Not About That Privileged Life: Taraji P. Henson Makes Son Sit Out Of School To Pay For College

September 21st, 2012 - By Brande Victorian

Source: WENN

As someone who feels like an indentured servant to Sallie Mae, I’m struggling a bit with Taraji P. Henson’s parenting style.The actress appeared on Jimmy Falon earlier this week to talk about the next season of “Person of Interest” but when the late night host asked her about her 18-year-old son Marcel and whether she packed him up and shipped him off to college, she said quite the opposite. She kept him out of college to make him get a job and pay for school.

“Even though he is privileged, he doesn’t remember the bad times when we were eating Hamburger Helper and peanut butter and jelly for desert,” she told Jimmy. He remembers all the good times and I don’t want to raise this privileged kid, who’s out of touch, so I made him sit out the first semester and he has to get a job. He called his grandmother, he was like, ‘It’s hard out here, it’s hard to find a job.’ So I was like, ‘Yeah, I need you to know that.’”

“I need him to see how real it is out here. It builds character. I told him, ‘College is like an investment. I’m investing my money in your future, and if I feel like you’re a bad investment, I’m taking my money back.”

I’m hoping Taraji left out part of the story, like her son is an ungrateful rich snob, otherwise I don’t totally follow her thinking. I certainly get making her son work for his education but making him sit out of school to get a job that could never pay off the cost of that degree doesn’t translate to me. But that’s her boy. Hopefully he’ll be able to catch up when he’s finally allowed to enroll.

What do you think about Taraji keeping her son out of school?

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  • shar scu

    I totally get what she did!!!!!!! I have a son who started college recently and I understand exactly why she wanted her son to feel the real before she invested her money. Him learning how hard it really is would give him incentive to stay the course of college to his degree once he did enroll. Great plan Taraji!! I am sure I had the same option in my head as my son and I were preparing for his first year!!!

  • Benji Mane

    How is this even an article? Are there no writers on this site? I keep coming back hoping to read something in depth, researched and well thought out. Instead it’s something that reads like someone was typing with one had while eating popcorn and flipping through reality tv shows

  • baddvixentype

    good for her! she’s trying to show him that in order to live the way he is HE must work for it. Nothing worse then a depending man who cant provide for himself let alone others. showing him responsibility is great. She bettering him….doesnt mean she wont pay for it though, just that she wants him to show her he has what it takes to be able to take care of himself if need be. #JMO

  • Thatsmystory

    I totally agree with Taraji’s thinking. I have a step-daughter that went to school thinking that it was her time to be the life of every party! She failed EVERY ONE of her classes and thought nothing of it when she lost the few scholarships she did get because she was “privileged”. When my husband had to pay for the next 2 semesters, she didn’t care. She just moved to a more expensive dorm and proceeded to ask for even more spending money! When you have to pay for your education, or at least contribute towards it…..you appreciate it a whole lot more!!!! I know I appreciate mine!!

  • Tia

    You don’t have to be ungrateful and/or disobedient to be taught a lesson on life and anyone who has an education knows that it is life long. There are just as important lessons to be learned outside the classroom as there are in, if not more. I applaud Taraji.

  • Yeahfor Mom!

    I ain’t mad at her. Anything your work for, you treasure. Too many kids are getting too many things handed to them on a silver platter.

  • LMH

    She is trying to instill the idea that just as something can be handed to you, so can it be taken away. And God help you if you are not prepared if that day comes. She doesn’t want an indulged, infantalized grown man on her hands. She is trying to raise a responsible man……. there is something to be said for busting your butt for what you get. It makes you tough AND more appreciative of the fact that YOU earned it — it wasn’t handed to you by mama, daddy, or the government. Good for her. I knew there was something about this lady I liked :D

  • http://www.facebook.com/brooke.alexandria2 Brooke Alexandria

    I appreciate my education more because I pay for it. I took out loans, pay for it by working and even with my financial struggles I have a goal an I’m determined to finish. I’m not a parent but from the students perspective I appreciate the lessons my parents allowed me to learn on my own and I take pride in my education. Taraji is trying to give her son the same thing.

  • Laneé

    Catch up? Because you HAVE to finish college by 21 you just HAVE to? Taraji feels there are some character traits her son needs to learn so she’s teaching them to him. Leave the woman alone.

  • Pam

    Badly written article, sorry. Firstly, there really isn’t a problem with what Taraji is doing because 1) parents don’t have to pay for anything for their 18 year old adult offspring 2) people don’t HAVE to start college at the age of 18. Secondly, and most importantly, the article is full of assumptions and inaccuracies (a journalist’s worst enemy): depending on the school and the job, he could actually pay for a degree on his own. He won’t have to “catch up” on anything – he never enrolled so how can he be behind? He IS allowed to enroll, she’s just not paying for it. No one is stopping him from enrolling in college.

    I know this isn’t The New York Times or anything, but where are the journalistic standards here? Who is the editor-in-chief for this website? I know these days we want to be casual with commentary pieces and websites, but really? As many commenters have pointed out, this is a non-issue but the real kicker is how it is not written well.

  • http://www.facebook.com/bodacious.tatas.5 Bodacious Tatas

    I really don’t see the issue

  • http://bpytsspot.blogspot.com/ the78msj

    You don’t know the value of anything until you have to earn the money to pay for it yourself. What most don’t seem to understand is you can go to college but that doesn’t mean you will graduate, that doesn’t mean you are guaranteed to go there and put your best effort forward. She was right to say that she is investing in him because she is but she knows her son if he doesn’t have a strong work ethic or he is not focused like so many aren’t at 18 then he is going to waste time, effort, and a lot of money bullshitting and partying like most who are 18 do. It’s not called the freshman flunk for nothing this article as usual is written from a slanted angle and until you are a parent you will never understand the actions of another parent.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000711341323 Vanessa Walker-Melson

    Sorry but her logic makes sense 2 me!

  • Epiphany

    Her money … her business…. her child!!! Enough said!!!

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