couldn't do it if you held a gun to my head.

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  4. How lucky he is to have you as a mom! You've done well. I don't think we as mothers ever hear this enough. You've done well.

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  5. Oh, soul, what a labyrinth it is - I'm on exactly the same program. I wish him the best, as it takes perseverance. But then, it will be set up, and it gets easier.

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  6. I think this economy is shaping our children into tough warriors.

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  7. This made me smile. I love that he is being responsible and optimistic but your pride in him makes me think of how my mom sees me. You are giving him an incredible sense of himself. One day he will write about you (as I do my mom).

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  8. How good it is to notice these things -- how mindful. And I'm very impressed as well. I keep my fingers crossed half the time when I read posts about your son, hoping that my own turn out as well!

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