Moreover, the report continues, after they graduate from high school, students whose parents have attended college are "…significantly more likely than those with similar incomes whose parents do not have a college education to go to college themselves" (Baum). Knowing that my pursuit of a college education at this point in my life will likely stimulate my own children to go on to college is part of what drives my dreams right now. I am also sharing with them the facts of life relative to education. For example, higher levels of education "correspond to lower levels of unemployment and poverty," Baum explains; and with the economic downturn -- and signs of an another possible recession at hand -- and so many people out of work, I want my children to have the best possible options for their future.

Beyond issues of economic security, the University of Maryland University College explains that a college education helps young people "…develop… skills in reasoning, tolerance, reflection and communication."...

If they decide not to attend college, that will be their choice, but I don't want them to turn away from their future educational opportunities because their father never got his college diploma. Every parent wants the best possible future for their children, and I know I am no different than millions of other parents. But because I worked in law enforcement for seventeen years before returning to college, I am in a unique situation, and hence I am uniquely positioned to make a very positive impression on my children, which could help drive their dreams of a better future.
Works Cited

Baum, Sandy, and Payea, Kathleen. (2005). Education Pays 2004: The Benefits of Higher

Education for Individuals and Society. CollegeBoard.com. Retrieved September 27,

2011, from http://www.collegeboard.com.

University of Maryland University College. (2008). The Benefits of a College Education.

Retrieved September 27, 2011, from http://militaryfinance.umuc.edu/education/.