Dear Amy: My wife and I have a son in his mid-20s.

He lives with his girlfriend, and they are both in graduate school.

My wife and I took on debt of our own so he wouldn't have to for college. We also gave him his first car. His grad school is paid for by the school/taxpayers in exchange for him being a teaching assistant.

We continue to cover small expenses, such as his car's EZ Pass, his cellphone, car registration, etc.

His grandmother pays his car insurance and has given him a credit card, which he uses for groceries and dining out. He and his girlfriend generally live pretty well.

My wife and I are upper-middle class people. We have both worked hard for everything we have.

Ever since the 2016 election, my son has espoused far-left viewpoints. I mean really far left, as in we must eat/kill the rich, the wealthy are the enemy of the people, etc.

I have tried to encourage him to try and see the point of view of the other side.

He states that ours is a country full of uneducated people. He seems to feel that he is a victim.

I have pointed out that he is receiving a "free" education, courtesy of the taxpayers, and that he should be grateful.

He has called me a Nazi and a white supremacist, since he feels that these are the only people who voted for the current president (besides "dumb hicks who were duped").

We are not racist and do not have far-right views. We are mainstream Republicans who know and love people of all races, ethnicities and viewpoints.

His mother is in tears after he leaves.

I'd like to rekindle a normal, mutually respectful, happy relationship with my son. But how?

-- Concerned Dad

Dear Dad: I'm enjoying the irony that someone who takes money from his grandma to eat out could hate the rich so much.

You love your son. Surely, he won't be a twerp forever.

All the same, he is an adult, and you need to react to him proportionally. So -- if he calls you a Nazi, you should tell him that words matter, and that this is offensive. Ask him to explain and ask him to apologize. Demonstrate the respectful behavior you would like to see from him. (One tip: Never tell an entitled person to "be grateful.")

Also say that you don't want to offend him with your capitalist bounty, and so from now on he can pay for his own EZ pass and cellphone.

Tell him, "Your mother and I worry that you, who have been so fortunate, seem to feel that you are a victim. We hope you will use your passion to help make this world a better place, and that you will grow to understand how important it is to listen and respect other points of view -- even if you disagree."

Dear Amy: I have a wonderful, generous mother-in-law. Regretfully most of her gift choices are unusable (e.g., a blender, although we have a functioning one, and a suitcase, although we already have four!).

The tags are always removed and there is never a gift receipt. My husband feels that his mother would be hurt to know the gifts were unneeded.

This has all of us lying when we're asked how much we love the latest present. We simply store goods for as long as reasonable and then donate them, unused.

This Christmas the present was quite expensive and I feel terrible. Should we be frank and put an end to the pattern?

-- Gift Horse

Dear Gift Horse: You could use the newer gift and donate your old one. Otherwise, say, "We love your gift, but I'm a little embarrassed because we already have one. Would you mind if we tried to exchange the one you gave us? You're so generous -- I'll wait for your direction on what we might do."

Next year you might give her a heads up: "I don't know if you're looking for ideas, but I'm really hoping for some gardening supplies this year ... hint, hint."

Dear Amy: "Left Behind" was struggling with how to describe the loss of a child.

My daughter died too young, 15 years ago. I actually had someone say to me, "It's been 15 years. You should be over it by now!"

I'll never be over it.

-- Grieving

Dear Grieving: When you lose a child, you don't get over it. If you're lucky, you eventually adjust to a new normal.

(You can contact Amy Dickinson via email: ASKAMY@amydickinson.com. Readers may send postal mail to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or “like” her on Facebook.)