Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences, Patricia. Yes, sadly these situations are not uncommon and can result in considerable heartache (and worse) for parents. As you say, it’s important to take a businesslike approach when making gifts and loans to married children, as personal circumstances can and do change.

During the pandemic when I was largely confined to my home I got into the habit of sometimes watching videos based on postings on various sub-reddits. While some of them came across as attempts at creative writing some of them seemed plausible and there were occasions where people had made generous loans to family members (not necessarily to adult children – sometimes it was to siblings) and never got them back. It is a pity but maybe folk need to switch off their emotions and imagine they are partaking in a business transaction. The son of a married friend of mine (not living in the same town as me) wanted Mum and Dad to swap homes with him and his girlfriend, I think when his GF was expecting their first child. That’s some years ago but my pal closed that down double quick.