Consolidating

So Kiel asked me to help him fill out paperwork to consolidate his school loans. Ugh. I hate paperwork, especially if it involves thinking in numbers. I would rather butter bricks on a construction site. But he is my son and he is giving me his best puppy dog eyes and I know I will help.

Typical of so many government programs, the directions are confusing, the bits and details of information required come from a thousand different documents, the verbiage is confusing and contradictory. No wonder he is overwhelmed and asking for help. I have not done this myself yet but will likely have to face it at some point. So here goes.

We puzzle it out one grueling detail at a time. If you take the time to work each part thoroughly until you have it right, it all comes together. It takes us a good hour to complete the first loan. But we have carved a path and we can retrace our steps to add in all the loans. Once the way is clear, he is good on his own and I am released from duty.

I am happy he has this option. I pray the end result will make the repayment at least somewhat reasonable. I shake my head. Knowledge is not free. It is not cheap. But it is necessary. I am happy to leave him at it.