On the other hand, if you&#x27;ve already set aside the money to pay for their college, why does it matter when they decide to go? You were presumably going to use it for their benefit, so why wouldn&#x27;t you want it to be used for that same purpose, just in another way or at another time.<p>Not to imply a parent is obligated to pay, but parents aren&#x27;t really obligated to pay when their kid is 18 either. It shouldn&#x27;t affect retirement savings, unless spending increased in the intervening years and ate into the investment they had planned to make in their offspring.