The author didn't cosign her sons' student loans.Courtesy of Lisa B. SamalonisI was a single mother with a lot of debt, so I couldn't cosign student loans for my two sons.We opened the financial and college discussions early, so they understood.I helped them pay for their small college expenses along the way.While I very much wanted my sons to go to college, as a divorced single parent, I chose not to cosign or take on Parent Plus loans that would add to my personal debt.I already shouldered a mortgage, a car loan, and the daily expenses for my two sons that were not covered by modest child support.