Tonight is one of those dreaded nights that I have to face not just three times a year, but now six times a year. It’s the time of the year to pay university fees, and this time, it’s for both Alycia and Sherilyn. Alycia is entering her Final Year, First Semester, while Sherilyn is just starting her First Year, First Semester of her Bachelor in Science in Architecture. The burden of handling their fees has now become a 6-times a year challenge that never seems to get easier.
For Alycia, I managed to make her payment using my credit card. It’s always a tricky process since I keep a low credit card limit for security reasons. This decision saved me earlier this year from falling victim to a good friend’s (now not friends anymore) scam attempt, but I’ll leave that story for another day. The first time that I attempted payment via credit card, it failed and I had to attempt it again. Thankfully, it went through the second time.
Then came Sherilyn’s fees, and this time, things got even more complicated. Sherilyn, in her usual last-minute style, informed me that her payment was due tonight—at the eleventh hour, of course. She warned me that if the fees weren’t paid by midnight, there would be a RM100 penalty. Unfortunately, making her payment was going to be impossible. The bank transfer requires me to increase my transfer limit, and thanks to the new security measures, there’s a 12-hour cooling-off period before I can use the new limit. The cherry on top? Even if I wanted to pay with my credit card, my limit would be completely maxed out with close to RM20k needed for Sherilyn’s fees.
I told Sherilyn that she would have to take responsibility for this oversight. If she wants to avoid the penalty, she’ll need to plead with the university to waive the RM100, or she’ll have to bear the cost herself. After all, she didn’t give me enough notice to make the payment on time.
These are the moments that truly test your patience as a mother. Juggling the financial demands of two university students is no easy feat, especially when you have to deal with technical obstacles like bank limits and cooling-off periods. There’s always something that makes this process more stressful than it needs to be.
Oh yes, while I was trying to change the transfer limit on my desktop PC, a message popped up on my phone when I tried to use the bank app to approve the transfer limit BUT I had to update the banking app first. Needless to say, the request failed as the update of the app on my phone needed time. I spent more than an hour on this dreaded chore. Yet, as exhausting as it is, I know it’s all worth it for the education and future of my daughters.
Motherhood has its share of challenges, and this is just one of them—navigating the maze of fees, bank procedures, and deadlines. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that nothing in motherhood comes easy, and these throes of stress are just part of the journey.
No. of times viewed = 32
What is Alycia studying ? I’m guessing they are still living with you despite being at college?
Hi there
Alycia’s studying BA of Arts (Branding & Advertising). The girls are still staying with us as their universities are not that far from where we’re staying 🙂
Thank you for sharing. Do you think your youngest daughter will become a dance teacher or something to do with ice skating as a profession?
Hi Anonymous
Cass’ passion is in ice-skating and she may become a part-time coach one day. I’m not sure. But I told her that she has to go to uni and earn a degree. 🙂