DEAR ABBY: What financial responsibility do parents have to their adult children and grandchildren? We are a blended family of 35 years. It is the second marriage for my wife and me, with four children and eight grandchildren. One child insists it is our responsibility to assist with the cost of educating his two children. Over the last 15 years, we have gifted him and his family well over $50,000. We are middle income, and trying to stay solvent enough to assure we are able to meet any unforeseen expenses of senior living while enjoying local arts and educational opportunities in our retirement. What is customary in other blended families? -- WONDERING IN THE SOUTH
DEAR WONDERING: Your son is off base, and you have every right to refuse this demand. The cost of raising and educating children is something that should have been taken into consideration before those children were born. This responsibility rests with him and his spouse, not with you, and I hope you will resist the impulse to alter your lifestyle to placate him. If you do otherwise, you may wind up in financial trouble.