It’s been in the news—Bernie Sanders has introduced a bill to cancel student loan debt. I don’t want to share any political viewpoints here. I want to express what this communicates to the past and future generations of students.

To the past generation of students

I have two children who incurred student loan debt. One of them worked hard to pay hers off. The other is still paying his. My daughter got good grades in high school, earned scholarships and borrowed wisely. After high school, my son entered the military and after completing four years of service used the G.I Bill to pay for some of his education. For the rest, he did not borrow wisely. He chose to attend an expensive college that he could not afford, and he will be the first to tell you he made a mistake.

But he won’t say his debt should be cancelled. And my daughter, who worked hard to pay hers off, will feel this is a slap in her face. They both had choices and have lived with those choices. No one forced either of them to go to a college that required them to take out student loans. It was their choice and they take responsibility for it.

Students who have worked hard to pay off their debt or made a choice to attend a college they could afford are outraged by the thought that others will not have to pay back their debt. It’s unfair and communicates the wrong message. Why should those who worked hard to pay their debt off have to pay for those who will not?

To the future generation of students

College is expensive and the cost of an education is rising every year. But teaching your children to make wise financial choices is a crucial part of parenting. Not every student needs to go to an expensive college. There are less expensive alternatives, colleges that allow students to work while they attend, and scholarships available to help pay for college.

Forgiving all student loan debt teaches future students that it’s not important to make wise financial choices. It teaches them that everyone deserves a free ride and hard work is not rewarded. We are raising a generation of new leaders that will soon forget that hard work and sacrifice reaps reward. Why work hard if you can get it for free? Why pay off the debt you incurred due to unwise financial choices if the government is going to step up and forgive it?

My opinion

If I’m honest, I would love for my son’s student loans to be forgiven. But I know, as a parent, that is not the best for him, and he would agree; he borrowed the money and he should have to repay it. We must teach future generations there are consequences to actions and this includes incurring debt that you cannot repay. It simply comes down to the fact that we all have a free will and can choose to spend more than we can repay or save and borrow wisely. It’s something my parents taught me and because of wise financial choices, they paid for what they could afford and saved for what they could not.

At some point, everyone is responsible for their own choices. Those students who worked hard and paid for college without incurring debt should be rewarded. Those who incurred debt, should be held accountable and required to repay it. It’s a tough pill to swallow but a lesson we all need to learn in life.