S Dilemma: Do I Help My Parents Financially If They're Irresponsible?

Today's 98.3 TRY Social Dilemma came from Kris and it's about taking care of your parents. Here's his email: Hi Jaime. Let me start my saying, I love my parents, but they weren’t always the best role models when I was growing up. They were always scraping by, late on the rent, and when they did have money, they wasted it on stupid stuff instead of saving. So when I was out on my own, I vowed to never let that happen to me. Now at the age of 38, I’m a relentless saver and keep my finances tight. My parents know this and are just as careless now as they ever were. I lent them money last year to make their mortgage and now they’re asking me to help them again. Only this time I’ve told them no. Now they’re mad at me, but I don’t think that’s fair. I want to help them, but I can’t let their mistakes become my mistakes. How can I get them to understand that I can’t help them and they shouldn’t be mad at me about it? Thanks for the help ~ Kris. This is tough. I would do anything for my mother, who is alive, and when my dad was alive, I would do anything for him too. I can't imagine turning them down if they needed money. I understand how Kris feels, but maybe instead of giving them money so they can misuse it, just paying the bill for them, or setting up an account that they have to put money into so Kris can help them with finances. It's tough. What would you do in this situation? Let's help Kris out and let me know on the TRY Facebook page.