SPOTTED @ THE SINGLE FATHER’S BLOG
Everyone knows that Sean “Diddy” Combs is one of the entertainment industry’s richest super stars. Diddy is worth about $500 million right now. That is A LOT of money, probably more that what most of us will ever see in our lifetime. Well, some folks seem to be outraged that Diddy’s son Justin has accepted a full merit based scholarship to UCLA.
Justin is a student athlete who finished his senior year with a 3.75GPA and some pretty impressive accomplishments on the grid iron.
Because of his hard work and dedication Justin was given a scholarship worth about $54,000 to attend UCLA and play for their football team.
Since Justin’s father is loaded with money, some people think that he should not accept the scholarship and just allow his father to pay for his education. Critics claim that Justin doesn’t need a free ride to college simply because of what is in his dad’s bank account. The tuition at UCLA has almost tripled in the last 10 years and many California state schools are facing budget cuts. Understandably, a lot of parents are worried about how they are going to pay their child’s tuition.
I understand that Diddy has more money than the average parent, but what kind of example are we setting for our kids if we tell them that they don’t have to work for anything because their parents will take care of everything. If Justin is preparing for college, shouldn’t he be getting to a phase in his life where he is becoming more dependent on his own actions and focusing less on what his father has to give him?
If any student is successful in school, stays out of trouble, and is an asset to college’s sports program, why shouldn’t they be rewarded? I think it would send a horrible message if we tell him that he doesn’t need to worry about working hard because his dad is going to take care of everything for him. This is the time when he should be preparing for the real world. If he is going to be a productive citizen as an adult I think that we need to let him decide what is best for him. If he were to decide that he would decline the scholarship because of his own reasons I would respect that . But, I don’t think it is something that is worth discussing if he decides that he is going to take the scholarship, step out on his own and spread his wings and began to come from behind his father’s shadow as all young men should.
