Should they co-sign loan for unreliable son?

DEAR ABBY: We have a grown son who is married with his own family and home. He and his wife have jobs. My husband and I are semiretired - not rich, but we live comfortably. Our credit score is great.

My son wants us to co-sign a loan for him. I know his credit is not good because I get phone calls from collection agents looking for him. We really don't want to co-sign.

How do I explain this to him? I feel that because I'm his mother it obligates me. I am also afraid he will stop letting us see the grandkids if I refuse.

- Scared of the Dotted Line

DEAR SCARED: Since debt collectors are calling because your son isn't paying his bills, do not co-sign for a loan for him! If you do, you could wind up having to pay it off yourselves.

Your son is an adult. That you are his mother does not obligate you to assume responsibility in case he doesn't pay his bills. If he retaliates by not allowing you to see the grandkids, so be it. If you knuckle under to emotional blackmail, it won't stop, and it could affect your standard of living for the rest of your lives.

DEAR ABBY: I am writing regarding the letter from "Appreciative in Hitchcock, Texas" about the importance of sending thank-you notes.

Maybe this will help others: When our three children were young, we had a "note rule." When they received a present, they had five days to write the note. If written within two days, the note had to be only three lines long. On the third day, it was four lines. On the fourth day, five lines. On the fifth day - the gift went to charity!

None of them ever complained about doing their notes, and it became a habit while growing up.

- Strict Parents in St. Louis

DEAR STRICT PARENTS: Good for you! You taught your children that there were consequences for shirking responsibility. That's an important lesson because the same is true when they become adults.