My wife and I are in our early 50s, and we have one teenage son. Her parents are dead, and mine are in their mid 70s, though my parents had no hand in raising

My wife and I are in our early 50s, and we have one teenage son. Her parents are dead, and mine are in their mid 70s, though my parents had no hand in raising me, my dad's parents did. They are both long passed. > my opinion in this matter is somewhat informed. Good deal...and so is mine. > > The job of a parent is to put themselves out of a job. > Are you a parent? You're never out of a job :). Context matters. You and the person you're replying to are talking about different things, and if you didn't realize that, I'd be fairly surprised, given your experience. The person you're replying to is talking (roughly) about getting their children on their feet and self supporting. You're talking about other kinds of support.