With Claire’s renters insurance and car situation squared away as she prepared for her junior year of college, Harry and Sally felt confident that their daughter was ready to go. So they were somewhat blindsided when Claire asked a blockbuster question: Would they co-sign her student loan of $50,000?

Harry and Sally thought they had been prudent about saving for Claire’s college education, and they paid for her first two years to limit her debt. Claire took out student loans and used her own savings from her summer jobs for the remaining two years.

But Harry and Sally hadn’t anticipated all the additional expenses that Claire was incurring now that she was starting her junior year and would be living off campus.

Claire had always been a go-getter when it came her studies in high school, so it wasn’t a surprise to her parents Harry and Sally when she announced plans to attend college. On the contrary, Sally and Harry would have been disappointed if Claire had passed up the opportunity to make the most of her academic talents.

But while they had saved for her college education, Harry and Sally hadn’t banked on all the incidentals that come with supporting an 18-year-old child and legal adult who needed to move several hours away from her hometown.

During happy hour with her friends, Amber mentioned that her child’s father, Dave, had not been spending much time lately with their 5-year-old daughter, Abigail. Although Amber and Dave were never married, they had been able to co-parent Abigail since their relationship ended over two years ago. In fact, Amber and Dave had never been to court and had no formal agreement regarding custody, parenting time, and support.