DEAR ABBY: I am a mother of three grown children who all have successful careers. The problem is they seem to have lost touch with the real world. They no longer have compassion or respect for people who must live with less, or who are not as well-educated as they are. This includes my husband and me.
We feel like we no longer fit into their world. It has become hard for us to have any relationship with them. How can I make them see that money and status are not the only things in this world, and that they should show more compassion to others? -- IN TOUCH WITH THE WORLD IN OHIO
DEAR IN TOUCH: You have my sympathy, but the lessons you would like to teach your adult children are ones they should have learned during childhood. Sometimes people who are "nouveau riche" try to forget their humble beginnings by avoiding the people who knew them when they were regular folks. It couldn't hurt to remind your offspring that money and status can be lost as quickly as they were earned, but family is supposed to be there forever.