Couple asks about obligation for grandkids’ tuition

DEAR ABBY » 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. 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.

DEAR ABBY » What advice can you give me to get my ex-girlfriend back after I hurt her and broke her trust? We work together, so seeing her every day and not talking to her is hard. I would like to fix things between us, but she’s very stubborn. We talked every day and every minute of the day, and I lost my best friend and my partner whom I love so much.

— Her Former Girlfriend

in Kentucky

DEAR FORMER G.F. » If you haven’t already told her how sorry you are and that you love her, you should. Then ask what you can do to rebuild her trust. If she still refuses to communicate after that, you may have to accept that the damage done to your relationship is not reparable and start looking for another job.