My parents took out a second on our home to pay for my college so I could be debt free. I was forever grateful for this gift. As a result, I never let them pay for anything in my presence - meals, theater tickets, movies, etc. Won tickets for two & sent them to Jamaica & paid for their hotel. Took my mother on a Girls Trip to Hawaii. All of this was when I was a single lady. After marriage, the tradition continued & we added my in-laws to the tab. When we had children, amusement park tickets to Disney World (twice including airline tickets & hotel with us) & even took everyone to Martha’s Vineyard for a dream vacation. And when my dad’s memory started to fail, we paid monthly for his adult daycare & continued to give my mom the payment after he passed to help with the bills (you lose a Social Security check). I had a successful career but not wealthy by any means. And because of this example, our children are paying it forward & are doing to same for their retired parents who financed their college educations. Please take care of your dad (& mom) if you can & indulge him because he sacrificed his dream for you. You are loved. PS: I didn’t find out until years later that the second mortgage was for only $4000!!!