Dear Queenie,
I dropped out of college to take care of my mother, who was terminally ill, for several years. During that time my father, who was still working, supported me.
After she died my father collected her life insurance and also presented me with a bill for what it cost him to support me.
Queenie, Is this fair? Should I just pay him and go back to college?—Bereaved son
Dear Son,
I suggest you present your father with a bill for your services as your mother’s caretaker while she was ill, equal to (or even slightly greater than) the bill he has given you, and see how he reacts. I expect his reaction will not be very positive, so tell him you are willing to call it even.
Then go back to college and get your degree, because obviously you must expect to be independent and self-supporting from now on.
