I love when parents, or other people for that matter, say that we are paying for our friends. Personally, I have always paid for my friends (now I know your jaws all just hit the floor. Pick them up and roll your tongues back in your mouth). Since I was 4 years old I have played baseball (you can substitute football, basketball, hockey, etc... what ever fits you) and guess what? Baseball, etc... Cost money. The friendships I made through baseball are about 1/2 as important in my life as my fraternity brothers yet they are still friendships. So I guess I paid for my friends, during my childhood as well.
Now we are all praised for going to college/university and yet again we have to take out our check books, our credit cards, student loans, grants, scholarships, money out of mommy and daddy's pocket, etc... Guess what that all means anyone you meet in college, often times this will include your future spouse and the mother/father of your parents grand-kids, is a paid for friend.
When you move on to the professional world, again you are presented with the challenge of buying your friends. We all paid for the knowledge that we have now that got us into the careers that we now cherish. So again our friends were paid for.
Think about it people, nearly every person (outside of family members) that we associate with are paid for.
My advice to you is to be honest with your mother tell her how much the fraternity means to you and where you can benefit the fraternity and where the fraternity can benefit you. Tell her that you aren't paying for friends and that life is to short for you and her to argue over these things.
Your mother not paying for your education is not the end of the world. You can do it without her there are grants and loans out there that can help you meet ends meet and trust me the repayments of the loans are not that bad.
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