I was theoretically self-supporting after leaving school, but (1) that was a handful of decades ago and (2) I was entitled, on my own, to special government assistance if I continued in higher education. It was a good thing I had (2), because my mother refused to fill out any financial aid forms. I went to a cheap state university and just about kept my head above water---mainly, probably, because I didn't have credit cards and was limited to cash... and although it didn't end terribly badly, I wasn't left with a lot of warm family feeling. One brother had similar treatment and was for many years very cool indeed toward Mom, though he has very charitably recently been kind and supportive to her. Other brother, seeing this, joined the military.

If this letter is real, the parent cutting off their child at 18 doesn't dwell in a vacuum, and I would love to see the responses from the community around them.