The Missing Link

The missing link for many young adults is the one that runs from ownership/possession/gadget to labor. That is, a connection is broken between how much one has to work in order to own something (like an iPhone). Because so many are given so much the connection between labor and possessions is broken. One of the best things we can do for our children is to hold back things until a given amount of labor is expended.

So I like this brief post:

a new study…found that the more money (in total and as a share of total college costs) that parents provide for higher education, the lower the grades their children earn.

The findings — particularly grouped with other work by the researcher who made them — suggest that the students least likely to excel are those who receive essentially blank checks for college expenses.

The Inside Higher Ed piece is here.  The NYT piece is here.  Here is a summary of the research from the researcher, Laura Hamilton. …. [More at the link above.]