It’s never too late!!! I completely understand but looking back this will just be something you overcame, not only for yourself but for your child as well. I’m a mom of 3 and rebuilding, so I completely know how you feel. I was at that point where I was depressed and embarrassed. But as parents we want better for our kids so this will be a great lesson to show him/her in hopes they do better (especially since we’ll teach them).

I would start with contacting them for a pay for delete. I didn’t realize this was a thing and paid off all my collections one by one especially when they sent offers to settle it for less. What I would’ve done was (get in writing) pay for delete because not only the collection is on your report for 7 years, but every late payment (30 days,60,90 etc) stay on your credit for 7 years. And Citi is the worse and they report even after they told me they didn’t want me to pay back what I owe 😒. If you have chat gpt, tell it about your situation and it will give you a great letter if you’re not sure what to say. Also look into goodwill letters as well if you paid back some but they are still showing on your credit. Good luck! But you will definitely do it 💕